Hi Rachy
I am in a very similar position to you. I am British and live in Melbourne for now, I don't want to be living here but my kiwi husband and I struggled with work in the UK. My husband had to take the first job he was offered - in Australia.
Well where do I start, my dad was diagnosed in May last year with Bowel/ Colon cancer whilst on holiday in New York, he had the operation in a top notch private amazing American hospital with a team of colon specialist surgeons so I thank god he most probably had a better quality operation to remove the tumour there rather than on the NHS. The scans were looking good tumour in colon removed etc.
Since then he has been back in the UK and on treatment on he NHS, he had his first scan in the UK which showed the cancer had moved to his Liver, he had his first load of chemo for six months taking him up to November last year, this is the standard amount of chemo on the NHS, although as we have found out recently it was the wrong bloody chemo drugs he was given as he has the KRAS mutation gene and the NHS docs did not read the paperwork from the USA, bloody typical. His body responded well though to the ring drug and it reduced the liver tumours some what and things were looking positive.
We get to January this year, my dad goes and gets cancer marker results com a test taken just before Christmas, by this time my dad has suffered horrible side affects of chemo, cold hands, tiredness etc. so he meets with the doctor who tells him the cancer he still very active, he goes home without and further treatment v
Booked.....forward to now, nearly 4 months and my dad is still suffering huge bouts of tiredness, wind, suffering from the cold there in the UK etc...he starts on chemo ( 2nd round) and Avastin next week and will be on that for a while.
So there you go, I am so upset about this, worried for my mum Nd my dad, I cannot fly currently long haul as I am pregnant with my first baby and have miscarraige history. I also cannot afford a flight like you. I am so angry about this cancer and even though docs cannot put a time on how long...do even want to go there... But I also need to know is this going to be my dads life, skypin him whilst he is in bed and watching him feel and look tired, in a little pain, etc...of will he have good day and bad days? What is also causing my so much pain is that my dad is consciously going through this information of everyone, he knows we know and this must be so unbearable for him. He is so brave, I don't know if he is wanting to fight this or not, it worries me h is not eating either.
Anyway I have gone on a little but I felt that your experience was similar if we could share thoughts that old be lovely.
