Wednesday 2nd July

Further to the appointment at the Royal Marsden yesterday.....

Options:-

 a) They open me up and remove the two lymph nodes that are either side of my left kidney.

b) They open me up and see that the nodes are firmly attached to the kidney and then have to decide to remove nodes and kidney, or sew me up and leave them still attached.

c) They open me up and see that there is actual other small amounts of disease that wasn't picked up by the scans, so removal of nodes would be pointless, sew me back up.

There are two surgeons carrying out the operation, and despite a two hour wait I was pleased to be able to see them both and have these various options explained.

Although the whole experience was a little surreal, and despite me nodding and appearing to take it all in I couldn't quite grasp the fact that this was all going to happen to me, until I got outside the hospital and broke down.....

If option B and/or C happens I will be given another six courses of Chemo..... one of the issues with taking a kidney(and we all know that 'normal' folk can live with one kidney quite happily) is that I will in the foreseeable future need more chemo and your body could really do with two to flush out all the toxins...

DN (one of the surgeons-and a 'top man') explained that chemo as well as operations causes scar tissue, and that makes the whole procedure even more difficult. He used a good analogy....
Imagine looking at a book, but you've dropped it into water, and despite it still looking like a book now all the pages are stuck together, but you don't realise it until you try to open it.

 The nodes look like they could just peel away from the kidney, or not...

My CA 125 has risen at an alarmingly rate up to 176- he said this was good (?) some ladies don't ever show marker rises, so at least we have that as a definite indication, but it was 27 in March....


I will have to spend 4/5 days in hospital, and the operation could take 2 to 3 hours- (all approximately) .

We had a short hours break then lots of pre surgical tests in the afternoon, blood pressure (110/60) thats good! Height, weight etc. blood tests, swabs for MRSA, and an ECG, which I 'failed'..... apparently I was abnormal, at 48 it should be 50 or above. It's because I'm so fit she said....

Talking of which we did have one brief moment of lightheartedness, when the nurse in going through all the checks said to lessen the chances of blood clots forming I had to increase my daily exercise- to which my husband gave a somewhat derisive snort and said I couldn't fit anymore in to my already hectic schedule!!

The procedure I am having is a Laparotomy para-aortic lymph node dissection....for all you nurses out there, at least that's what's printed on the sheet......