Monday 9th March 2009

Well, we can relax now - my breathe was held for 5 days while we went to our first appointment post chemo with Sarahs surgeon last Thursday, followed by our second clinic appointment with her consultant today.
Thursday, we went up to the clinic in Bolsover Street, expecting to see the fabulous Mr Pollock, but he was away. We saw some doctor in his team who was Greek, and who's name ended in 'opoulos'!!! We had to wait for x-rays for ages, as the room was so full, but had a full leg x-ray and a chest x-ray (that, it turns out, we weren't supposed to have !!). As I wasn't expecting the chest x-ray, I started hyperventilating a bit while we waited for the doctor to have a look at it. I really wasn't prepared at all! He examined Sarah and watched her faltering steps, and although her foot is turned out at a funny angle, he thinks it is just muscular, and it will improve on its own.He then had a look at the chest x-ray and said it looked OK. He would send the x-rays over to UCH so they had them on file (so I held my breathe a little while longer over the weekend, incase they spotted something this doctor didn't.)I nearly lost it on our way home - relief that he thought the x-rays were OK, mixed with a bit of fear still that they might not be as good as he thought. Why is this happening to my beautiful daughter? The most we should be worried about is too much make up and unsuitably short skirts, but to be honest, she could get away with murder at the moment as long as she's here with us and healthy! 'Life's a bitch and then you die' has never been more true.Thought the bad times were over, but every 2 months, they will be back to bite us on the bum, and remind us that life is precious, and we are to savour every moment.
Today, we set off back to UCH for our 2 monthly appointment with Sarahs consultant. We didn't get to see Maria this time (obviously, now she's finished treatment, she's not high on the priority list any more) but saw Yasmin, a lovely doctor who cared for Sarah on the ward for many chemo cycles. She asked how Sarah was doing, watched her walking, examined her, tickled her tummy by pressing it while examining her, and just generally wanted to know how she was.It all seemed to go well, they were very pleased with her progress, and all was well except her weight! Her challenge is NOT to put on any more by the next appointment. Sarah can't understand why she is putting on weight - she's gone from sitting in hospital and doing absolutely nothing, being pushed around in a wheelchair all day long, to not using a wheelchair for 3 months, walking everywhere, swimming 30-40 lengths once, and sometimes twice a week, and generally being active again, and still she has gained 4 kilos since January!! I try and get her to eat properly-she gets fruit in her lunch and no chocolate, but when we're not around, she must snack - short of locking all the food in a safe, and getting her to work out every night, I'm not sure what I can do to help her, anymore than I am doing now. Lets hope she grows 6 inches, and then it won't look so bad!!!Unfortunately, she's built like me, and she only has to look at a bar of chocolate, and she gains 2 pounds!!
But, apart from that, everything is fine this time around.No scares on the x-rays, no horrible news at the appointment, and we can all relax again until 11th May, when she has her next chest x-ray - and 8th June when she has the next leg x-ray. Fingers crossed everything will be OK then too.In the meantime, we will continue to spoil Sarah, let her get away with all sorts of stuff that Katie never got away with, and pray to God that everything will be alright forever.