Week 2 Day 1 with chemotherapy on the Monday, 9:30am start again.
I feel much more relaxed and in control this week. Knowing the routine really helps but it is still daunting to face it each time. I have my bag packed the night before containing treats and pamper odds and ends including boiled sweets, cereal bars, ginger cookies (great for nausea) as well as a sandwich and grapes and berries. Always important to bring a water bottle too and keep hydrated. I have headphones, tablet, phone, powerpack etc (donated my my darling daughter in case the devices run low on power).
Once I arrive, I organise my odds and ends so they are easy to reach and organised. Treatment record book, notebook, magazines/puzzle book etc all together and a pen. It's only a tiny table but it is enough. It was a different team to last week and my allocated nurse is Debbie who did all my initial questions to check on how i had coped in the first week and discussed any side effects etc, noting them all down in my records. She brought me a heat pack and laid it on my hand ready to warm it up for the canula, her preferred method. Unfortunately, it never worked...two attempts never got it working. They are only allowed 2 attempts so she had to refer me to a colleague but it was really busy today. Took an hour before her colleague was free! During that time Debbie had asked me to keep my hands under the frequently warmed heat pad but obviously that meant I was being held prisoner!!! Difficult to play on your phone etc when both hands are unavailable! Oh well, time to chill!
Once the canula was in, things got moving pretty quick and bag after bag was changed. My blood pressure wasn't quite so high this week but still raised but at least it didn't halt my treatment. I had the forethought to bring in my readings over the last week just in case. I chatted to another patient opposite me, lovely lady who is on her 2nd treatment programme as her previous cancer has returned. She is so upbeat and we compare notes and situations, including discussing our wonderful grandchildren.
The tablet my daughter lent me really comes into its own today as I hunt for the James Blunt Albums I thought I had saved on it. Ah well... search bar on Amazon Prime locates them and I have to be careful that I am not singing along!! Love 'Back to Bedlam' his first album and 'Some kind of Trouble' as it is a little more upbeat than some of he other stuff. Worth a look if you like that genre...Contrary to popular belief, he has done a LOT more than 'You are Beautiful' hee hee.
During the morning i get a visitor, Debra from the beauty salon. She has one on the wigs she ordered, the other hasn't arrived yet but she pulls the screens round and gets busy fitting it on my head. Wow! its really good! Short, choppy style, MUCH thicker than my own usual hair but similar in colour. Job Done! She also tells me she is happy to come and trim/cut my hair as and when needed once I start losing it. Sorted, and it was FREE! Bonus!
The rest of the day goes quite smoothly, a few other patients seem to be having some problems and one made a horrendous crash, not sure if they dropped stuff or fell over, but it certainly woke us all up. Having said that, I never had a sleep today, wished I had though. Note to self: Remember to sleep when you can!
Once I had my meds allocated and discussed and final saline, I was ready for Radiotherapy. I rang my partner at this point to give him notice to set off to come to collect me, it's a 30 min drive and he needs to get set off too. When i got to Radiotherapy at 3pm they commented on how I was much earlier than last week ....errrr i did say last week that bit was blurry! I was informed they had check my calcium and Vitamin D3 levels and wanted to give me a small supplement. I know lots about this as my parrot was calcium deficient earlier this year. I head down to the pharmacy with their prescription but I don't really feel too great. In hindsight I should perhaps has got my other half to collect it. it took me about 30 minutes overall and due to phone signal problems ended up waiting for him in one place while he waited elsewhere! Not to worry eh?
Found a few things out this week that I need to share.
Steroids: Taken on Day 2 and 3 after Chemo - ONE in the morning and the other PM (BUT TAKE IT BEFORE 2PM!!) That's why my sleep was so badly disrupted as I was taking it at 11pm! The instructions just said am and pm.
Blood Tests: To be taken EVERY Friday ahead of the Monday Chemo. Get them booked in well in advance to coincide with Radiotherapy sessions. This can be online or by phone usually. Chemo dept will not update the treatment book with blood test results but you can ask your MacMillan Nurse to print them for you. I am nosey and want to know what my cells and platelets are doing...wouldn't you?
Symptoms of ANY kind: If you have any symptoms or side effects that cause even the slightest concern, call your Emergency Assessment Bay number. It doesn't matter how minor or unsure you are, they will also call back the next day as a follow up if they don't hear from you again.
Week 2 Day 2 Radiotherapy and Domestic Chores
Today I need my boat's fresh water tank filling up so Mark is coming round early doors. He can let himself in, if by any miracle I am still asleep at 5.30am! Nah! I was awake much earlier so we got ready to set off and had a nice little cruise to the turning point about a mile or so further up (57 feet won't turn in a narrow canal). I went below and made us both a bacon roll and a hot drink which we enjoyed en-route. We had sailed passed the water point planning to fill up once we had turned again. We have permission to go into the marina to turn round as the next winding hole (Turning point) is a fair way further on. Quietly does it, it's still early ...don't want to wake the neighbours! Once filled up with water and rubbish dumped in the skip we set off ready to moor back up in my usual spot. Radiotherapy at 3pm today and also have an oncology appointment booked for the exact same time... ah well...telephone ping pong again I think! As it happened, he called me just before but the phone was on silent! whoops! By the end of the day, he had called about 4 times unsuccessfully ..the final one was was when I was laying on the slab having the radiotherapy!! Not to worry eh? I have a WhatsApp Health Updates page for my family which helps me tell them all just the once any updates. It works really well so I don't have to remember what I have told whom. I added a rather long, rambling...'steroid induced' update today... Mark was in kinks when he read it as it was so badly written and extra long and confusing!
Week 2 Day 3 Radiotherapy
9am Radiotherapy today and similar to last Wednesday, my temperature was below 36 degrees C. I had woken at 5am with horrendous tinnitus, a kind of wooshing noise a bit like a kettle on the boil but unlike the high pitched you may get usually. It was a little un-nerving as I hunted the boat for the possible cause but it was just tinnitus. I called the Chemo dept but they said ALL symptoms must be reported to the Emergency Assessment Bay regardless so I will do that in future. The Assessment bay are great, they asked me to monitor my temperature and also asked lots of sensible questions. Still feeling quite good and made the apology on my WhatsApp Update page for my ramblings of the day before. :)
Felt good enough today to even make some bread and take on a nice 45 minute walk. Got a few other odds and ends done too.
Week 2 Day 4 Radiotherapy
Early radiotherapy day again, informed that skin near my boobs was getting a little pink so to up the moisturiser a little. Had a call back from assessment centre for an update after yesterday. All good and I feel good enough to let Mark go and have some respite with a well earned game of golf.
Week 2 Day 5 Radiotherapy
Finally caught up with the Oncologist today, very positive stuff! He is happy with my condition so far and answered all my questions, some regarding the immunotherapy i am due to move onto after the Chemoradiation. He is also confident the increased lung fluid isn't causing targeting problems with the radiotherapy so he will keep things as they are for now. He is getting my scan and review organised ready for August for moving onto Immunotherapy. Treatment should begin asap after the final radiotherapy but MUST begin no later than 42 days, so that's 15th September 2021... My oesophagus is becoming a little irritated now so have to have my tea a little cooler so will need the ice pops at the ready I think.
The weekend
Plenty of time for R and R this weekend, even a little matter of a footy match...Come on England!!
