Given it’s the time of year when people produce lists of favourite films, TV shows etc, I thought I would create a list review of my cancer treatment.
In the time honoured way of starting with the one I least liked, and moving onto the one I most liked….
8. In bottom place comes my first round of Paclitaxel. Stuffed up to the gunnels with too much anti sickness medicine, I developed extremely painful diverticulitis, was admitted to hospital and had a shed load of anti-biotics. On the plus side this led to a scan which resulted in my liver secondary being found earlier than it otherwise would have been.
7. In penultimate place is the good old microwave ablation of the liver I have just had. Far more painful than expected and going on for longer than expected. Plus I have post-GA lung problems that I can’t currently fully resolve because my abdomen hurts too much. This one is probably going to spill into Christmas.
6. Filgrastim injections. One of the joys of the EC schedule, brought bone aches and discomfort into my life each time round. But necessary to keep the white blood cells up.
5. Steroid tablets. How are you meant to sleep?
4. Paclitaxel chemo. A hard choice between this and EC but I think the relentless of a weekly cycle made this worse. That and the peripheral neuropathy.
3. EC chemo. A few bad days each cycle but better periods and no obvious long lasting effects.
2. WLE + SLNB. Compared with most things that followed, surgery was an absolute breeze.
1. Radiotherapy. Apart from a few days of tiredness, this one really was trouble free. Magic wand territory.
In truth I am grateful to have had all of it, and grateful to the every caring and supportive staff who have looked after me.
