Dance show!

At school, each year we do a dance show. We start rehearsals in September, so I had been to most of the rehearsals. I really wanted to do it but because of the Coronavirus, we weren't sure if it would be a good idea for me to be in the same room as a lot of other people. We emailed school and they suggested for me to be in a separate changing room with a couple friends.

I felt well enough so I ended up doing the show except I left the finale because it gets too crowded in the stage wings. I was in six dances! We had two dress rehearsals on Monday and Tuesday and a show on Wednesday and Thursday and two shows on Friday! I was very tired after all that!

We also fundraised for a charity called Milly's Smiles. Milly's Smiles is a cancer charity in memory of Milly who was treated at the same hospital as me but unfortunately lost her battle in 2015. Milly's family set up the charity and their aim is to provide every newly diagnosed child with a welcome bag containing everything they need for the first few days and weeks of their hospital stay. We ended up raising over £1,200 for them!

A special thank you to Philip Barren of Castus Solutions LTD for their very generous donation!

 

Week after 2nd chemo

Last time after finishing chemo on the Monday, I got a temperature/virus on the following Friday, because of this, I have had to start having GCSF injections to boost my bloods and make it less likely for me to pick up any infections. I've had them before but this time I have to have one every day for 12 days.

I was also planning on going to school the Monday after finishing my second round of chemo on the Friday but because of the Coronavirus, we decided it wasn't worth risking because I am very vulnerable to catch it.

Instead of going into school and getting an infection, we have been looking into getting a robot which can be controlled to walk around school and do a video call so I can control it from home and be in class but not actually be in school. 

We were going to look into fundraising for one but the school have order one!

 

Chemo Round 2

As I only have to have chemo for about 3 hours a day, I have the choice of staying in hospital for 5 days to have it or drive to hospital every day for 5 days.

I chose to go to hospital every day for five days so on Monday we went to have a blood test to see if they were high enough to have the chemo, luckily they were.
Also, after losing 3kg after my first chemo I have managed to put that weight back on again. I always try to keep eating because if I lose too much weight and don't put it back on I will have to have a feeding tube, which I definitely DON'T want!

I had my chemo on Monday and Tuesday and on Tuesday afternoon the side effects had started kicking in. On Wednesday and Thursday, I felt very sick in the morning but on Friday I didn't feel too bad.



I also wanted to say thank you so much to everyone who is following me on TikTok because I now have over 7 thousand followers!
You can now also follow my journey on Instagram. My username on Instagram and TikTok is @sallycancer

Holidays

We managed to get to Cornwall during the half-term holiday. I stayed well and didn't get another temperature. We went to Falmouth, St.Mawes, Truro, St.Ives, The Lizard and Kynance Cove. As I have a Port instead of a Hickman line I got to go swimming! We had an amazing week! Hopefully, the sea air will help me with my chemo next week.

Hair

On Thursday, my hair started falling out. This is because chemo kills any fast-growing cells which is what the tumour is made up of. However, your hair is also made up of fast-growing cells therefore the chemo kills your hair making it fall out. Your nails are also fast-growing so sometimes they can go a bit bumpy.

Just like last time, my hair was really annoying me and by Friday I had decided I wanted to shave it off instead of trying to prolong it. On Saturday Milly shaved my head.

Finally Home!

After the weekend in hospital, my blood results came back negative so I didn't have a line infection and my temperature had kept down so I could finally come home.
I now get two weeks, all being well, at home before I am back in hospital on the 24th for my next round of chemo.

I am feeling so much better and have a lot more energy. I wanted to go into school after not going for the past two weeks but we didn't want to risk picking up any more infections or viruses.

Instead, I had a good time at home getting some fresh air on a dog walk.

Mum's Birthday in Hospital!

Today is Mum's birthday and unfortunately we are having to spend it in hospital.

However, I am feeling a lot better today. I am not as tired so I can walk around more and my temperature has stayed down so I can hopefully come home tomorrow!

The ward that I am on has its own balcony so we were able to all get some fresh air.

For my Mum's birthday the nurse brought us cake! Mum said she had a lovely day.

Also if you have TikTok you can follow my journey using this link
https://vm.tiktok.com/q8dKns/My username is sally_cancer

Temperature and Line Infection

My first chemo finished on Monday and I went home Monday afternoon.

