First of all, a huge thanks for all the wonderfully supportive messages I got in reaction to the round-robin e-mail informing friends and family of my illness. A real shot in the arm (pardon the pun...)
I guess the impact of treatment is never predictable, never quite what you expect, no matter how much you read beforehand.
I came home on the Monday evening, after my first (hefty) dose of Chemo (Cisplatin) and first radio session. I felt fine, I really did. I ate heartily and went to bed. Things went pear-shaped at about 2.30 am though, when violent hiccuping set in. Whoah, not just hiccups, but real spasms. 3 of these bouts ensued, lasting about an hour each, unfortunately accompanied by reflux and major heartburn, really quite painful and exhausting.
The hospital recommended I get a prescription for a medication called Haloperidol, which I duly did. HIghlight of the morning was when the GP prescribing it said "Oh, I bought your book by the way, the kids really liked it." (Quick plug: "The Cat, the Mountain and the Hot Air Balloon", for kids about 8 years old. Drop me a line if interested.. :-)) Somewhat lower point was when I realised that Haloperidol is normally prescribed for schizophrenia ... so now my chemist thinks I'm schizophrenic too! Never mind.
Anyway, hiccups have now subsided though not disappeared entirely. A little bit of research shows that these violent hiccups are not due to the Chemo, but to the anti-emetic (anti-nausea) drug Dexamethasone which is given as standard. And it turns out this reaction is quite common. Hmmm. I had asked not to have anti-emetics at all but was advised against this line .... Of course, what I don't know is how sick I would feel had I not had the Dexamethasone. Interesting study on this here http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24107973
The other effect, which is hard to described in terms of its extent, is sheer lethargy. One feels robbed of all energy and simply wants to lie on the couch. This feels slightly better this better morning, hence the ability to write a blog, and hopefully the effects will continue to wear off before the next dose of chemo in 2.5 weeks time.
Also slightly surprising is the speed at which the side-effects of radiotherapy have kicked in. I have 6 weeks in total, but already my toast tastes like cardboard. Keeping up my weight is going to be a challenge.
OK, that's it for now, thanks if you read this far! Best wishes to all.
