This will, I hope, be the last post about Bernard, the angry lump they found in my bowel a few months ago, because I had the Urology people from Bristol on the phone this afternoon, and the short version is that the adrenal gland lump was benign, and as for the bowel, while the lump was cancerous, no lymphs were affected, and there was no spread. So, no need for chemo – basically, they got it.
Obviously there will be scans every year, just in case, but right now, Bernard has been banished. I obviously feel a huge sense of relief, but as I’ve said before, I also feel just so incredibly lucky that they accidentally found it in the first place, and found it early, and then got it out so successfully before it had a chance to spread. They’re a great team at Southmead Hospital, and are currently working under even more strain than ever, but nonetheless, they were just brilliant. I know there are many many others of you out there who haven’t been so lucky as me, and you have my every sympathy. There but for the grace of the gods etc.
Three weeks or so on from the operation, and I’m almost past the stage of needing naps, although it will be another week or so before I can stop injecting myself with the blood-thinning stuff. I was given a piece of advice about that from a fellow cancer sufferer – do the injection before you go to bed, that way the light-headedness can be absorbed into normal sleep. It was good advice.
I hope these blogs have helped some of you, as others’ blogs in turn helped me, and I wish you all well, and the best of luck if you find yourself in this unfortunate position.
All the best,
Alastair xx
Alastair Swinnerton 
I found your blog because of a love of Great Breach Wood where I spent many happy hours with my dog Misty (now passed over to Dog Heaven)
Then I found your battle with Bernard! May Bernard be banished to the most perfect place I could think of for him; total traffic gridlock in that main highway into L.A. You know….the notorious one.
You have done so well. It’s nice to hear you are back out with the dogs again. Best wishes to you, your family and dogs.
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Thank you, yes, the Great Breach Wood is a special place indeed, especially the view out over Dundon Hill. Thanks also for delving into the Bernard story, and for your thoughts – all seems well on that front, so far, fingers crossed. I have a scan sometime in September, and of course for the next five years or so, but they do seem to have got the little b***er. Looking forward to a week’s break in Devon in a few weeks, as I haven’t really stopped the writing work since about two days after the operation. Can’t complain though, lovely to be back in the animation world again! All the best to you and yours, I shall have a little delve into your life with Misty if I ever get a free moment!
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I found this blog because someone on Reddit is addicted to Bionicle and I wondered about its profundity, because it featured *transformation-by-mask*
and that of its author, and Bernard, and decided to have a check-up, thank you. I am 55 but they are not offered to everyone here. Thank you.
I am interested in “transformation by mask” since Japanese heroes often transform themselves *into masks* using symbols – and I feel there is a reversal going on. You are of course more than welcome to use this ‘reversal’ — transformation by symbol into mask, and by ‘mask of light’ into symbol (Lacan and his mirror stage) as a plot element in your Chinese series if it were in anyway relevant. The Chinese seem to be between the West and Japan.
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