CT Scan results

In my last post you will recall that I was about to go to Basingstoke for my annual CT scan. The scan went ahead with out any issues and with the usual efficiency that we experience on scan day at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital
 The wait for the results was similar to recent years;  we waited 4 weeks and three days for the letter to arrive.  Usually I wait for the four week anniversary and then call the specialist nurses to chase the results only to find that a letter was posted just days before. It usually lands on the doormat the following day!
This year I waited just a couple of days more and sure enough the letter arrived without me having to bother the very busy specialist nurses at Basingstoke. To be honest the "scanxiety" wasn't too bad at all this year and we just got on with things without too much worry.

 The good news is that the results were "fine". Whilst my tumour markers are up slightly the team at Basingstoke do not seem concerned at present. The areas of reoccurance that are being monitored have grown by a couple of millimetres but again are nothing to worry about.
The team at Basingstoke have given me the option of a repeat scan in two years time rather than yearly if I want it but I prefer to stick to the yearly scan...peace of mind.
The fact that they have offered me a two year scan is however encouraging and suggests that they don't expect anything to change too much in that period. Happy days!

So we have continued to get on with life. I remain fit and healthy and active as ever. In September Tracey and I had our first holiday abroad together in a number of years in Rhodes, Greece. The girls now grown up stayed at home and we had a lovely holiday on our own at an adult only resort. It was peaceful, quiet and very relaxing. We spent time relaxing by the pool and on the beach. We had a day out in Rhodes old town which is a UNESCO World Heritage site and very interesting. We swam in the pool and I went snorkelling most days. It was perfect!

Snorkelling

Moonlit cabana beds on the beach

Rhodes Old Town

Rhodes Old Town

Interestingly I found obtaining holiday insurance much easier this time around. Last time we went there were few insurance companies that would insure me and I used MIA online. Ironically this year MIA Online wouldn't insure me yet I managed to find multiple companies that would on the comparison websites and at a very reasonable rate too!

We plan to book our next trip away early in the New Year.

I continue to spend much of my free time out of doors and have had some great days out over the summer and autumn period. Most memorable was a day walking, foraging and taking photo's in Savernake Forest with my good friend Jon.

Fly Agaric mushroom- Savernake forest.

I have also managed to do some caving and have started a project to film as much of Swildons Hole in Priddy in Somerset as I can. I need to do this across multiple trips filming section by section. Below is some footage from the very first section of cave and not the final edit. I'll share that in a few months time when its finished!

So hopefully as you can see it is still possible to live a full and active life after treatment for Pseudomyxoma Peritonei. In-fact, after two cytoreductive surgeries....
The one thing I have learnt is that life is short and you need to make the most of it, experience what you can when you can and enjoy the world around you whist you can. You never know when that might change.

Finally, I'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year.

Dave