Mixed News..

My latest meeting with Prof. Dearnley at the Royal Marsden was to review my recent CT scan and blood test. When he started with the words "It's mixed news..." I knew there was something not quite right. The blood test showed my AFP tumour marker to be normal, however the CT scan showed a nodule on the bottom edge of my right lung. This is slightly unusual in that each previous re-occurence of my cancer has been marked by an associated increase in my AFP levels - which thus far has shown to be a reliable indicator. There is a chance the nodule could be scar tissue from previous surgery or benign but I've been scheduled in for a PET scan to check. Back to the waiting.......should have crossed my toes as well!

The Waiting...

My consultants appointment has been put back to the 6th May, so I'll need to wait a little longer to get the results of my latest scan and blood test. Reckon I'll get cramp in my fingers if they are crossed for that long!

Quick Update

Haven't posted for a while as all's been well and I've been concentrating on my other blog.

I'm due my first post-remission CT scan on Thurday, back at the Royal Marsden.  As usual there's a little trepidation ahead of getting the results (which won't be for another week), but fingers and toes are crossed as ever!! 

A Mountain High

I've been contemplating the direction of the blog for the past few months. Conscious that as remission is progressing the posts have become less frequent.

Inspired by others blogs, I've re-discovered my passions for the mountains but rather than skew my cancer blog off in another direction I've decided to create a new blog, 'A Mountain High' http://www.amountainhigh.blogspot.com/ to chronicle my outdoor exploits.
This will leave this cancer blog truer to its original intent and ensure that its content is visible and accessible to others unfortunate enough to be going through a similar journey themselves. I'll add a link on the right-hand side to each blog so you can flick between them.

My cancer reinforced the need to make the most of your time, do the things you enjoy and not let life pass you by. Hopefully my new blog will help encourage and motivate me to do just that and if in any small way inspires others then even better.

One year and still clear!

On Friday I popped back to the Royal Marsden for a 2-month check-up which primarily relies on checking the AFP levels (a tumor marker which is used as an early indicator of cancerous activity in the case of my cancer-type) in my blood and which were again normal. There is always that awkward few seconds when you realise that the consultant hasn't actually checked you results before he comes into the room, and you can see him scanning down the paperwork to check the latest results. Thankfully they were normal, else his whole demeanour would have to change in an instant.

It was a bit of a milestone since it is now just over a year since my last operation - the longest time I've been cancer-free for 4 years (previously I've re-lapsed at 6 months, both times). Whilst I feel lucky, a visit to the RM is always rather sobering, particularly when I feel so fit and well and yet looking around you are instantly reminded what an insidious disease cancer is, affecting anyone and everyone, each all fighting their own battles, some winning and some not...

My check-ups are moving to quarterly from bi-monthly which means an extra month between having to worry about the results each time - there is a always a tiny bit of you which thinks 'what if'...but so far so good, and that's good enough for me!!

A few wedding pic's

For those who were there and those who couldn't make it we have a selection of photo's online at

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/nigel.maplewood

All's normal..

...and to cap off a memorable month, my latest check-up which I decided to defer till after the wedding was clear - tumour markers all normal!! Back to the Royal Marsden in November.

The Big Day!

Well we had a wonderful day wedding day. Michelle did a fantastic job organising everything down to the last detail, including an Aston Martin v8 Vantage for me for the weekend! The only thing that she couldn't control was the weather but I kept telling her it was going to be just fine and low and behold it was a glorious summers day. It was great to see so many family and friends join us for the day and I'd like to say a big thank you to everyones cards, presents and words of support. Although some it still remains a bit of a blur, I'm still remembering snippets which fill in the missing pieces. We're still waiting for the official photo's but hopefully they'll complete the blanks.

Update on the update!

I know it's the wrong way round but I decided to retrospectively drop in a post about our wee trip to Monaco to get engaged (see below if you scroll down). Actually, it was just an excuse to show a picture of me driving in a Ferrari!

Quick Update

Ok, I know I've been remiss in updating, but the fact there is little to report is good news. Back to work, back to normal and haven't had cause to think about the 'c' word until the week before my check-ups. Had two more bi-monthly checks and tumour markers have been normal each time. The trudge over to the Royal Marsden does remind you of what you've been through and importantly is a visible reminder of how many people are currently being affected by cancer. It's sobering to think I'm sitting there feeling relatively fit and healthy, yet there are hundreds of patients, new and old, young and not so young who are coming and going through the RM each and every day, and whose prognosis perhaps is not so fortunate.

As for myself the outlook is one of cautious optimism, as Prof. Dearnley kindly puts it. My history of relapses is such that each clear test is a further milestone.

Oh, I nearly forget to mention, Michelle and I are getting in married at the end of August [I've since added the extra post below]. No point in messing about (well, it's taken me 7 years to propose!). We've both been through the mill over the past three years so it's great to have something positive to look forward to. My next check-up is scheduled for a week before the wedding, but I think I'll defer it till after the honeymoon!

Just like to again thank everyone for their support over the past few years - I couldn't have done it without you all. It's good news so far...I'll take that, two months at a time!