Hi
ive posted before, you might have seen me. I have tomophobia which is fear of medical procedures.
I have been told I will need 4 sessions of brachytherapy over a week (Monday to Friday). They will get me in on Monday, do a spinal, then general, position the rods, wheel me to a scan to check and then wheel me to do the treatment and wheel me back to the ward until the next day. This will repeat every day for 4 days. They will let me out on the Friday or the Saturday. I asked my oncologist and my nurse and they have both said there is zero chance of this plan changing. It will be that and nothing else. I was hoping after my research and speaking to other women that I wouldn’t need it or would only need one day if it had gone. They have said this will absolutely not happen.
When I say I am terrified, I mean it sends me in to a panic attack terrified. I have never been an inpatient at hospital. I am completely and utterly petrified of it. I am terrified of being stuck paralysed in a hospital bed for an entire week. I won’t see my two small children for a week. That’s not even starting on my fears about side effects. How on earth am I going to do this, and come out without being completely traumatised?
I’m sorry to see you need something else investigated, but hopefully it will be nothing serious for you. The neuropathy must be very frustrating for you-luckily I haven’t had that.
I had a challenging year last year starting with a blocked bile duct which was horrible and led to gallbladder surgery in September. Luckily nothing to do with cancer! Then I had a breast abscess which again was not cancer related but involved being back and fore to the hospital over 3 months.
I hoped as the new year started everything was looking up but then I had a stroke in March! You couldn’t honestly make all this up.
However, I’m pleased to say I recovered very well with lots of help and hope I am fine now! I’m on medication but otherwise feel well and managed to get a holiday at the end of May. Hoping everything will go smoothly from now on.
Sarah xx
Thanks Linda-I’m a very positive person generally, so I think that helps me deal with everything that comes my way.
Still, it would be nice to have a break for a while!
Sarah xx
Hi Spirit Wolf
Yes, I quite understand the thought will always be in your mind and it’s not easy to dismiss that but hopefully you can go into this last bit of treatment seeing it as the final step in blasting the cancer into oblivion!
Positive thinking had a huge impact on me going through everything I had to deal with in terms of treatment and surgery, and all of that is in the past now. You just need to get through the brachytherapy now and then you will be able to recover and move on with everything hopefully in the rear view mirror for you now too. Please let us know how you get on.
Sarah xx
