No sooner have you recovered from one phase of treatment then you get started on the next. I've been back at work for a week and a day - all healed up from surgery although still a bit stiff from time to time - and now who knows what it will be like from tomorrow.
The planned chemo is for me to have two drugs: oxaliplatin and capecitibine, in 8x three-week cycles. The oxaliplatin is given intravenously over a couple of hours in the clinic (in Northampton), and the capecitibine is in tablet form taken twice a day for two weeks with one week off before the cycle starts all over again.
Potential side effects from the oxaliplatin include cold sensitivity - especially in the extremities and throat (gloves to take things out of the fridge etc) - and nausea. Anti-sickness medication is given before you even start.
I was on capecitibine in the summer, but it was a much lower dose and weekdays only to complement the radiotherapy. I am hopeful that having tolerated it reasonably well then, I will cope with the higher dose even if I have to take more medication to counteract the side effects. Again nausea is likely as I had this in the summer, but it wore off after the first week so hopefully it will be manageable.
All of this is to stop something that can't even be seen and may not even exist from growing into a secondary tumour. But although it's not going to be much fun, I say 'Bring it on'. Three or four lymph nodes were visible on the first scans I had with the diagnosis, and although the radiotherapy was pretty effective, there was still one lymph node removed which showed signs of cancer. For me it is not worth taking a chance that it may not have spread. Just because it is not yet visible on a scan doesn't mean that there isn't change at a microscopic level.
So another six months of treatment, but I'm ready to get started so that I can reach the other end.
On a separate note, I must say I had an absolutely fantastic weekend with a great bunch of ladies: country hotel, spa retreat, eating and drinking type thing. Much laughter. Thanks to you all. xxxx
