End of a bad year

Tommorow is new years eve and the end of what can only be described as the worst year of my life. When I celebrated new years eve 2008 I had no idea what 2009 had in store for me.The year is ending on a good note with a party at a friends. I am also walking competely unaided now which is amazing only 2 month after my amputation.

2010 I have many new years resolutions:
1. Learn to run again as quickly as possible
2. Once chemo is over become fitter than ever
3. Raise awareness of bone cancer through various charitie fundraisers
4. Life life to the full and celebrate that I am still here to live it

Happy New Year

Chemotherapy session 9 and leg update

I have now completed 9 sessions of chemo and i have 5 left. The chemo is seeming very tedious now and im counting down the days until its over. Christmas is in a couple of days and im trying to get into the festivites but it seems hard after the year me and my family have had. I recently celebrated my 21st birthday and my dads 60th birthday. I enjoyed the celebrations a lot more than i thought i would so im hoping christmas is the same.

I also recieved a new foot for my artificial leg last week which has made the walking a lot easier and im hoping to be walking completely unaided in the not so distant future. The one thing that i need to improve on is my balance. Im fine walking on my own tbut i tried to pick up my little niece Megan the other day and couldnt get my balance right. This is my next goal to sort my balance and to then become more independant.

Hope you all have a very happy christmas

Matt
xxx

A short summary of 2009

2009 began well was enjoying uni and socialising and drinking alot with friends. Life was pretty sweet until April I had just got a girlfriend to. Then in short lets sum up the amount of kicks in the teeth ive had:

1)Diagnosed with bone cancer and step dad diagnosed with incurable prostate cancer
2)Told the best option for a cure is chemo and amputation
3)Things got to real for my GF and i was dumped
4)Grandad diagnosed with incurable prostate cancer
5)Lose my leg below knee and now have to learn to walk again

Now its xmas time and I cant stop thinking that this time last year I thought 2009 was going to be a lot different than it is. Yes im beating the aggressive little fucker they call Ewings with every ounce of strength i have and yes the physio is going well and ill be running faster than before by the time ive finished.

My point is WHY should i have to do these things to survive and then continue to live my life once chemo is over. I think the chemo is making me exhausted to and my mental strength is hard to keep going but i know i have to. Once the clock strikes midnight on December 31st it is a new beginning and 2010 will be good whatever happens im not letting the next year be as shit as this one has. Im not looking for sympathy im just telling it like it is i dont want sympathy just want people to know how hard it is to go through this. How hard it is to know that some people you meet in hospital arent doing as well as me and some the unlucky ones dont make it. Its scary to think what might have happenend. But it didnt and im winning the battle and will fight on to make sure it doesnt come back.

Heres to a happy new year

Matt

First leg has arrived

I got my first leg yesterday. I went to Seacroft hospital leeds and the technology been used for my leg meant i could get my leg fitted and taken home in the same day. The software used was CAD/CAM and used a lazer to scan my leg and get a perfect shape for the shape of my socket for my false leg. There was alot of waiting about yesterday but eventually I got my leg fitted and after a few adjustments there it was my first leg. I was told that they had ordered me a better foot and should be on its way in a few days. Eventually I am going to end up with two legs one for everyday and one for sport.

Getting the leg is a step in the right direction and theres only 4 months of cancer treatment left. Still got the whole fed up ora around me but im coping ok and its christmas soon so thats something to look forward to.

Post 8th Chemo

Had my 8th session of chemo at last thursday and came out of hospital on saturday. I also had my swine flu vaccine last week and felt terrible wednesday night had a temperature and went into jimmys on early thursday morning to check all was ok before i started chemo.

I had a call from the physio while i was having chemo and she said they wanted to try a new cad/cam method for builiding my prosthesis. This would mean if it worked i could have my false leg on the same day as my primary fitting. This is very exciting meaning i could be walking by january which i cant wait to start walking again. The frustration of been on crutches and in a wheelchair is unbelievable.

