Hip hip hooray! I had my last session of radiotherapy (28 days-worth) this lunch time, this evening I take the final Capecitibine, and then I sit back and wait for a while.
So glad to have reached this day. Although the radiotherapy continues to work for another fortnight which means the tiredness and soreness may not peak for seven days (so they tell me) it feels great to reach this milestone, I am tired and sore but not as bad as many people experience I suspect. I haven't even taken any paracetomol yet today.
The next key date is 23 September when I see the oncologist back in MK. I saw him in Northampton last week and he wasn't sure if a fortnight after the end of treatment is really long enough before seeing me again, but we're sticking with the date and at least it gets me back into the MK system.
Last week we were a bit alarmed when he talked about when the surgery might be, noting when Christmas is and saying it should be before then. Well, I will move mountains if I can to make sure that it IS before Christmas. B starts a new job in January which will mean weekly commutes. I need to be well on the road to recovery by then. Fortunately, Mum and Dad have found a place to rent just round the corner from us so they'll be around to help. A HUGE help, such a relief to know they'll be there to spend time with the girls. [Thanks to you both - we are enormously grateful of course.]
Anyway, the timing of the surgery will not ultimately be in the gift of the oncologist, as I will be referred back to the surgeon. She is the one who gave me the shortest estimated timescale at the beginning, so I'm hoping this means she won't want to hang around. I know I need to have given enough time for the radiotherapy to have worked and to have recovered from that, but surely I can be forgiven a bit of impatience!
Finally, I shared a laugh with the radiotherapists on the way out today. It is good that I had to stop and ask them about a prescription I needed to pick up as I managed to leave the radiotherapy room with a large square of blue tissue tucked into my knickers! (The type of tissue affectionately called elephant bog roll in the lab I used to work in). Glad I didn't get back to the waiting room in that state and good to go out giggling.
