Tuesday 26th January 2010

We saw the oncologist yesterday. The chemotherapy Jane has had for the last few weeks doesn't seem to have had much effect - disappointing. However, the view is that her liver function remains sound. The major problem confronting Jane now is mobility; she has been diagnosed with avascular necrosis. If I have understood correctly what has happened is that the blood supply to the bones has been decreased to a point where the bone starts to die. The cause is a combination of the cancer and the chemotherapy. The symptom is really severe pain especially in Jane's hip joints. We are still awaiting a referral to the orthopaedic department but the little reading I have done on the net indicates that treatment options for people in Jane's condition are limited.

As you can imagine, Jane is quite depressed by that news and we are really not sure where we go from here. Best to take it one day at a time. Your prayers, as ever, are a great help and comfort.

God Bless.

Wednesday 13th January 2010

Life isn't much fun for Jane at the moment, well, less so even than usual. After a whole battery of tests over the Christmas and New Year break, the docs have diagnosed avascular necrosis. If I have it right this means, in layman's terms, that the bones are dying in places. In Jane's case, it is affecting the ball part of the ball and socket joint of her hips. The consequence is that she cannot really get free of pain at all. She is really struggling to move about and can't get proper rest even in bed. Jane thinks it may be one of the side effects of chemo.

Meanwhile she is still on chemo. She has been referred to the orthopaedic department but hasn't yet got an appointment. We are due back with the oncologist on 25th January and I hope to have some more positive news by then.

I took this picture out at Little Durnford in the Woodford Valley when I was walking on Sunday.

God Bless

Saturday 2nd January 2010

Happy New Year! I just wanted to post a quick message regarding Jane's condition. She is in a great deal of pain at the the moment as a consequence of really bad arthritis in her hips. We saw the palliative care doctor at the hospice just before Christmas but despite the prescription of a whole lot of additional (to the morphine patches) painkillers nothing seems to be working. We were at the hospital three times over the Christmas holidays for x rays and scans and the physiotherapist has visited at the house.

It's a really painful time for Jane and she is not able to walk very far at all at the moment. We'd be really grateful for your continued prayers at this time. If I could finish on a brighter note, the chemotherapy seems to have had a good effect on the cancer and Jane's pain is not caused directly by any growth in cancer activity and so for that we should be grateful.

God bless.