I can’t believe it’s been five weeks since I had my operation and was discharged from hospital.
So what’s new? First of all, recovery has gone unbelievably well…..so much so my plate on Christmas Day was piled high with delicious food and it was a delight to be able to eat and taste everything as nearly normal!!!
I can’t say everything has been a breeze though! Recovering from the neck dissection has been more of a challenge. The dressings came off on Christmas Eve and the scar looked really good, however the strange sensations of aching and what I can only describe as mild electric shocks pulsing though my jaw have been uncomfortable to say the least. The tightness in the scar has also lead to me protecting the area with subsequent aches and pains and loss of strength!!
I’m determined not to lose any fitness, so trying to rehabilitate my shoulder with stretches and exercises. The same goes for the scar with massage and head movement prescribed by the docs!!
My biopsies came back from the labs and was cancer free in my left tonsil and only 3 of the 28 lymph nodes (yes 28!!!) removed from the right side had cancer in them! This put me into Arm C of the trial group giving me a 50/50 chance of having 6 weeks of radiotherapy or 6 weeks of radiotherapy along with chemotherapy.
They put my number into the computer and was randomly selected to have …….drum roll…… 6 weeks of radiotherapy only!!!! You beauty!!! NO CHEMOTHERAPY!!!
Now it’s time to buckle in for the radiotherapy ride and see how I respond!!
The first step was to have my mask made. A surreal experience if ever there was one! They lie you down on a CT scanning bench then ask you to close your eyes. A wetted thermoplastic sheet is then draped over your head, neck and shoulders and is clamped to the bench. You then stay stock still as it sets. Whilst you wait they throw you through the CT scanner and before you know it it’s set and you’ve been scanned. The whole time you have your eyes closed you’re moving in and out of the scanner and your veins are being filled with dye!! The results of which will be used to target the treatment.
Once finished the mask will make a wonderful accompaniment to a macabre hallowe’en outfit!!!
Next step is to start the radiotherapy…..d-day is 29th January…..meaning last treatment will be on the 8th March. Five doses a week over the 6 weeks giving me the weekend off for good behaviour!!!
