I have now completed my course of radiotherapy. For three weeks my life has revolved around the Christie hospital. What an amazing place it is! I now know from personal experience why it is one of the leading centres in the world for cancer treatment. Everywhere is so busy and yet there is a sense of calm throughout.
Although the actual treatment only took a minute the door to door trip could take anything up to 4 hours. This was because of traffic and there was usually a long wait. Obviously in patients take priority and every treatment is tailor made so the equipment is changed between each patient so I just read my book until it was my turn to be treated. The radiotherapists are so meticulous and ensure that everything is done correctly. They all work incredibly hard and the department treats hundreds of patients envy day.
I am now very sore and although I have steroid cream to reduce the itchy feeling because my skin is blistering I have had to stop using this. I find it quite hard to lie in a comfortable position in bed and despite feeling exhausted can't sleep very well. I sometimes take an over the counter sleeping tablet which helps me get some rest. I do take BCD oil for my MS and possibly this helps too. I was told that the radiotherapy still goes on working for 2 weeks after the treatment ends so I guess I've got to tolerate the discomfort and tell myself it's helping to get rid of cancer cells that may still be left.
We have been away for a few days and are slowly picking up our normal life after the nightmare of almost a year. It is really hard to be rational and just put all this behind me but I've got to try and stop being obsessive. Definitely easier said than done! The answer is to take one day at a time and to do as much as possible to embrace life. I have been lucky to have the continual support of my amazing family and some wonderful friends.
It has helped me to write all this down particularly when I've felt at my lowest and I've not wanted to talk about how I felt. My very best wishes to everyone and good luck with your treatment.
