Welcome to my new book, this is my journey through Cancer
xx
Dear Diary,
I've wanted to do this for a while now but I only remember the day very clearly, the days after it is still kind of a blur so this diary is going to be short, long and maybe emotional but I do have one rule no tears are allowed to get on the paper anyway let's start.
12 November 2012 (a day I wish never happened)
Of course, I had been ill for a couple of days now but the GP just said 'Oh it's a virus just take paracetamol and you'll be fine in a couple of days'
Shame that was all a lie hey!
It was Monday morning on the twelve of November, mum had woken me up to go school when she noticed my eye was swollen and there was a rash on my legs so she decided to play it safe and call the GP surgery to get me checked out and we received an appointment at 12:30pm the same day.
By the time 12:30 had come my eye had gone down but my rash was still there so off we went to the doctors, when we finally seen the GP he asked me what was wrong so I told him and the he asked me to get on to those slightly hard bed so he could examine me by feeling my neck, my stomach. Once he did that he told me to go and sit back down which I was happy about because my mum was standing behind me. The doctor told us I had to go in an ambulance to Warwick hospital for test and it was going to be an over-night stay. Immodestly the tears streamed down my face (I was only 12) because I've never stayed in the hospital overnight.
On the way home (that's where the ambulance was going to pick us up from) my mum phoned my dad up and told him what the doctor said, and he said he was going to leave work straight away and meet us at the hospital because he was working in Hastings and it would take him two hours to get back. Mum finished talking to my dad, then she phoned our next-door neighbour (who used to be a good friend) because mum needed her to have my little brother (he was 2 years old) and pick up my other little brother (who was 9 years old) from school.
Once we arrived home mum made Devlin and me lunch (which I didn't eat) because I was scared. After lunch mum went and packed me a bag for the hospital, then she packed a diaper bag for my little brother.
It seemed like hours waiting for the ambulance to come but, it was only half hour. When the ambulance finally came I was relieved because it meant we could go to the hospital and get sorted. Mum took Devlin next door, came back, and locked up and then climbed in the back of the ambulance with the paramedics and me. They took my blood pressure, temperature and asked mum questions before we left.
We made it to Warwick hospital about 2pm and I was wheeled in on a stretcher to the children's ward and then one paramedic went and booked me in while the other one wheeled me to the bed and helped us get sorted. Before leaving, a nurse came over to us and had taken my temperature and blood pressure again (telling us her name is Kelly and she'll be looking after me) and while Kelly went off to get numbing cream because I needed to have blood tests done, Mum's phone rang and it was Arlo's school saying he was ill and needed picking up, so mum told them to call our next door neighbour to get him.
Kelly came back and put the cream on the back of my hands, she then looked at the note's the paramedics had handed over, then she put them down and looked at the rash on my legs before telling us we must move to a side room (because they thought I had meningitis). Kelly came back half hour later (when we were in the side room) and nicked some of my blood to send off which she did.
Whilst we waited for the results a doctor came in and took my temperature, checked my blood pressure, felt my belly, felt my neck, and looked at the rash on my legs before he left but he came back 15 minutes later with another doctor that did exactly the same thing.
It was 6pm when dad came in and 10 minutes after Kelly came in with my dinner (Jacket potato which I will not touch now) which I did eat.
After I had finished one of the doctors came back in and spoke to my mum and dad, I couldn't hear what he was saying but I heard him say it wasn't meningitis I seen mum and dad look a little happier, the doctor told them they were just waiting on one more result to come back.
Half hour later the two doctors come back in with a lady doctor and Kelly who had a tray of injections and a bag of fluid, the lady took mum and dad out the room to talk to them privately.
When they came back in it looked like they had been crying but I didn't mention it all I asked was if they were okay and they both said yes. (Which of course was a lie)
The doctors told mum and dad and myself I needed to have a scan on my stomach. My mum and dad came in the room with me because I've never had scans in my life so all this was a bit overwhelming.
After I had the scan we went back to the room and had to wait for the results whilst we were waiting my older brother (who was 14) phoned my dad up to see how things was, dad said they were ok and told Kaleb to go and get Devlin and Arlo from next door because mum would be home soon.
Half hour later the doctors came back in and said the scans had in fact confirmed it was Leukaemia and I would have to go to Birmingham hospital for treatment (now it didn't click to me that it was a type of blood cancer) and dad had decided he was going to stay with me.
So, while we were waiting for them to sort the paperwork and get an ambulance sorted out, dad and mum's friends who was also working with my dad, came to sit with me whilst dad took mum home and picked up some clothes for him and me. Their names were Aaron and Char.
When dad came back, the ambulance had arrived and we had to climb in and then we went off to Birmingham with flashing lights (That meant one thing it was a life-threatening thing)
It was about midnight when we arrived at the children's hospital, we were admitted to ward 15 (which is their cancer ward) and all my paperwork was handed over and they set me into a bed. Both dad and I was tired so we tried to go asleep but the nurses kept coming in for blood pressure checks and everything else every other hour and then we had the joys of someone snoring.
13 November 2012
(The rest of the days are very blurry still so this might be short)
The next day, I had to have even more tests done and dad had a lot of meetings as well
The tests where A lumbar puncture -Lumbar puncture, also known as a spinal tap, is a medical procedure in which a needle is inserted into the spinal canal, most commonly to collect cerebrospinal fluid for diagnostic testing. The main reason for a lumbar puncture is to help diagnose diseases of the central nervous system, including the brain and spine. Examples of these conditions include meningitis and subarachnoid haemorrhage. It may also be used therapeutically in some conditions. Increased intracranial pressure is a contraindication, due to risk of brain matter being compressed and pushed toward the spine. Sometimes, lumbar puncture cannot be performed safely. It is regarded as a safe procedure, but post-Dural-puncture headache is a common side effect.
Bone marrow biopsy- the removal of a small quantity of marrow from the centre of a flat bone, e.g. the crest of the pelvis, by means of a syringe and a thick needle
Ultrasound
14 November 2012
Today was spent dad in another meeting and I also found out that leukaemia was Cancer, I only found out because there was a folder with a book in it called Joe has leukaemia and it told me in there that it was cancer.
I was scared to say the least because my Grandad had died from Cancer so when dad came back from his meeting I instantly asked if I was going to die. I didn't know what to do but dad reassured me that I wasn't going to die (though the doctors said they don't think I would respond to the treatment) and I started chemotherapy that night
20 November 2012
Sorry I haven't updated you in a while, I've been dealing with trying to take tons of tablets which I kind of kick off with it, but today I had a Hickman line in so I wouldn't have to have cannulas in which I pulled one out
22 November 2012
Last night I was transferred to Coventry and Today I was told that I had diabetes and I was also going home. Dad had gone to work for a bit so I was left alone until mum came to see me which was nice, I've already decided I'm not going to write until next month so I can get used to being at home though I must go hospital every week but I'm sure I'll cope
(The photo is me at Coventry hospital
See you next Month diary.
Xxx
Heya guys, hope you all enjoyed it, please tell me what you think, much love