A bit off topic but.....

[Rob]

We don't have a "chat" forum for completely off topic discussion but I just felt the need to share this with you all.

Yesterday my wife and I visited our surgeon at the hospital and she was pronounced "cancer free".  Some of you know, some don't that she was diagnosed last October and after a considerably unpleasant battle I am proud to say she won!  Recently out of surgery, she is very sore but there is usually a smile on her face.

Ten years ago the variant of cancer she had was a death sentence....thank goodness for medical science and the British NHS. (National Health Service).  She was being treated (chemotherapy) within 2 weeks of diagnosis...amazing.  That expediency helped us to catch it in time.

I feel so elated today I just don't know what to do with myself...God Bless you all and I sincerely hope none of you and yours ever have to endure what my wife has just experienced.

[SharpenADullWitt]

Congratulations and let this be a reminder to all, don't take the ones you love for granted!

[Ken S]

Great news, Rob. I'm glad you posted it!

Ken

[Jimmy R Jørgensen]

Eventho i don't know you like that. i'm still glad to hear that. That sickness is a bitch. And always happy when some beat it.

[Elden]

Good news, Rob! How about your son?

[Rob]

His leg is out of the metal frame now but he still cant walk on it.  There is a massive inflammation right in the middle of the shin that we don't truly understand the cause.  It's either soft tissue damage that's just healing or its a battle going in with infection inside the limb.  Various diagnostic tests have failed to give a satisfactory answer.  I'm meeting with the consultant again next Wednesday when I think we're going to take him off anti-biotics and "see" what happens.

We kind of need it to either get better or worse so we can better understand whats going on and then treat accordingly.  For those who don't know, he has a rare bone disease just in the middle of his right tibia (shin bone) which causes weakness, the leg gets easily broken and then wont mend.  The surgery is to place a metal rod down the length of his tibia (centrally) to stabilise the bone while it heals.  That succeeded when he was 18 months old but then failed after 5 years.  This recent surgery (Feb) was to excise the diseased bit of bone and then bolt the leg together with an externally fitted Illazarov frame which aids the healing of the cut bone.  The idea being that with the diseased bit cut out, the two healthy cut bone ends heal when compressed together with the frame.  That's now off but the soft tissue all around the surgical site is being very naughty...swollen, very red, hot, blanches to the touch...all the classic signs of infection and yet his inflammatory markers and white cell count are all normal??  Its very frustrating because we simply don't understand the cause. We think it may simply be movement, as he starts to gingerly put pressure on the limb for the first time in nearly a year, its getting very sore.

Next x ray is next Wednesday and we'll know more then.  The bone is certainly healing but its very slow and that's ostensibly the nature of this disease, its called congenital pseudarthrosis and the primary symptom is non union of broken bone...always in the same place.  Its some sort of genetic malfunction of the bloody supply to that particular area of bone, hence the strategy of cutting it out...but its not a perfect solution.

At least my wife will be with me as we raise our children....that's a pretty sobering thought because back there before Christmas, I thought I was going to be single Dad with two boys under 11...one of whom is challenged in the mobility department!!

Now you know why I haven't posted for a while!!  Sorry to bare all like this...actually, it's quite therapeutic for me :-)

[Ken S]

I'm glad it's therapeutic for you to share with us. That's what friends are for.

Hang in there, amigo.

Ken

[Herman Trivilino]

I'm glad things have worked out so well for your wife, Rob. Fighting cancer is a surmountable battle.

Hope your son's leg gets better.

[Rob]

Thanks everybody, your kindness is genuinely appreciated.