Goodbye portacath ! ( and bandanas! )

Maddy was back at the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) on Friday, but for a rather positive purpose this time. Exactly one month before Christmas and just over 6 months since her last vist to the LGI as an inpatient, Maddy was back for to have her portacath removed. The appointment was an early start in Leeds, at 07.30, but this was because she was scheduled to be first on the surgeon's list. It also increased the likelihood that she could return home the same day, so Dad and Maddy were happy to be getting up in the early hours to ensure a timely arrival - (you can't imagine how much traffic there is on the M62 at 06.30, unless you've seen it for yourself !)
The portacath was fitted during surgery at the LGI at the same time as the biopsy for specific diagnosis, back in the third week of May, when everyone was still rather shaken by what was happening. In contrast, this time it was almost fun...and as a neat touch, both the surgeon and the nurse who looked after her last time, were assigned to her case this time. Everyone was very attentive and charming - Dad got quite emotional at the significance of it all. Between them, Maddy and her Dad operated a DV camera to give an insight to the whole procedure, how Maddy felt about it, the administration of the anaesthetic, Maddy's speedy recovery and leaving LGI the same day etc.....to produce some video clips to inform a website for teens with cancer. This is being professionally produced by a team based at Jimmy's - various patients are contributing clips to show the range of procedures involved in chemo etc.... There will be a link from this blog, as soon as the new site goes live, so you should be able to see some of it for yourself !
Meanwhile, Maddy's life continues to revert back to normality...her hair looks really stylish now and she quit using bandanas about a month ago.
After all that's happened, it now feels almost too good to be true, but M's living life as intensely as ever - later this week she's appearing in a big dance show at school and then off to London with Julie for the weekend to see Billy Elliot, go the ballet and out for a meal, with J's fiend Trisha, based down there.
Next hospital encounter: Jimmy's on 30/12 for a routine check-up.