The charity ball is now confirmed for the 19th June aswell. Anyone wanting details please ask.

Matt

Chemo delays and the fall

My chemo has been delayed this time I have to go back this friday. Thid is due to my white blood count been to low which also means im more prone to infection fingers crossed I dont get a cold then. I had a bit of a tumble last week I was in pub with my friends and went to toilet I slipped on the wet floor and landed on my stump.

The pain was quite bad and I had to have some oral morphine to go to sleep that night, I also had to miss my physio the next day because of the bruising on my stump. The upside of missing chemo meant i got to go and watch footy this weekend which was good i seem to be alot more happier when am out and about and not in my house. I get more fed up sat about in the house but when im out somewere different im more happy. Chemo is due to finish in April now so im counting down the days till then.

Matt

Physio and other shit

Hey

Ive now had 4 sessions of physio and im getting more confident on my feet as phsyio goes on. Ive bin walking on a temporary limg i get my first proper limb on my birthday which is abit strange. Im fed up of been one legged now its really annoying cant do anything for myself. Also even though im beating the cancer i still get really fed up and sick of everything ive hated 2009 cannot wait till its over. This has been the worst yesr of my life by a mile and as soon as its over i can get back to getting on with my life.

Matt

Post 7th chemotherapy

Hey ive just had my 7th lot of chemotherapy. This set of chemo has been a lot milder and hopefully the side effects wont be as intense as the last 6. Ive bin abit fed up this week waiting for the post surgical results to see how dead my tumour is. For there to be a good response more than 90% needed to be dead

I got the phone call from Mr Tillman yesterday and he informed me the tumour was more than 95% DEAD and therefore the response was good and i would be having 7 more cycles of chemotherapy and my treatment would then be complete. Therefore at the end of MArch 2010 i will be able to go back to leading a normal life.

This is the happiest ive been for a while and it shows that the last 6 months have been worthwhile even though very hard.

Matt

Update on my leg

Its almost 2 weeks since my operation and my stump is healing well. Tommorow i go in for chemotherapy which will be milder than the chemo i was on before the amputation. Also i will be in hospital for less time which is good. The pain in my wound is mild now but the phantom pain and pins and needles from the nerve damage caused by the operation is starting to piss me off. Its a very strange sensation not really pain but a electric shock sort of sensation,

Last week i had my first physio which was good and i did more than i expected. I walked on a temporary false limb and a video of this can be found on my facebook site. Im pretty fed up to i cant wait to get my prosthetic so i can walk and get about without having to really on my family to do the simplest things for me like get me a drink or get me my tablets or get me my breakfast. Be good to be independant once again.

Bye for now
Matt

The hardest week of my life

On sunday 18th October i travelled down to birmingham to be admitted to the Royal Orthapaedic Hospital for my amputation. The amputation would take place on monday morning. Considering what i was about to have done i slep fairly well on sunday night and woke early monday to sign the consent form.

My dad and step mum were there and they came down with me as far as they could go to the operating theatre. I hugged my step mum and i saw tears in her eyes, hugged my dad and knew he was trying to hide the tears aswell. This is when it sunk in were i was going and when i next woke up i would have half a leg missing. I was petrified the nurses had to calm me down abit and they were very reassuring and i realised that even though i was losing half a leg it was necessary to save my life. Without getting rid of the tumour i would die so it was definately for the best.

I woke up in the operating theatre and asked for Mr Tillman (the surgeon) i shook his hand and thanked him for doing what was right and removing the tumour from my body. I then past out again and woke again in recovery. I didnt realise but i had actually being away from the ward for 4 hours so my dad and step mum were panicking abit. So were the rest of my family at home waiting for news on my condition.

