Third round (part 1)

07.04.26

It's that time again.

The day was sunny and warm. I used my spring jacket for the first time. And no underpants (stilongs). A normal feature during winter.

This is from another day, which was actually colder, but still sunny (albeit cloudier)

I had a list of things to ask the doctor. It was a new doctor who saw me this time. She asked me the routine questions about symptoms, and was confused about one of them. She said that she would ask the doctor on call. 

The doctor on call today was the doctor overseeing my case. She will not see me every time I have an appointment, but I am her case, which means that she is following my progress. She was there the day they gave me the diagnosis. She looked happy to see me today. Rather, I assume she was happy with how I am responding to the treatment.

Both doctors measured the tumour. It is standard to have two measurements. It has now reduced from 57-50 mm to 38-38 mm. My doctor said that this is 'a substantial reduction.'

I have a PET/MRI on 20/04. After that, in the next round, we'll discuss the treatment plan further. Possibly even how many more rounds and the timeline for the operation. My doctor will be on call then, too. She checked and informed me, smiling.

Other than that, my immunity is good. Last time it had reduced slightly. It has now bounced back. The first doctor pointed out in particular that the kidneys and liver function looked good. My weight is holding steady.

And the symptom that confused the doctor was my difficulty swallowing in the first week after the treatment. My doctor asked if my mouth was also dry. She prescribed Lidocaine Viscous. Which, in turn, confused the pharmacist. This is not a medicine that is concocted/packed in Norway. They import it, and the instructions are in English (all other medicines have instructions in Norwegian). Specifically, she was unsure how much I should take each time (5, 10 or 15 ml). She also disagreed with how long the box and the system said that I had to wait before eating. There was contradictory information in the medicine box, in their system, and what she thought was reasonable. I have to read up.