41.8 square centimetres

Today I haven't been feeling too bad, which has been nice. Yesterday was fairly average - I was okay in the morning but then I was tired and wiped out in the afternoon. I think I should be good for the weekend before Round 5 starts.

I took Maesie to pre-school this morning and then went for a blood test. Home for a little while to have a quick tidy up and a cup of tea and then it was time to pick Maesie up again, drop her at grandma's and then go into the city.

We had lunch with the new guy in charge of the formation process for Anglican ministers in Adelaide. Dave is part way through formation and wasn't sure what to expect during our discussion/meeting but it was good to meet him and talk about where things are up to for us. It was a positive time and I am greatly encouraged by the care of us as a family at this level of things in the diocese.

From there it was down to the RAH for my appointment. I am not always the best at deciphering my feelings but I am fairly sure I wasn't feeling nervous about the results of the scan, I was just interested to know. The 'lesions' are measured in area, cm2, and according to the little table they gave me I started with 120.42 cm2 of junk and now that's down to 41.8. So I've pretty much got one third left.

Mathematically and logically, if after 4 Rounds things have been reduced by about 60% then after another 4 they should be gone completely. This is the goal and I am sure it is possible however these 4 rounds are not quite as harsh as the first 4 and mathematics and logic don't always seem to apply to the body.

The doctor was happy with the results so far but when Dave asked what happens if there's some left after the eighth round, he didn't want to say. He said it gets complicated and we'll have to have that conversation if the event occurs.

I am glad that the chemo has been working and that the destruction of the cancer has been significant and not just 10% or some other small amount, but I am not jumping for joy. I still have to do 4 more rounds. I still have to get a cannula put in my arm 4 days out of 21, I still have to have blood tests more days than I care to count, I still can't do many of the activities I used to do, I still have to be wary of infection, I still have shingles, I still have no hair, I still have millions of tablets to take.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it's going but I'm only half way through this and I'm tired, tired, tired. And so's Dave.