17-Ring that bell Woz
12 June 2020
Into the final week of treatment and I certainly know I’ve been in a fight. All of the previous 5 weeks malaise continues, with the added complications of neck burns and sickness (vomiting).
I’ve been using E45 moisturiser since week one, twice a day – all around my neck and under chin. It hasn’t been a problem until late in week 5, but now the whole area is quite tender and sore.
The feeling of sickness and vomiting is again, an expected side-effect of radiotherapy. There is medication for it, but it’s another drug that I have to be careful of, because of my kidneys. So I’m limited to one a day. And that isn’t enough to stop the queasy feeling in the mornings.
So my mornings upon waking are now a decision to hold off on my PEG tube feed until after sickness, or go straight into my feed and meds:
- a) before feeding leaves me retching with nothing to bring up (not even bile) or
- b) after feeding and just brings all back up – so go through the whole rigmarole again.
I just deal with it – I find option (a) – the morning retch is good exercise as well. Good enough for Woz, anyway.
And so the final week goes on, counting down the days until 12th June – final treatment. No matter how much pain and discomfort I have and have been through, this is a day that I’ve been counting to, since the start of treatment on 4th May.
And it’s a happy day. I’ve brought in some tins of biscuits for the reception and radiology teams. They have been ever so helpful over these six weeks of my life and never failed in either their friendliness, helpfulness or professionalism. I feel like I’m saying goodbye to some good friends.
But I don’t want to see them again – professionally that is. There are too many to list all, but Will, Abby, Liam, Eloise and Anthony are just some of the amazing radiology team I’m saying thanks to.
As an added ‘bonus’ Samros and Nisa were allowed into the unit for my final day, so they could see the setup of me on Ms Cherry, collect Manny the Mask and then finally – to Ring The Bell – announcing that radiology treatment is over !!!
So that’s the six weeks of treatment over. But it doesn't stop there.
Some people say this week and the subsequent two weeks post treatment are the hardest, because at maximum dose. I’m prepared for this – at least there is light at the end of the tunnel
All of the radioactive energy that has been administered over the weeks, is now continuing to work inside of me. Much like a microwave keeps 'cooking' food for a while.
So for now, I’ll just pierce myself in a few places, cook according to instructions and stand for a few minutes, before serving the next post 😉