29/33 Tuesday 06 May 2014: Weight 74.9 kilos. I was feeling very upbeat today as it is the last week of my R/T. Not quite so upbeat last Friday evening, when I passed wind, explosively, or so I thought. Turned out I’d soiled my pants. I had been warned that stomach gas would build up but hadn’t expected quite such an effect. This morning, was about to clean my teeth, when I felt a bit of gas build up. Sat on the toilet as a precaution and the same thing happened, a forceful fart and some faecal matter ejected at the same time. Now I know to be careful. Otherwise, had my shower and shave and off to London for my 13.30 appointment. Had the weekly chat with one of the nurses and shared my experiences. She understood. She stressed the importance, probably unrelated, of plenty of water and also mentioned cranberry juice. My aim should be 2 litres of fluid intake a day. Had a scan today as well as the radiotherapy, preceded by a chat with the other patients there. One guy was complaining he had been waiting an hour. Clearly, a new boy.
30/33 Wednesday 07 May 2014: Weight 75.0 kilos. Better feeling today, appointment 13.40 and the process went as expected, although I was called in five minutes before the usual forty after last cup of water. Don’t worry. I was told, by the time we’ve completed set-up, it will be forty minutes, and so it was. After the process, I looked at the face and body masks on the side counter, used for different types of cancer, head or breast cancer, for example, and asked how they were made. They use thermo plastic and each is made to measure for each patient who needs one, using hot water. I don’t need one. It’s amazing what some patients have to go through, but the team at UCLH is excellent. Home by 15.30 and, after a bit of messing about on the laptop, went to bed to rest for about 45 minutes.
31/33 Thursday 08 May 2014: Weight 75.0 kilos. Three times to the toilet this morning, firstly a little constipated, then slightly more urgent each subsequent time. Rainy day so left fairly early for my 13.25 appointment as I missed my intended train the day before. The journey passed well. Today, the process was straightforward, although my micro enema didn’t have much to do, my bowel feeling already ‘prepped’. Following the usual three cups of water, my bladder started to strain after 35 minutes. In fact, whilst on the flat bed, as the R/T sequence was half way through, had to call my pelvic muscles into play to hold back the floodgates. But all remained ok, and, after rushing to the toilet immediately afterwards, met up with May and had a lunch of chips and salad. Only two to go!
32/33 Friday 09 May 2014: Weight 75.5 kilos. A rainy, blustery day. Had to rush to the toilet just before leaving home, and emptied my bowel. That was just as well, for when I arrived at the radiotherapy reception, they told me four toilets were out of order following a flood, which had also put one of the machines out of action. The enema didn’t do very much for me today, which wasn’t surprising. I was asked to wait in reception, drink my water and would be called through when it was time. Once called, I only had to wait a few more minutes before being taken into the treatment room. Everything went fine, the only problem being that. On completion of the R/T, I had to go from the basement and take the lift back to ground floor reception before I was able to relieve myself. Only one to go!
33/33 Saturday 10 May 2014: Weight 75.5 kilos. Another wet and windy day but, no matter, it’s the last day of treatment! Got to the hospital to find that none of the basement toilets, where the radiotherapy is located, had paper or liquid soap. Fortunately, by the time the bowel prep was ready to be finalised, this had been rectified. Once I was on the treatment bed, all lined up and the team had sounded the warning hooter and left the treatment room, I took the opportunity to look at the machinery as it rotated around me and the bed. It was still fascinating to see the arms come out from each side, whirring loudly and looking a bit like a Transformer toy, and appear to examine me. I believe they were taking the usual x-rays at this point. There were the usual nudges as the sights were adjusted. Then the overhead ‘Star Trek Enterprise’ part moved over my body to take up a position on my left side. The familiar sound of the radio waves began and the big, circular end of the unit moved around my body in a large arc, remaining about nine inches from me as it completed the circuit. Once, the R/T finished, and the bed was lowered, it was explained to me that the radio waves come from a window in the face of the circular end of the arm and, as it moves, parts of the radio waves are blocked to avoid the rectum and bladder. I was very happy to hear this. So, a quick visit to the toilet, ten minutes wait then another visit and I was finally on my way home.
