To start, thanks to everyone for kicking me in the backside for an update.
I know I haven’t put one up for a week or so but this new treatment is kicking me in said backside and I’ll explain in more detail later in the blog.
So far I have completed 8 treatments so far. Which means I have a total 20 treatments or I could say 4 full weeks of treatment left to go. I can most certainly inform you all, I don’t enjoy it one iota.
Today is Saturday (at the time of writing) and that means I don’t have to take the Capecitabine chemotherapy and I don’t have to go to the hospital for 48 glorious hours. You have no idea how much I need the break at the weekends.
I know that I have mentioned in previous blogs that I don’t think I am strong enough to complete another course of IV chemotherapy. Especially if it’s 5FU like last time. I think that Chemo took me to the very edge of me as a person. I know that I would HAVE to take it. I made promises to Kerry and some of you too, but I’d just have to lump it(Pun intended). What I would say is that this chemotherapy just isn’t the same. It is lighter so to speak, but when you add it together with the radiotherapy, well… I am beginning to wonder what was worse.
On an average day radiotherapy days work like this:-
30 minutes before treatment, go to the toilet and then I have two glasses of water (8oz/225ml each). When your name is called in the waiting room by the technicians, you get given a changing room. As the location of my cancer is in my bowel, I only need to change out of shoes and trousers and walk myself in socks to the machine. I then lay on the bed and have some guide lasers shot at me which with some gentle persuasion and nudging them line me up with my tattoo dots. Once I’m in position, the tech’s then leave the room. I then get bombarded with radiation like some sort of macabre microwave.
Kerry joked the other day that there should be a ‘Ding’ when it finishes. I cracked the same jokes with the Radiotherapy staff and they just giggled, then told me that on their side of the wall. When the treatment is complete. A bell rings for them.
Well… Shit!
All in all, I think that the machine takes about 2 minutes. So I am either Ramen noodles or a patient receiving treatment!
Most of the time is taken up by prep, actually moreso waiting to be called.
After the procedure I am not in any immediate pain. Actually, I may have mentioned previously. You don’t feel it, perhaps the heat of the machine as it orbits your body but it is not bad by any stretch of the imagination.
Now, give it an hour or so. That’s when soreness starts, like a gradual building of heat and soreness. Then give it another hour or two and then that’s what I’d call it pain. Warmness is now burning. Throbbing, now just say that the chemo had given you sickness and diarrhea. The last thing you want to be doing is using that area any time soon.
That’s it in a nutshell really. Yay! Radiotherapy.
It’s Sunday now, I had planned on getting the blog out earlier but sadly, I’d completely lost track of time and had to leave the house for Kerry’s Birthday celebrations. Nearly a full month since her actual birthday. However, you try and get people together in January and you’ll understand why it was moved till mid February.
Sadly, I could climb and to be honest, I really shouldn’t be climbing right now. I just don’t have the grip strength or stamina. I can barely walk a flight of stairs without losing my breath. Kerry and the M’Boro lot went for breakfast and then climbing. I stayed home and sulked. I just vegged and watched TV, I then played a few games of Overwatch.
Come 18:00 we went to Hatchet Harry’s in Newcastle.
Surprisingly, I came 3rd outta 9, I would have snagged 2nd place if it wasn’t for Jen (Legend) and her throwing our group’s only 10. I swear the 10 point target is about the size of a grapefruit. But she landed it!
It’s a super fun activity and I would suggest it for any sort of group night out. I will say though… Throwing the axes under arm… Aye! well. I am a danger to myself and all standing in the danger zone lol!
All the other types of throws I seemed to do okay.
If you wanna have a giggle at me and Kerry chucking axes around then click here. I’m sure there will be more on Kerry’s Instagram.
We went out of Mantra Thai on Forth Banks. Just round the corner from Hatchet Harry’s and always a decent meal. Sadly, I lost my appetite like 2 bites into my main meal. However the staff were brilliant and asked if something was wrong. I just kinda whispered chemotherapy to the waitress and asked if I could take it home. She smiled and brought it out in take out boxes for me. Yay! I’ll eat it today.
All in all, I think Kerry enjoyed her second Birthday and thanked everyone for the gifts and love she received on her 30th.
She’s my rock, she’s as h*cking strong as one now too!
How do I feel?
I feel okay… I guess today. I am glad I don’t have chemo to take today, I know it’s coming tomorrow and very hard to look forward to any day that you have to take those god damned pills. I think about it a lot. I guess I wonder how the radiotherapy would be without the chemo. Less effective obvs… but I think a lot easier to deal with. I think more and more that I would be able to work on this treatment, but then latter part of last week I got hit with the worst sickness and diarrhea. It only lasted 18-24 hours. It was a bit touch and go on whether I was going to make it to Kerry’s do thingy. I already explained what happened with my appetite. Thank god for Loperamide. It works that is for sure.
Chemo support Nurses know this and want to make sure that you have a constant supply.
Other than that, I guess I am still down that I can’t go back to work yet. I now see I may have been a bit hasty but time will tell.
So, it’s another 4 weeks of this. I am most likely going to do a blog at least one a week and let you know of my progress. I hopefully the chemo will get a little easier as the radiotherapy gets harder but the more I think about that statement the less I believe myself.
Ooooh, actually… I bumped into Dr Hashme in the Freeman. He was calling another patient out of the waiting area and stopped to talk to me for a moment. I have said previously. I don’t hold any grudges. I think he understands that. He asked me how I was getting on and whether I was still receiving treatment. I thanked him and said I was getting on okay and that I had moved my treatment to private care. He smiled and took his patient away.
It didn’t feel weird, like speaking to an Ex or something similar but it didn’t exactly feel like the meeting of old friends.
So, on to next week. Let’s just see shall we?
Hope you’re all doing just fine!
Mood: Doing okay
Pain: 4-6/10 Still under control – ups and downs
Appetite: It comes and goes
Weight: 94KG No change since last blog.
An honest blog about a guy's journey through cancer and chemotherapy 