I have decided to start a blog for myself and to keep my friends and family updated on what is happening as I settle into Swedish life and try to get my head around the whole cancer thing. I was inspired to begin by the supportive people on the cholaniocarcinoma foundation website.
Besides, blogging will give me one more excuse not to do other work....
I have now been back in Sweden for almost 2 months and it has been 4 months since I returned my very exciting trip to Glasgow for Christina and Magnus's wedding which resulted in a terrible case of jaundice, several misdiagnosis, a rare cancer diagnosis, 8 hour surgery to remove my gall bladder, bile ducts, and parts of my liver, almost 2 months spent in 3 different hospitals. I am healing well from my "Frankenstein" surgery and the train track incision is slowly healing and I am capable of some periods of extended walking and bike riding. Sure beats sitting in a hospital listening to people moan. That is very upsetting.
Although I was told in Edinburgh that I needed chemo, the doctors in sweden are not going along with that. It is a little frustrating, but we will see. They are researching the cancer some more and then going to make a final decision. That is the problem with such rare cancers, there is not enough trials on them to offer clinical reasons or justifications for treatments. Oh well, on the bright side the type of cancer I have almost always comes back so I can have my chemo later.
