Home Again

Sorry for the delay in writing, its been such a difficult time, that I've not had the time, nor the emotional energy to do it. Also I'm sort of stuck for words.


Awful is a word which keeps coming into my head but that doesn't really help other people to understand what is going on.

Well firstly the good news is that Steve is home. He came home on Thursday evening. With more drugs then our little pill box system can cope with!! He is out of pain (most of the time!) which is great but most importantly he is home and able to potter around in the garden, assesing the lawn! Which by all accounts needed more watering Opps!

All of the team at st Barts have been wonderful, as I said before they just couldn't believe it was just constipation. Well unfortunately their hunch was right. I knew they would be but I was hoping they weren't going to be but that is the real difference of going up to London to ST Barts. We have spent the last 2/3 weeks up and down to St Peters and Runneymede, never getting to the route of the problem of the pain in Steves stomach and back! But within 48 hours in St Barts, they believe they know what is causing the problem. Basically it is a mixture of constipation and nerve pain. The constipation is not caused by the morphine alone but by a tumour which is pressing on some nerves which are attached to Steves bowl. This is the reason that they feel Steves bowls are being lazy and not working properly. The second issue of the terrible pain and shaking is being caused by the same tumour which is also pressing onto Steves spine. This thing is now 6cmx5cm and is in the original place of Steves kidney.

Whilst originally they were worried about the cancer in Steves lungs, they are now more concerned about this one.

If it continues like it has been then it will start to put more pressure on the spine, so their is an immediate plan to have some radiotherapy. This will be extremely targeted at this one tumour to see if they can stop it in its tracks and thus relieving some of the pain and problems Steve has and importantly stop it from getting any worse!

However as I've said before on here radiotherapy and chemo are known for not being very effective on Kidney cancer but for GODS SAKE we deserve some luck!! Come on surely its our turn in the queue for some luck. Steve will need 5 session consecutively 1 day after the other and this will start on Thursday 1st July. The treatment itself will only take about 30 mins, their are side effects, one of which is diarrhoea which strangely would be nice, given Steves problems with his bowls!

We also have booked up to go and see 2 new consultants, we have decided to see the local chap Prof Pandha and also Simon Chowdrey (don't think I've spelt that right!) who is based in Harley Street.  We are seeing them next Tue and Wed, so next week is going to be a busy one!! With this and the radiotheraphy.

Oh and as you may have guessed I didn't go on the bike ride. I didn't go for a number of reasons but the main one was that I am not well. I wont go into the details as this is Steves journey but needless to say my doctor told me that I couldn't go. I feel terrible about this and after everyone being so generous with their donations. I actually hit £10,000 on Wednesday. I am going to e mail everyone who donated and ask them if they would be willing for the charity to keep the money and that I will complete the ride next year. As I write this, they are into their 3rd day and I've been getting regular updates from my brother and friends. It sounds like its tough but they all keep saying that I could have made it. And I know I will do but this year it just wasn't meant to be.

When we have some more news I will update.

Love to all.