Hello its me again – you haven’t heard from me for months which is a good sign!
I hope you have all kept safe and well during this desperate year. I just have a little update for you.
A week into lockdown, I started suffering chronic back pain, turning acute and as of now remaining chronic. That same week I suffered 4 days of COVID symptoms – persistent cough and trouble breathing, a week after returning from a COVID hotspot in Austria. This happened again at the end of August. Both times COVID test was negative. Also a small swelling in my neck.
I didn’t have my normal review with the Doc in April as everything was cancelled, so it was not until early September I actually had a review with him by phone. I haven’t had anything to report to him since finishing Chemo and and Radiotherapy in early 2018. So the things above were enough to prompt him to order an urgent CT Scan, although my blood counts have just crept into the lowest level of acceptability. Oh my, this is alarming , the panic setting in immediately. It seems as if something is up, maybe Bertie has sprung into life and has seeped into my bones. I always knew this day would come, it was just a question of when. My imagination ran wild and I assumed I would be one of those patients whose cancer had advanced because of COVID delays.
I had the scan nearly 3 weeks ago now and only got the results yesterday after chasing them down.
It seems I have degenerated lumbar discs, exacerbated by RCHOP chemo (remember all my broken bones). So I along with a good proportion of the population I have a bad back and there’s things I can do to mitigate this. Apparently I also have a Sentinel Loop, an intestinal inflammation. Because I am suffering no issues with this, they aren’t going to investigate further, although I’m minded to disscuss this with my GP.
The main outcome though of the Scan is that there is no evidence of Lymphoma beween my nose and knees. I can’t tell you what a relief this is to hear – its been a fraught 3 weeks. I live to fight another day.
Just thought you’d all like to know.
Tina xx
Bertie the Bombshell 