One meeting down, one to go this afternoon

Not good news, really.

Just a quick update following my meeting with my haematologist this morning.

I spoke with him about the swelling in my right leg and, after an examination, he concluded that there may well be a case for some intervention. One of the lymph nodes in my right groin area is about the size of a quail's egg and could be the cause of the lymph retention in the leg.

He is going to obtain the original imaging from the CT scan I had back in May (see blog posts passim) and then discuss with a radiologist colleague. He is 50/50 with regards to treatment, but I suspect that it won't take much for hi to be tipped 75/25...

The treatment will most likely be radiotherapy, every day, for 4 weeks, and we have pencilled in September as the time when we'll do it. That should clear me of the treatment before the trip to Malta and Umbria. So, let's wait and see (again...).

Bit of a shock though, and there's no guarantee that the treatment will provide the solution to the leg problem.

He has also examined the full results of the bone marrow tests done last month. There is a very small amount of disease in the marrow (that takes me to Stage IV of the disease), but not enough to worry about at this stage. No doubt, further marrow tests will be required going forward, but not just yet.

He did state that there was something else interesting in the results. Lymphoma comes in many forms, but it infects two different types of cells - B cells and T cells. The results from the path tests done on the lymph node removed, shows disease in the B cells. But, the bone marrow shows slight disease in the T cells. Normally, only one type of cell is infected. So, there is a very, very slight possibility that I actually have TWO lymphomas at the same time.

The chances of that happening to someone of my age are so slim that this just can't be the case. Apparently.

So, this afternoon, I now have a visit to the surgeon who originally removed the lymph node. I am seeing him after my GP requested his opinion on what could be done about the leg. Rather than just write back saying that there's not much that can be done normally, he will take another 10 minutes and £350 from BUPA and tell me to my face. I will NOT be bullied into having him do any more surgery on me. If that were to be come necessary I'd go somewhere else.

I think it might be time to get in touch with the Lymphoma Organisation to see what they can do for me. And what I can do for them.

Finally, for now, the haematologist is still talking "10 years". Which isn't good enough really - I want more than that. At least it gives me plenty of time to sort out a Bucket List - first draft of which I may share later. At least I hope it does.