'We're talking more about months than years'

Eventually the results from the biopsy are in and, while they could have been worse, they obviously could have been better. The cancer from my lungs has spead to my left shoulder and, more problematically, to my liver. This precludes any kind of operation taking place, leaving just radio and chemotherapy as options. The doctors are having a meeting tomorrow to decide which is the best was to proceed. I'll probably be returning home in the next couple of days with a couple of simple gadgets that should make like a bit easier when I get back.

I'll then be returning to the hospital once or twice a week for treatment. Initially the authorities were sugggesting giving me three home visits a day, which seems like quite unnecessary. I don't want people I don't know traipsing around my house at all hours of the day and night doing who knows what. And I'll want to be able to relax and live life on my timescale. So eventually we compromised in-so- much as I now get a high stool for the kitchen and a toiler seat raiser as I'm now struggling to lift myself off conventional seats. Other options will then be looked at later.

It took a long time, but thanks to a couple of occupational therapist ladies and a food therapist, the nurses and other staff here eventually noticed that I was was physically wasting away due to a mixture of the poor diet being offered on the menu here and me suffering an almost complete loss of appetite due to said menu. For instance, a side salad consists of two tomato quarters, three slices of cucumber and a few slivers of lettuce. For the past couple of weeks, my daily food intake has been a couple of slices of toast with butter and a small bowl of rice crispies for breakfast, a couple of satsumas for lunch and maybe some more satsumas or nothing for dinner.

Now I'm being given special fruit energy drinks and fortified soups that they say I'll still be able to receive for free when I return. home. Also the occupational therapists and food therapist have said that I should turn the conventional healthy-eating rulebook on it head and eat the complete opposite. Fried meat and eggs. Double strength milk with lashings of cream and butter. Lots and lots of chocolate bars and bags of crisps. They've given me a four page leaflet filled with the most unhealthy foods you can imagine and told me that I should now follow this diet. Mind you, I'll probably then end up dying of a heart atttack. Stay safe and take care of yourselves.

Kev