I have been at home feeling very tired due to the chemo and going out in my wheelchair for some fresh air to take the dog for a walk.

By Friday I was feeling extra tired and sick but also hot and cold at the same time!

My temperature was 38.9!   Any reading over 38 is a problem, I may have an infection in my port which can be very serious!

We contacted the hospital and they said bring me in for checks, so off to the hospital again!

Went to triage and bloods taken to check for infection, my temperature was still over 38

I was given antibiotics then taken by Stuart from ward 84 up to ward 83 where they had an isolation room for me, as I could have an infection and not want to give it to the other people having chemo on ward 84.

So here I am isolated on ward 83 (big room to my self)  I'm on fluids, paracetamol and antibiotics and my temperature is going down as it got up to 39.4 over night and this morning is 38.1

I am feeling better but not up to eating yet.

Starting Chemo

Straight after my operation, I started my chemo.
It lasted for about 3 hours each day for five days. The side effects are very similar to last time such as sickness, tiredness, sore mouth and I am going to lose my hair again. (At least that will save me time in the morning!)

Because the chemo isn't constantly going in I can be un-plugged so I can go outside and get some fresh air when possible! This definitely helps the sickness!

Another operation!

In order to have chemo, I must have a central line. Last time I had a Hickman Line.
I couldn't go swimming or get wet because the line was likely to get infected.
This time I have got a Portacth which does the same job but is all enclosed so cannot get infected!

I had my operation on Thursday to have it put in but I was back on the ward in 1hr30mins.


Hickman Line:




Portacath:

Feeling better

Feeling better and not on a drip any more

So had a shower and been outside to the garden to get some fresh air!

This is the Garden that was on television!

Had Dominoes pizza for tea, thank you to the Teenage Cancer Trust for the pizza!!

Back on ward 84

I'm back on Ward 84!

They have given me lots of morphine and I can now get up and move about!

They are keeping me in and I am having surgery on Thursday to have a PORT fitted so I can start my Chemo.

Treatment Plan

On Monday I am going to have an MRI scan to double check my chest again and the following Thursday I am having an operation to put my line in.

This time I am going to have a Portacath because unlike a Hickman line, it only needs flushing once every month, is less likely to get infected and is waterproof!

However, on Saturday night, my neck pain suddenly became unbearable and I was unable to hold my head up or move at all. In the morning it was no better and I couldn't even get up to go to the toilet! We decided to ring Ward 84 for some advice and they said we are fully eligible to ring an ambulance to help me get to the hospital as there was no way I could have sat up in a car.

They arrived and gave me morphine, gas and air and a neck collar. To be honest, I've always wanted to see what it is like in an ambulance! We were soon in Manchester A&E and I had an MRI scan on my neck to check if anything had changed but luckily, it was the same. We got a bed on Ward 84.

By Thursday, my neck was feeling a lot more mobile and I was ready to have my line in and then start chemo straight away.

This time, I am having different types of chemo (Topotecan, Mum says Toffee Pecan sounds better, and Cyclophosphamide) every three weeks for 5 days and have 6 cycles of it. However, each day it only lasts for about 3 hours so I get to choose whether I stay in for five days or come in each day.

For the first cycle I decided to stay in.

I always wanted a ride in an ambulance!

Well Sunday morning I woke with a really bad pain in my neck!!!!!!!!

I could not move or sit up or go for a wee!!!!

We tried Ibuprofen, Paracetamol & even Codine but nothing worked!!

We rang the hospital for advice and they said ring for an ambulance and they will take me to Manchester Hospital!

Two very nice paramedics arrived and gave me morphine and entonox and I was able to move and was put in the ambulance.

Thank you to Jamie Clift and Petra Pleace for looking after me. You were BRILLIANT!!!!!

This was not in the plan!

In October I started to have a pain in the sides of my neck.

We visited the doctors who had a look and put it down to muscle spasm from gymnastics or dancing.

It came and went over Christmas and I started to wake up in the night with it and struggled to get it comfy.

When it came up to my annual three monthly check up with Doctor Brennan for my back we mentioned my neck pain and had an MRI scan the following Thursday. We got the results back and the radiographers had found something 'unusual' on C2 in my neck. They arranged a PET scan where they inject radioactive sugar into me and then they can detect any rapid growth. A few days later we went to go and get the results and unfortunately my cancer has come back in my neck on C2!

