We are Peter and Therese and we live in Sydney,
Australia.
We both saw this mailing list and started reading it a couple
of days ago. I (Therese have had a bit more time available to read it) and
I must say that I find it inspirational. Peter, my husband, is 35 years of
age and in July last year he was diagnosed with Sarcoma - Malignant Fibrous
Histiocytoma of the skin, very rare.
As a bit of a preamble to all this in about late April, Peter
had growth come up on his back, it was rather like a large blister. We
went to our local doctor who referred us to his dermatologist to have it checked
out. Peter Has been seeing this dermatologist on an annual basis for about
5 years now, just as a precaution. However, that aside, the dermatologist
took a shave biopsy of the growth. He told Peter at the time that he did
not think it was anything to worry about. The result of the pathology came
back a bit unusual, so the dermatologist asked for further investigation of the
results. The dermatologist then phoned me tell me what had gone on and
that the further testing came back as okay. In the next couple of weeks,
the blister on Peter's back grew again and was quite itchy and inflamed.
We arranged to see the dermatologist again. He looked at it and said
"oh that's just scar tissue, here put some of this cream on it" and
you should be right mate, he then said as we were leaving his rooms "now go
home and lick your wounds?" nice guy!!!!
Within the space of about six weeks, Peter started to become
very lethargic, did not want to do anything, he also started to develop a lump
in the side of his neck. It gradually got bigger and harder. Peter
also developed a severe cold and a nagging cough. Peter does shift work
and on one particular day he was due to go in and do a night shift, but he just
didn't feel up to it. He took himself to a different local doctor, as our
original doctor was bit too far away and he didn't have the energy to take
himself that far. On seeing the new local doctor, he was very curious
about the lump that had developed, he wanted to know if Peter had recently had a
trauma to the skin, as he thought that it was his lymph nodes trying to heal the
trauma. Peter then went on to tell him about the growth on his back and
its subsequent removal. The doctor then arranged for Peter to go and have
an ultrasound done. This came back as either being a cyst or a malignant
tumour, to determine what it was Peter then had to undergo a fine needle
aspiration. This came back as being malignant. Our local doctor then
arranged for Peter to have chest and lung x-rays, and thankfully, these were
clear. The local doctor then arranged for Peter to be referred to a
specialist surgeon, but we were not happy with him, his bedside manner was all
wrong etc etc.
One of Peter's best friend's brother works as a radiotherapy
doctor in one of the top hospitals in Sydney. He was talking to several of
the professors about Peter's condition and told them about what had gone
on. They suggested that Peter should go and see a Professor O'Brien who is
a head and neck specialist and is considered "the best" in the
business. We had a tough decision to make as it usually takes about six
weeks to get into see Prof. O'Brien, however, I'm sure God was on our side, due
to the other Professors knowing Prof. O'Brien we were able to get in the next
day. We went and saw Prof O'Brien (a true gift from God) and he said, I
want you to go home now and pack your bags and come back in again this
afternoon, as I am admitting you straight away. Prof O'Brien performed the
operation the next day.
After the operation Peter was waiting anxiously (as you do),
to find out what went on in the operation. Prof. O'Brien came in to the
room to see Peter, Peter had a sudden rush, he was thinking to himself what is
he going to tell me, Peter was scared stiff. Prof O'Brien said that
"they got it all", Peter sighed a breath of relief. They had
removed all the lymph nodes on the left hand side of his neck, they called it a
"radical neck dissection". They also reopened the original site
on his back and made a much bigger incision to make sure that they removed
everything from there. The site on his back was the primary tumour and the
lymph nodes was the secondary stage.
Peter has undergone six weeks of radiotherapy. He has now made
quite a few changes to his diet, he tries to tackle one day at a time now.
We were told by Prof. O'Brien that Peter has an 85% chance of it returning in
the first year. He has had a pet scan back in November and they found
nothing. Nine moths down the track, and it hasn't
reappared.
Peter and I are catholics, although we weren't practising
catholics at the time. Peter and my family are both fairly religious and I
am sure that it has been through everyones prayers that we have got to this
stage.
We were both shattered when we first heard those words
"malignant cancer". We both thought it was the end, our heads
were spinning. I think when you are in your 30's you seem to thing that
you are pretty invincible. Well it takes something like this to bring you
back down to earth with a real thud and a real thud it was. We have two
beautiful little children, Katherine (4 years old) and Sean (2 years old).
At the time I could only think of these two kids growing up without a father,
and even as I am typing this message, it brings tears to my eyes. All I
ever wanted in life was to have a happy home, a home full of love and laughter,
for Peter and I to see our children grow up, to share life's experiences
together, but now I feel that there is this cloud of uncertainity hanging above
our heads.
But I have gained some inspiration from your messages here
especially one, where somebody said "all anybody has is today".
I guess that is true, because nobody know what tomorrow holds.
Peter is well (although I would like to use the term that
Robert Ulrich uses "cured"). His body is cancer free, Peter is
working again, enjoying life, however sometimes I am frightened that we will
slip back into our old ways and get up in the fast lane again.
Peter and I are trying to make the most of every new day that
God provides us with, as we realise now what a gift that is.
Peter and I pray that someday soon there will be a cure for
this enormous disease that effects so many different people in so many different
ways. I have found throughout all this that Peter has probably been my
rock. He seems to have been the stronger one out of us, yet I feel that I
should be the stronger one. I love him dearly and don't know what I would
do if he was to ever go away, we are a real team, we do everything together and
most importantly he is a wonderful husband and father.
You are all in our prayers and thoughts. It is nice just
to be able to babble on like this, I hope you don't mind.
