I had my radiotherapy planning session on Tuesday.  That was a novel experience!  I was in there for around 45 minutes.  I was shown into the "simulator" room, had to sign a couple of consent forms, had a quick chat with my Oncologist (who suddenly appeared, like Mr Benn, from behind a door) and then it all began.
The Oncologist wanted to discuss my hormone treatment.  There are 2 drugs I could go on - Tamoxifen or Arimidex.  Arimidex is generally only prescribed for postmenopausal women and I'm not quite there yet!  However, Tamoxifen can cause blood clots and I have been there!  So, this is what the discussion centred around.  I could go on Arimidex if I have regular injections of a drug called Zoladex.  Not knowing much about any of them, I told Dr Newman I would be guided by him.  It was eventually decided that I would go onto Tamoxifen for the next 3 months, whilst I'm still on the Clexane injections and then we'll review the situation after that.  The Clexane will lessen the chance of a blood clot, but of course when I come off that, I will be at risk again - hence the review.
Once that was out of the way, I stripped off the top half and positioned myself on the couch - bum and legs had to be in a certain position.  Then I was measured, drawn on and had this machine and green laser beam circling above and below me.  They took x-rays (to make sure they miss vital organs!) and then I got what felt like 3 tattoos, although I can only find 2 now.  They're only the size of a full stop, but it's so they can find the same place each time I have treatment.  That was it - off we toddled.

The next few days were spent with Chris telling me we had to get a move on and get all the food and me spent telling him we had loads of time, so stop panicking! Just to shut him up, we went shopping.  He compromised and we went in the evening, so I didn't have to mingle with all the germs and bugs.

It seemed ages for Friday to arrive and PICC line removal.  I was glad when it finally did come around.  My arm had been looking red around the entry site since Wednesday, but by Thursday it had calmed down a bit.  However, by Thursday evening and Friday morning it had returned and looked quite angry.  So was I to be honest, I wasn't sure that they'd take it out if there were signs of an infection.
We were tended by a nurse I hadn't met before and she didn't seem too concerned by the redness, although she took swabs.  Her theory was that my arm was just so fed up with it, it wanted the line out.  She told me what she was going to do and that it wouldn't hurt.  She lied.  It did hurt.  I even muttered an ooooh! while I was supposed to be holding my breath - it felt like she was pulling the vein out with the line!  Anyway, as the redness was still there, she asked a doctor to come and look at it.  It was decided that, to be on the safe side, I'd go on a course of Flucloxacillin.  I felt a bit more reassured by this, after all, it was Christmas Eve and I didn't want to be ringing the out of hours team or, worse, going to A&E.  The doctor drew a line of dashes around the redness and told me if it went out of this area or my temperature went up, I would have to come in and see someone.  Fluclox in our sticky mitts, we said goodbye to the hospital until 2011.

Ha!  Well, as we all know, not everything has been plain sailing and this was no exception.  2 doses of the Fluclox later and the redness had spread well beyond the line of dashes the doctor had drawn on my arm.  What to do???  I hadn't really given the Fluclox long enough to have any effect, but the doctor had clearly said that if it spread I'd have to see someone.  So, I rang the cancer ward and asked their advice first.  To cut a long phone call short, I was advised to go into A&E, as I was 14 days post chemo and could be neutropenic.  They would need to take bloods and I may have to go on IV antibiotics.  Although I didn't feel 100%, I hadn't got a temperature and certainly didn't feel as bad as I did when I was last admitted to hospital.  But, better to be safe than sorry I suppose..........Merry bloody Christmas.  We made sure the kids were ok and set off.

After giving the Receptionist my details, we went straight through and waited and waited and waited.  Then we were shown to a cubicle and waited and waited and waited.  Then the nurse took my temperature etc. and then we waited and waited and waited.  Then a doctor came and looked at my arm, prodded, asked questions and decided he didn't think it was necessary to take bloods as I seemed ok, there was no temperature and I should give the Fluclox time to work.  We left around 01:00.............it would be a Merry Christmas after all!

We got up and wrapped presents first before handing them out!  Then I spent the rest of the day drinking from the mug I got from Adam, eating chocolates out of the dish Livi got me and looking forward to reading the book that Vaughan got me.  Livi helped out with the pigs in blankets and the boys set the table.  Chris prepared all the veg and potatoes and I cooked it all.  It was a very relaxing day, made all the better by being at home and not in hospital!