For the first 24 hours after the op i had an epidural so i was numb from the waist down which was strange. This was to make sure i did not wake up in any pain after the op. My reaction to waking up with half a leg missing was quite calm and everyone elses seemed calm to. The week in hosptial was quite relaxing if im honest. I started my physio on a zimmer frame and got my balance quite quickly and moved onto crutches i was abit wobbly at first but i think this was down to the epidural still having an effect. The day after i learnt how to walk up and down stairs which was more difficult but i still picked it up quickly.

After going into hospital on sunday i was going home on the friday which at first was a happy day and slowly turned into the day from hell. I had severe travel sickness on the way home and i felt so ill i just wanted to be back in hospital. I however did get home and went straight to bed and slept it off.

To finish off the last week has being the hardest week of my life ever. Coming to terms psychologically with an amputation is hard i put on a calm and positive front and thats how i feel most of the time. But it is also frustrating and upsetting being disabled for the next 6 weeks while it heals. Ino im not going to be able to do things i want for a while and im defo finding it hard at the minute the tiredness, the whole amputation, starting chemo again and physio its going to be a long tough ride and im glad ive got such a fantastic support base.

One las thing thank you to my dad, step mum, mum, step dad and brother phil and sis in law michelle for keeping me company in Birmingham you all helped keep my spirits up. And thank you to all the gifts cards and messages of support i recieved. The whole support is overwhelming.

Matt

Last nights charity event

On October 10th Craig Howe organised a charity event in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust and to raise awareness of my fight against Ewings Sarcoma. The event consisted of a charity gig and a raffle and the sale of teenage cancer trust wristbands. I would like to thank craig for organising the event. I would also like to thank Jason and Gail Pickersgill who provided me with a brand new laptop free of charge which is very appreciated.

Completely pissed off

Ive just being admitted to hospital today my temperature spiked went to 38.2. This means ive had to have blood tests and im also on a course of antibiotics. The blood tests show im neutropenic which means my white blood cells are really low and i have no immune system so i have to stay in until my counts pick up.

To be honest im completely fed up with everything now. I was looking forward to a nice weekend of football and beer and now im stuck in a hospital. Im glad my treatment seems to be working because if it wasnt i think i would cry. Im not looking foward to my operation im growing increasingly anxious about finding out how well the chemo has worked and im just generally pretty pissed off.

Post 6th chemothrapy

Sailed through my 6th chemo no side effects to complain about. i do have one thing to moan about my EX girlfriend came to visit me and they next day dumped me via text wont even let me call her to talk about it. 6 months together and im not even worht a decent explanation. Spineless if you ask me.

Got my operation 3 weeks on wednesday and its pretty scary to think about but am sure ill get throught it with the people that actually care about me. I may sound spiteful but i think i have every right to be . Anyway gunna go not really in the mood to blog anymore today

Matt

After my 5th Chemotherapy

Hey
I left hospital after my 5th session of chemotherapy today. The chemo went fine but on friday i thought i would be in for a long weekend i was put in a 3 bed ward and the guy opposite me was quite possibly the most rude and nasty patient i have ever come across. He swore at the nurses, messed with his chemo pumps and on the first night i was in had music blurring out at 1230 am even after being asked several times to turn it down he didnt comply which infuriated me. The next morning i asked to be moved rooms and luckily there was a spare single room on the ward and i got 2 days pieces for my chemo after that.

One more thing to mention is i had the results of of my last MRI scan which show my tumour has shrunk yet again and my surgeon said the shrinkage is aboyut 90 percent which is fantastic. Im therefore in a very positive and optimistic mood about this whole cancer thing and very happy everything thats being pumped into me is doing the right job.

Matt

Latest meeting with my surgeon

I met my surgeon for the 2nd time on monday 24th August to discuss the surgical options for my leg and make a final decision on what was going to happen. Mr Grimer explained to me that there were 3 options

Option 1 was to remove the fibula bone, part of my shin bone and remove the tumour. This would leave me with a unstable ankle. He explained i would find it hard walking on rough surfaces and going up hills and would have to have a splint under my sock to support my leg.

