Saturday, February 18, 2017

Diary 16 to 18 Feb 17

Thursday 16th I received notification of a holiday booking which was Katy's idea. We did several years ago take all the family to the Plas de Calais. Next year (2018) we are to go together to a farmhouse in Norfolk. All booked for nine adults, six children and one dog. I am thankful to be able to afford it. The other seven adults are assigned the catering. Thursday afternoon was outpatients at St Mark's. A very pleasant consultant and specialist nurse explained the situation as far as it is known. I have a small cancerouss lesion at the end of the colon. It could be removed with minor surgery needing only one night in hospital. But first the surgeon is booking an ultrasound scan to see how deep the cancer goes into the colon wall. All polyps were removed last week but as they were about 10 scattered along the colon, removal of most of the colon could be a possibility to prevent further growths which could be malignant. But that would mean lager in hospital and a stoma so that is not what I would want. So that was fine until ...

Friday 17th the nurse phones and said that the consultant had met with colleague and they had called for another colonoscopy with a dye to show up any polyps missed the first time round. This is to be next Thursday morning, not a pleasant prospect. I am also to have at some time an MRI on the liver as something small but abnormal may be present. So one colonoscopy booked, two scans yet to be booked then back to OPD for the decision. On the positive side I hear nothing but good things about St Mark's and colon cancer treatment. A friend described it as a world renowned centre of excellence. So I am thankful.

Two more reasons to be thankful. An NHS free at the point of need and diagnosis in 2017, not 1953 when colon cancer killed my grandfather after months of agony - a doctor mean with the morphine.

We visited a house expected on the market soon. A little small for us but with one of the best views in Ealing. High up near Horseden Hill in the north of our borough, the view extended to the North Downs across the Thames. The owners said they had been told the view was worth an extra 10% compared with similar properties not so located and that sounded reasonable.

Saturday,18th
A week of holiday booking. Sent off for us to go on a week long Luther tour. Germany in November. In 2009 I had a week in Geneva for Calvin's 500th birthday. This time it is honouring the 500th anniversary of the start of the reformation, Luther's 95 theses.

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