Our Year!!!
1 February 2016
Cancer seems to be a smart yet stubborn mother and has made 2016 a full on year for Caine & myself already.
We started the year off with a week of chemo, then to be informed that the last round hadn't helped and his HCG (tumour markers) seemed to be creeping up again.
Surgery was booked for Tuesday 19th January.
Blood tests were being done weekly to keep an eye on the little buggers. Monday before surgery Caine's HCG levels had jumped up from 75 to 330 which made it clear this cancer wasn't giving up. The surgeon, Dr David Merrilees made a quick decision that it was now or never so surgery went ahead :)
Caine’s surgery was complicated and took 9 ½ hours. The team successfully removed one testicle, the tumour in his abdomen also the lymph nodes in his back. There was quite a bit of tumour in his pelvis which was tricky to get at and some had to be left behind.
Caine is a true champion and was up and walking the morning after, he had some slight setbacks with swelling in the lower body and 5 blood transfusions due to the amount of blood lose during surgery which then made his blood pressure unstable for a couple of days. Caine spent 3 days in ICU until finally being moved to the ward.
As Caine’s immune system isn’t the stronger his wound has attracted a slight infection but it is well on its way to being healed.
Unfortunately since surgery we have been made aware that his HCG levels have begun to rise again therefore chemo is the next step in this massive journey of ours. Cancer is funny, after a certain amount of time it adapts to the chemo and then starts to become immune to the chemicals.
The doctors weren’t lying when they said cancer was a “bitch”.
It has been two weeks since Caine went under the knife. He is still in Auckland Hospital and we are keeping our fingers crossed that he’ll be able to come home tomorrow.
Caine chemo T.I.P will be 5 days at a time on a continuous drip. This chemo will be more intensive than the one before but right now it is about finding one that will destroy the cancer.
Not only have we not had the best start to the year, three days before caine surgery we were involved in a car crash which resulted in my car being written off, only took insurance 2 weeks to figure that out. At the moment we are borrowing friends cars as we are on the hunt for a station wagon which will fit his walker in it.
Unfortunately a week after his surgery caines Aunty passed away in Australia.
Everypiece of bad news seemed to drift our way. Wenever thought it could get any worse but somehow it always did. We have come a long way and although it seems like months we have only been fighting this beast for 4 months.
Let's hope February is much brighter ??
Thank you,
Caine & Sinead
R.I.P Aunty Ree Ree xx