Option 2 would involve the same removal procedure as option 1 buit Mr Grimer would also fuse my ankle joint to my shin bone leaving me with a stiff ankle. I would be able to move my ankle side to side but not up and down.

Also both options 1 and 2 would involve post-operation radiotherapy because of the location of the tumour which has some nasty side effects to the healthy bones surrounding the tumour.

I have decided to go with option 3. This is a below knee amputation, this may seem odd to alot of people as some people say they would rather die than have an amputation. The amputation is the best option clinically, physically and post-operative. It is the best option clinically because it removes the diseased part of my body and tumour completely. Physically it is the best option because with a prosthetic leg i will have better mobility than with what would be left of my right ankle joint. It is also the best option for after the operation because i wont have to have any radiotherapy.

Its not everyday you have to decide between having an amputation or having a limp and stiff ankle for the rest of your life. In the end it wasnt a hard decision for me because at 20 years old i dont want to have limited movement i would rather have a false leg and be able to do everything i want to like football, running and cycling.

I wouldnt have thought 8 months ago i would have to decided that having an amputation is the best medical option for me. Ive come to terms with it and will be walking as soon physcially possible after the operation

Matt

Time to let off abit of steam

Ive looked back at the blogs i have published since my diagnosis and ive come to realise i havent told you all how i actually feel about having this shit disease. I have just described treatment procedures and put on a front to the world. Dont get me wrong im positive and know in my heart i will beat the cancer it may take over my life for 9 months but ill be the one that wins in the end.

I do however have alot of resentful and angry feelings about life in general i ask myself questions such as why me? what have i done? look at all the sickos in the world and still i wouldnt wish this on anyone. The one thing cancer and chemotherapy does more than anything is make you think about life about what you have done so far, plans for the future, ive set myself alot of goals recently and once my chemos over who knows what the next few years brings so im gunna live life to its full potential and make sure i dont waste a single day by saying things like "ill do it tommorow" or "i cant be bothered". Which in the past were two of my favourite phrases.

Anyway i dont want to open up to much for now
Thanks for reading
Matt

4th chemo

Hey people,
Ive just finished my 4th chemotherapy and had no problems no sickness tiredness minimal im doing ok. Physically i feel healthy and also i got to leave hospital a day early this time.

I just have one worry and thats the operation and the 6 weeks following the op. Ino once i get through that period of time its defo the start of my new life and rehabilation and physio to get back to fitness. Dont worry im not going to rant about how worried i am its not my style ill deal with it in my own way and im sure ill feel better about it soon enough.

Thats all for now
Matthew

First meeting with the limb fitters and next fundraiser

Hey everyone on weds 12th August i had my first meeting with the physio and limb fitting people at Seacroft hospital. Although i was unfazed by meeting them my dad told me afterwards he didnt like it one bit and didnt like the situation. The purpose of the meeting was to tell me what my operation would entail if i was having an amputation and the rehabilatation and physio involved afterwards

The doctor told me my amputation is called a trans-fibial amuputation and the operation was straight forward and would involve wrapping the muscle around the bottom of what was left of my lower leg and this would take 6 weeks to heal. During this 6 week period i would have to spend most of my time in my wheelchair to keep the wound elevated and also i would lose my sense of balance on crutches and would have to learn this again through physio. During this initial 6 week period i would attend physio twice a week at Seacroft and take part in balancing exerices and also learn to weight bare on my amputated right leg.

Once the wound has healed i will get my first prosthetic fitted which involves a casting of my right leg and then fitting the prosthetic onto the moulded cast. This initial leg would be used for the next 8 weeks of rehab and i would slowly learn to walk on it and attend physio twice a week while gradually building up my usage of the prosthetic over the 8 week period.