It is Ewing's Sarcoma again but this time is very small!  I am going to have my line in next Thursday and start chemo again.

Full Week At School and GYMNASTICS!

After doing a full week at school back in September, I was very tired and it caused my chemo to be delayed. Since then, I have not managed to do a full week at school. I have slowly been doing more days. Until I eventually managed to do a full week!

At the start of my treatment I stopped going to gymnastics because I was getting too tired. After not going to gymnastics for a year, I have lost a lot of my flexibility. Also, the Vincristine chemo caused my muscles to weaken meaning I had to start again with gymnastics as I was unable to do very many of the moves I used to be able to do. I still decided to go back though, knowing I wouldn't be able to go back to doing the 3 hour sessions I used to do. Instead, I have started to go back to the 1 hour sessions. I have started to get a few of my moves back and I have been practising at home...

Feeling a little better

I am still getting tired after doing too much but I am starting to be able to do a lot more!

Last weekend we went to visit our friends in Kidlington and caught the train into London.

We then used the underground and came up in Green Park, which is just on the outskirt Buckingham Palace. We went to see the Palace and then had lunch in the park. Unfortunately, the Queen wasn't in but we still enjoyed looking at the Palace. We then did some sight seeing and we saw The Houses Of Parliament, Big Ben, which is still full of scaffolding, The London Eye, The Cenotaph, Westminster Abbey, Nelson's Column and Downing Street. We got the underground to Pudding Lane and we walked up 311 steps to the top of The Monument.

I managed to walk 10 miles round London and I did 25,000 steps!

It's....Showtime!

Every year, my school, Parklands do a dance show. This time last year I was having my surgery & the dance show was the same week! My mum & dad spent the week driving between the hospital and home as Milly was at school and was taking part in the show. The night before I had my surgery we all went to watch Milly in the show. I decided then that next year I would be on that stage performing!

A year later I was! The show that I have always gone to watch for the past few years.

Since September, we have been having constant dance rehearsals for the show.
I took part in five dances, two were the Y7, 8 & 9 Elite Dance Team, two were Y7 dance club & one was me & three of my friends performing Rachel Platten's "Fight Song" which we choreographed ourselves & had to audition to perform it, to celebrate me winning my cancer battle.

The show has now began and we have already done 2 dress rehearsals and one performance!

Clic Sargent Art Exhibition...

To make people aware of World Cancer Day this year (4th February) Clic Sargent held an art exhibition in Manchester at Whitworth Art Gallery.

I decided to promote my blog as an art exhibit and Clic Sargent picked out different parts of it to be exhibited. 

Extracts were framed and put up in the exhibition room. When we got there we saw our social worker (Hatty) and many others from Clic Sargent. There was a buffet table with snacks and drinks on and there were many other exhibitors.

Some were showing drawn pictures some were painted pictures and some were photographs but mine was the only blog. Everyone's artwork had to have the theme of 'change'. 

This was mine...

Ballet Exam

At the beginning of October I did my ballet exam. I had got behind with dancing as everyone else did their exam whilst we were in Germany.

Today I got my results and a passed with Distinction!!!

Ringing The Bell...

Today I rang the bell, which marks the end of treatment!!! I have beaten CANCER!!! My family and friends came to watch. It was important for me that Dr Brennan was there to read it out. It was great to have so many of the nurses and staff there too. 

Afterwards we went for lunch and then SWIMMING with my friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!😀😁😀

This is me jumping in for the first time!!!

THIS WAS THE BEST DAY EVER!!! 

Line Out!!!

Today I was back in Manchester to have my Hickman Line taken out!!!
I have been waiting for this day since it was put in, which is now over a year ago!

I was so excited because this means I can go swimming without having to wear my drysuit!

I had to go to theatre again to have it removed.

It didn't take me long to recover this time.

Last line flush!

This is Emma, my community nurse. She has been coming to my house every week for a year to flush my Line. Today was my last line flush because it is coming out this week so we had to say goodbye. 

Results Day!!!

Today was results day. We had to go and see Dr Brennan for my end of treatment MRI results. And.............I AM CANCER FREE!!!

I HAVE BEATEN CANCER!!!

For the next year I will have to have a chest x-ray every 2 months. Next week I am having my line taken out and the following week I will ring the bell. Then it is time to celebrate!!!