A lump
Rory has a lump. It is under the left-hand side of his chin. I discovered it after a shower during his last stay in Starship. It is 5mm in diameter and is in the soft tissue. It is along the suture line. The Doctors do not know what it is. It may be a reaction to some space junk, possibly a deep suture, which has moved post-surgery. A punch biopsy will be done this afternoon. We have been in denial about the lump since it was found, refusing to think about it rather than let our minds run wild and conjure up the worst. We try and keep our lives calm and in control for Rory. He has been through so much and still has two doses of methotrexate to complete. Mentally he is currently in a reasonably good space. We do not want to ruin this with speculation and fear.
We drove up to Auckland on Sunday and have returned to stay at Ronald McDonald House. Rory spent Monday in Clinic on Starship ward 27A. Hyperhydration started at 8.15am. We saw Dr Stephen and Nurse Tracey to set up treatment this week and plan the next and final methotrexate dose. The methotrexate was given at 2.15pm and Rory was transferred into room 3 on the ward. He has had a poor sleep, tossing and turning getting tangled in lines. The nurse was in regularly doing observations, giving medication and trying to remove air bubbles from the line. I was the lucky one on night duty! While Rory is having chemotherapy Sean and I see each other for 5 minutes a day outside the entrance to Starship when we swap over. Sean is on duty tonight. Hyperhydration will continue until the methotrexate is cleared from his system, hopefully by Saturday afternoon.
On Monday Matt provided us with an update on kiwi The Hulk. He busted out of his holding box at Rotokare on Saturday night. He was running around the classroom when the crew arrived on Sunday morning and had to be recaptured. He was carried into the release site in a green box. The Hulk was successfully released into the forest by Matt, Fiona, Jen who is Chair of South Taranaki Forest and Bird and her grandson. We look forward to returning to the forest and following The Hulks progress when Rory is in remission.
Congratulations to Grannie and Grandad Gardiner on your Golden Wedding Anniversary. We send our love and hugs and look forward to seeing you soon xox