Over the next 12 to 24 months i will be constantly having my prosthetic adjusted as the swelling on my right leg reduces. I will also learn how to run and was given the fantastic news i would be able to take part in 5 aside football as i learned to use my prostheitc better. As time bases the type of prosthetic i use will improve and be made to suit my needs. I have already stated to the limb fitting people that i need a leg that allows me to run for athletics and also play football. My aim now is to lead the lads out and nexts years charity football fundraiser.

On the fundraising front the next idea in the pipeline is a charity dinner next june 19th. This is going to be at the KC Stadium in Hull and the price of a ticket is £30 the popularity of the event is great already and the event is expected to sell out quickly.

Anyway ill blog again soon about my 4th chemo

Thanks
Matt

Football charity event 2nd August 2009

This blog is all about the amazing chairty event on the 2nd August. The event organised by my friend David Mills was phenominal it consisted of a charity football match between 2 teams one put together by me and the other put together by David. In addition to this there was a raffle, auction, tshirt selling, my nepthew Willem sold some of his old toys and my family also organised a bake sale.

Now to the thank yous i would like to thank my family individually my mum Margaret, dad Paul, step dad Terry, step mum Sylvia, brothers Phil, Chris, Martin, Paul, sisters Hayley and Julie, other family members Stephen, Mitchell, Julia, Sam, Michelle, Julie, Willem, Jessica, Megan, Emily, Thomas, Willem, Megan, Thomas, Katie, Auntie Margaret, Grandad, Uncle Keith, Jennifer, Elizabeth, Richard, Phil, Sandra, Auntie Maureen

Also a big thank you to all the lads that played in the match and my friends and family friends that helped raise money and set up the event.

In total the money raised from the event was £2295 which is a fantastic effort and we hope to to make the event annual.

Post 3rd chemotherapy

I have now completed 3 sessions of chemotherapy and although the treatment is working the side effects are starting to effect me. The hair loss thing may only seem a minor problem but its the one thing that has upset me the most. I just dont feel i look like myself sometimes but ino and keep telling myself that my hair will grow back. I did ok in hospital for this chemotherapy no real problems just the whole tiredness thing again. Hoping i dont end up in hospital with an infection this time so fingers crossed.

MRI Scan Results

Hey people on friday the 24th July i got my MRI Scan results back which would indicate whether or not the chemotherapy was shrinking my tumour. The doctor gave me the good news i have being praying the size of my tumour has reduced by 50% and the doctors words as i quote were "a very good response".

I have also being told that they would expect the tumour to continue to shrink as my treatment continues. There is a chance it could grow again but they would expect this not to occur. So fingers crossed my tumour will continue to shrink and ill continue to fight the cancer and beat it!!!

Back to St James

Im back in hospital again was meant to be going out on thursday then i got a temperature and i was told to go to hull a and e to get some bloods done. Hull Royal is possibly the worst hospital ever the doctor looked like he didnt have a clue what he was doing and i rung my nurse at leeds and she couldnt believe i had being sent there. I decided to get in my mums car and my mum drove me to leeds.

Im now in leeds hospital until tuesday on IV antibiotics i have some chemoe side effects so im pretty fed up at the moment. The next 7 months or so are going to seem like a life time.

Post 2nd Chemotherapy

I have just finished my 2nd session of chemotherapy and this time no sickness!!!! The only thing it has done to me is make me feel very hungover and absoloutely knackered. I am at my Dads now having a couple of chill out days to recover then hopefully i will be ok for the next 3 weeks before my next chemotherapy session. I also spoke to Mr Lewis my specialist. When he examined me he said I looked generally in good health and the tumour on my leg looked like it was shrinking and he was very interested in seeing what the next MRI scan would show. This news made me think even more positive than i already am.

I have also set up a website for people to donate to bone cancer research www.justgiving.com/Matthew-Woollias which has raised £750 so far. Thanks to everyone that has donated.

