Radiotherapy and Chemo

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Good morning to you all,

I have what's left of an oliodendioglyoma in the left frontal lobe.

I am awaiting my first meeting with the treatment people. I am due 6 week radiotherapy and chemo a long side it. I am very bothered it is going to effect my speach and processing. I have already had an awake craniotomy in 2015, during this my speach slowed off as it was live tissue, therefore they couldn't remove it all. This is the area they are now trying to stop the remaining tumour creeping. If this is effected my job is gone, driving license I doubt I'll get back. That's without even thinking of my poor wife and my little boys. It is braking my heart. I just feel like, it is what it is and we'll deal with it when it arrives.

Has anyone else been through this process?

What did this process make you feel like? Fatigue I guess?

  • HI Fingers crossed

    a warm welcome to the group.  Sorry to hear about all you're going through.

    I'm supporting my husband with his journey so can only comment from that perspective. He was diagnosed with a stage 4 brain tumour (GBM4) in early Sept 2020. He had an awake craniotomy to debulk the tumour then about a month post-surgery had 6 weeks of radiotherapy combined with oral chemo. He coped really well with it all.  His CNS prescribed strong anti-sickness drugs to take for the first few days and he was fine from a nausea point of view. Fatigue did kick in around week4 but it didn't totally floor him. He was still up and about every day. The fatigue lasted for about 3-4 weeks after the treatment cycle ended.

    His tumour had impacted his speech and language skills but these did not deteriorate as a result of the treatment, If anything, about a month after the treatment cycle had finished his speech was probably back to where it had been just before his surgery. Its hard to tell to be honest as he had a seizure two days before his surgery that he never fully recovered from with regards to speech/language.

    This group is really supportive so I'm pretty confident that someone else will be along shortly to give you their first hand experience. 

    It’s always good to talk so please remember you can also  call the Macmillan Support Services on 0808 808 00 00 - most services are open 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week Clicking here to see what is available. This service provides lots of cancer information, emotional support, benefit and financial guidance or just a listening ear.

    Stay strong. Stay positive

    Sending you love and hugs

    Wee me xx

    Macmillan Support Line - 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week between 8am-8pm

  • Thanks very much for your reply. This was kind of the scenario I was hanging my hat on. I just want to try and stay in a positive mindset which is difficult to do online. So thankyou, this has bolstered what I believe the treatment will offer. 

    As I read things the small doses of radiotherapy will kill off tumour, and any live cells will repair themselves within 8hrs. So they can be treated again the next day and so on. I was just really scared that live cells will be killed off. However due to swelling side effects will cone and then go.

    Thanks again and love to you and your husband. 

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