Patience. And the rest.

It has been a while! Sorry about that. Not that I have been twiddling my thumbs, idly sitting by whilst life goes on. No way, life is way too precious for that. Let me start where I left off last time: the second opinion. 

You´d think it is a fairly straight forward process. And I guess it is, if you have a medical journal that is no more than 10 pages long and in the language of the specialists that will be doing the second opinion. Seen as my medical journal is over 40 pages (and that´s the abbreviated version, like a management summary) and in Norwegian whereas the specialists looking at it would like to have it in either Dutch or English, there is still a bit of work to be done before all can be send off to the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek in Amsterdam. 

So, I started out doing the translating myself. I mean how hard can it be. I have been there for the whole period, I have talked to all the oncologists that have written in my medical journal and I am pretty certain I know what is going on. But let me tell you that it takes a loooong time to translate all the information correctly. So after a week of translating pretty much non stop and only having done about 7 pages I contacted a really great professional medical translator who is now working on the job. He had never done such a huge medical journal, but he figures he will have it ready in another 2,5 weeks. 

After I have received the translated medical journal, I need to make the zipfile with the rest of the info (practical details about the hospitals and specialists I have ´worked´ with) and send it off to the AvL. But only after I have paid the 500 Euro fee. I hope and expect this can be done latest in the second week of October. Then it is a question of patiently awaiting their reply. It can be that they will want to contact any of the oncologists involved in my medical history, or that they require extra scans or tests. Or it can be that they will just get back to me after 5 working days and tell me about this miracle cure they figure might help me (one can always hold hope, not can, one SHOULD always hold hope). 

So that is the second opinion bit. Patience is the key word. Oh and let me just mention once more that the only reason I am going down this road is that I want to be absolute dead certain (no pun intended) that I have left no stone unturned in getting all the possible treatments to live as long as possible. I really am very happy and impressed with the Norwegian health care system (and my oncologist). And now I would just like to combine that with the equally impressive Dutch oncology knowledge and care. 

Then, the new treatment. According to my oncologist this one (Navalbine) is pretty tolerable for the majority of patients. Of course there are the usual side effects, but it should not be an over the top, oh my goodness what´s happening chemo. 
Well, let me tell you that I think this is pretty much the worst I have experienced thus far where it comes to side effects. All the very rare and extra special side effects listed as hardly ever happening, have happened. Main focus for me right now is to keep going and to let my body do it´s work in letting the chemo do it´s work if that makes any sense. I mean if this chemo means I get more time to live: by all means, you won´t hear another peep out of me and just keep the Navalbine flowing! But for now I am just curious to see what the next scans and MRI´s will show. After the first few days of not being able to keep anything down, I really have the weirdest cravings. From a McFlurry Oreo at 21.30 to those yummy crispy tiny vegetable spring rolls (in the middle of the night). 

For tonight, Mik and me are making our own variation of Indonesian rijsttafel and I can´t wait. Rijsttafel combined with a strawberry, blueberry and banana smoothie. And Ben & Jerry´s for desert. 

They told me that I needed to gain weight and true to form I take them very seriously!