I am looking forward to the charity event on the 2nd August and we have recieved raffle prizes from Hull FC, Bradford City FC, British Gas, P and O Ferries, Hull City and Manchester United. Also my team Matts Legends FC are having our kit provided by David Wetherall youth team coach of Bradford City.

What ive bin upto since first chemotherapy

I start my next session of chemotherapy on friday 3rd July and its 3 weeks since i was last at hospital. I have reacted well to the chemotherapy and i have felt quite well considering everything. I have being upto a few things in the last few weeks. I had my footbal presentation i played for Skirlaugh last year and i was presented with a signed football shirt from the lads which was really good and a nice gesture. The most down i have being is when my friends set off for Magaluf as i was meant to be going but for obvious reasons couldnt. Apart from that i have been fine. I have been to the cinema, pub and friends houses and seen my girlfriend. Its my step mum Sylvias birthday today so Happy Birthday for today. I have also been busy focusing on organising a charity football match with my friend David and i was in the Hull Daily Mail with David explaining my situation and the charity event which is on the 2nd August at Thorngumbald Playing Fields.

End of my first chemotherapy

Ive now finshed my first cycle of chemotherapy which is hopefully the first step towards a recovery. You will all be glad to know that the tumour in my right leg has shrunk already which is a pretty good sign the chemo is doing what it is meant to be doing. I start my next session on 4th July and im hoping i wotn have any infections or extra visits to hospital in this time.

Im very touched by all the messages i have recieved from family and friends and also the fundraising and charity events people are putting together for me. This blog maybe my last for a week or so as there hopefully wont be much to keep you all updated on.

Bye for now
Matt

Towards the end of my first chemotherapy

I am coming towards the end of my first session of chemotherapy now. Today is sunday and its been an up and down day. I woke up feeling quite sick and thought i was going to have a shit day. However i had some anti sickness tablets and perked up. My mum sister julie, bro in law steve niece jess and nepthew mitch came to visit today and i was quite happy played a card game and pool and went on the wii. They left at about 230 and the my dad and bro phil came which was good played pool and watched cricket.

I have also had my mates lee wix and storr and creesy and sacha visit this weekend and my girlfriend roisin and also my sis in law michelle and little niece megan and nepthew thomas. Im very popular at the moment and i appreciate all the phone calls and visits so thank you everyone. I go home 2morow and will be able to relax but also plan on doing some exercise to keep the blood and adrenaline pumping.

Anyways thats enough rambling now talk soon

Matt

First day and night of chemotherapy

Hey i arrived at St James Hospital yesterday at 10am and was told i would be getting a single room to myself which i was happy about. My ward which is ward 94 is less than 18 months old and in the ward there is a day room with a pool table, sky television and a nintendo wii. There are also computer facilities and another room with an xbox 360. My dad and step mum sylvia came and stayed with me for a while on the night and we watched the soaps.

I started my chemotherapy at 430pm and had four drugs and various drips until 230am!!!! So my sleeping was interuppted but i am not as tired as i thought i wold be yet. Im having chemotherapy today and tommorow and more fluids on sunday. Im just waiting for my girlfriend Roisin and two friends James and Sacha to arrvie later.

Ill keep you posted
Matt

Test results and hickman line

I have now being given all my test results the CT scan, bone scan and bone marrow test. These results determine what stage my cancer is at diagnosis and all the test came back clear which means there is no sign of spread of disease. Therefore i have non metastatic ewings sarcoma which is very good for a cancer patient and gives me the best prognosis possible for fighting the cancer and getting rid of it.

I have also had a hickman line put in my chest. This is a central line that is inserted under local anaesthetic. The tube goes in one of the main veins near your heart and is put in to make injecting drugs and fluid easier without the use of needles. I also had sedation for my hickman line and when i went home i felt like i had being out on the lash all night i was very sick and went to bed at 9pm for 12 hours!!! Initially my chest was sore but the pain has worn off now and the line will stay in place until my treatment is over.

