12 days in Wellington

Regular readers may remember my Dad’s battle with cancer which began in April last year. He was originally diagnosed with bowel cancer but was later found to have a second carcinoid cancer growing in his small intestine. Sadly, this second cancer had spread to his liver. After two extensive operations, he’s made a good recovery and the current prognosis is encouraging. While nothing will ultimately cure the cancer in his liver we’re at least grateful that it’s a slow-growing carcinoid form. Doctors seem confident that this can be kept at bay for many years to come, while maintaining a good quality of life.

Next week, more than year after Dad’s first operation, the next stage of his therapy begins. He’s off to Wellington for three distinct treatments over a 12-day period. First, while under the knife, a surgeon will remove his gallbladder, tie off several arteries linking the liver to other organs and install a permanent shunt below the skin. The shunt will then be used to deliver a several rounds of chemotherapy; followed by a final, targeted radioisotope therapy.

The oncologist reassures us that Dad's chemotherapy has relatively few side effects thanks to the initial preparatory surgery which effectively isolates the liver. There will be no hair loss and very little nausea. It seems that if you have to have chemotherapy, this is the one to have. He’ll also receive regular injections of a drug proven to significantly prolong life in a majority of patients.

Dad’s specialist is a reputable pioneer of this rather aggressive carcinoid treatment regime. As a result, I believe he's getting the best medical science can offer. While there are few guarantees in life, the specialist is confident this therapy will significantly improve Dad's prognosis for many years to come. I wish my Dad well and hope we be celebrating plenty of encouraging news in the weeks and month ahead.