Whew!

The gang of 7 clinic appointment this afternoon went very well.  It went the way of others before it - everybody was happy with where I'm at.

Mr Hamilton got another good look at the offending tonsil and it seems I'll be "excused" the quarterly nitrous induced trip to the dentist now as a result of this new found ability.

I had another blood test to check the thyroid level.  At the last clinic in April, Mr Hamilton decided they should keep an eye on my thyroid levels as it seems they can get screwed around with the cisplatin / radiotherapy (another side effect to consider - great).  Given my energy levels still aren't back to a level we'd all be happy with, he thinks maybe the thyroid level is a bit wonky, so the test today will be compared to the "base line" one they took last time.

The gang of 7 was actually the gang of 8 today with quite a few new faces.  Four of them had a poke and prod around my neck/throat and there were a few anxious moments when one of them thought there was something of potential concern.  The majority decision however was it was merely the result of the tissue damage from the treatment (the scarring, etc that the osteo is trying to loosen up).  Whew!

My weight has indeed stabilized and Paul the dietitian was happy with my progress / variety with regards my eating.  As an aside, peanut slabs have returned to my menu, sort of.  The standard 50gm slab is still too much to handle, but the new snack size ones are a three bite luxury.  While even that presents some issues, they are worth it, yum.

So, another tick in the box thanks to the experts, and almost instantly all that apprehension I had been feeling over the last few days disappeared.  The only reason I can think of why this visit made me so anxious is that it is effectively the anniversary clinic.  August 16th is the anniversary of my last treatment, and by my logic that makes it the day I beat this thing.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll be more relaxed / accepting  come the time of the next clinic.  Here's hoping.

In the meantime, it is onwards and upwards and I'll just keep on pushing myself to find my new limits.