My next blog will be all about my first batch of chemotherapy i will also submit a quick blog about my background for those who dont already know!!!

Cya for now
Matt
xxxx

First clinic with Mr Grimer

On monday 1st June i attended a clinic with Mr Robert Grimer at St James hospital. At the clinic Mr Grimer sat me down and explained that my tumour was in my fibula bone at the lower end near my ankle joint. The plan was for the chemotherapy to kill 90% or more of the cancer cells and then he would remove the diseased part of the fibula bone plus abit extra just to be safe. He told me there was a problem with this.

This is because he would not be able to leave me any fibula bone to support my ankle joint which in turn would leave me with an unstable ankle which is very serious. To try and rectify this problem he said there were two options. Firstly he could remove some of my fibula from my left leg and pin it to my right tibia bone and use that to support the joint. This would be ok for walking but twisting and turning and contact sport would be out the question and the new supporting bone would last for 10 years maximum. The other option would be to fuse my ankle joint to my tibia bone which would give me a stiff ankle which is also not good.

Mr Grimer then said if the chemotherapy did not work as well and the tumour did not shrink as much the only option would be a below knee amputation to be safe. He said if this was the case with how good prosthetics are these days i would have near perfect mobility and be able to run and play sport.

At the moment my reaction to this is i would go for an amputation even if the chemotherapy worked well. This is because i am only 20 years old and want to be able to play sport and be active once my treatment is complete. I know to some people this seems extreme and hard to grasp but i have accepted that my right leg is going to be useless and the best way forward is to have a prosthetic and take up running as a sport. I might even end up a world beater!!!!

First Visit to St James Hospital Leeds

After my visit to Mr Platt a Mr Grimer rang my father and explained i would not have to go to Birmingham until my surgery. The plan was to have 9 months of chemotherapy and surgery. I was booked into a clinic to see Mr Ian Lewis at St james hospital this was on 29th May 2009. When i met Mr Lewis he came across as a very nice consultant and he explained what Ewings sarcoma was and told me it was his specialist field. He informed me they could not stage my cancer at this point and i would require a CT Scan (to check for cancer in my lungs), bone scan (to check if there was spread to the bones) and a bone marrow extraction (to check spread to bone marrow). The results of these tests would confirm the stage of my cancer. Mr Lewis however told me that with nearly all cases of Ewings Sarcoma microscopic spread usually has occured this type of spread is treatable as the chemotherapy kills off the cells befoe they can seed. The treatment procedure would be 6 cycles of chemotherapy and then surgery then another 8 cycles of chemotherapy. My next post will tell you about my first meeting with my surgeon Mr Grimer

Initial diagnosis

I was initially diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma about 6 weeks ago. However before my diagnosis i went to hospital with what i thought was a football related leg injury. I was playing in a match for my team and i got studded in my lower right leg and i got a shooting pain down the back of my calf. This happenend on a wednesday and i decided to go to Hull Royal Infirmary A and E department here i had an xray and was told to attend the fracture clinic the next day. At the clinic i was told there was nothing majorly wrong and to come back in 3 weeks.



Two weeks later i got a phone call from a Mr Sattari and he said i needed to go for an mri scan on my leg. When i had my MRI scan a Dr Taylor expressed his concern and informed me i was to have a CT scan straight away. The CT scan came back clear and i was sent home and told to come back for a needle biopsy the next tuesday.



I had my needle biopsy and at this point Mr Sattari informed my father that there was a concern that the lump in my leg was a sarcoma and the biopsy results would tell us for definite. A week later i attended the clinic of Mr Platt at Castle Hill hospital in Cottingham near Hull, he confirmed that the tumour in my leg was a sarcoma called Ewings Sarcoma. This is a very rare form of bone cancer that effects only 4 in a million people in the UK per year. He informed me that my treatment would take place in Birmingham under the care of Mr Robert Grimer. I would then wait a couple of weeks for my next contact with a doctor.