Radio Silence on the Site for a while.

I've been kind of trying to put this one off for a few days. At least until I knew a little bit more of what was going to happen over the coming weeks. But with people now asking which Conventions I'll be attending this year, I figured this was the time to explain why I was being a little hesitant in reply.

You've probably noticed that the updates on It Came From Darkmoor... have become a lot more infrequent of late. The truth is that I've not been very well, for a while. And while I've still been Tweeting over on my Twitter feed, I've not been able to keep up with the Blog quite so easily.

Back at the start of January I started down a process of GP visits, Tests and Hospital visits to determine what was wrong with me. Initially it had been thought that I was having liver problems, but tests came back clear. Then it was suspected that it might be a problem with my gallbladder, most likely gallstones.

Unfortunately, after an ultrasound scan was performed it became clear very quickly that the root of the problem was a bit more serious than that.

The Doctors discovered that the root of my abdomen and back pain over the last while was actually pressure being applied by the presence of a tumour. A quite large tumour which had grown out slowly from one of my kidneys. Probably over a number of years. And while the Doctors won't know for certain until they remove it, and do proper tests, given the size of it (We're talking that of a junior rugby ball) I have been told that at this point it would be unrealistic to hope that it is not Cancer.

It's all come as a bit of a shock. To all of us. But the positive news is that, as far as the scans can tell, the tumour hasn't spread. It's just continued to grow larger in the same place. And that means that, while there are no 100% guarantees, it should be relatively easily removed by surgery and the likelihood of future complications should be relatively small.

For that I am grateful.

I am losing a kidney, granted. But in reality they tell me that I've been functioning with only one of those for a quite a long time, anyway. It's a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things.

Obviously this is going to take me out of action for a while. I'll be heading into Hospital for surgery on Wednesday, and will be staying in for a week. Afterwards I'll be out of action for a couple of months, recuperating. Needless to say I won't be online for most of that time, and the Blog won't be getting updated. These things happen. My health has to be my only priority for a while. But once I'm back up and around it will continue. This site is a real labour of love for me, and I'm not going to quit with it. :)

It's going to be a tricky few weeks. My wonderfully understanding other half will be putting up occasional updates about my progress, via Twitter, in the coming weeks. And I'm sure she would appreciate the support herself, also. You can follow her, over there, as @need_a_username . Click the link to find her page.

In the meantime I appreciate your patience, and you'll have to spread the good word about Marvel UK on your own for a little while. But I'm sure that will all go just fine. :)

All my best.

Mark Roberts