If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster


And treat those two impostors just the same...

Time for some cautious optimism. CT scan results are in and it's good news. If you've been praying (thank you) then your prayers are being answered and if you've been sending a kind thought my way then your kindness is doing it's work.

Survival rates for my type of cancer are 60% plus and it looks like I've made it into this group.

Here's how it rolls:

* Compared to my original scan on 8 March 2011 the tumour in my pelvis has virtually disappeared. Some small bits left.

* Various nodules, lumps, bits of cancer and blocked lymph nodes have also either disappeared, melted away or otherwise fled for the hills. The ones in my pelvis that is…

* The tumour has left behind damage to the bones in my pelvis accounting for continuing hip/thigh pain and a funny lurching walk from time to time. Under normal circumstances this bone might regrow except for the ironic side effect of chemo which kills off fast growing cells. At this point I'm not sure whether this will get better when treatment finishes or I might need a hip replacement one day.

* There's a previously unseen nodule (bit of cancer) on my right lung that wasn't spotted before. Needs watching.

* I have more or less permanent pins and needles in the ends of all my fingers - not sure if this will ever clear up or it's with me forever.

* My eyebrows, rather slow on the uptake, have decided that now is a good time to fall out.

* Just done Chemo 6 (see photo) and got a meeting with the big boss consultant on 19 July but at the moment it looks like I'll continue with two more cycles of chemotherapy (another six weeks or so) and then there might be some laser blasting with radiotherapy.

* After that just the difficult business of locating my energy and oomph which I seem to have misplaced in the last year or so.

Will keep you posted.