Waiting for treatment.

Hi you’ve got this. Is it chemo snd radiotherapy Monday or just radiotherapy. On your chemo days take a book your I pad or similar it can be a long day. Mine took 10 hours as I was having 3 big infusions instead of 6 smaller ones. I also took in a few things to eat xxAs Dani says head down and get on with it. The weeks will fly by make sure you’ve got meds for pain just in case it kicks in early plus movicol or laxido and take it as constipation is last thing you want. 
Hazel 

Hi Richy,

My PEG weeped loads for first 2-3 weeks and it never stopped my treatment. On my chemo day the girls on Snowdrop got the on call oncologist to check it and she arranged a swab, but I still had all my treatment. You're in good hands.

I'm there tomorrow for a check up. With Christmas you'll most likely have finished treatment by the time I am back there again. Probably won't feel like it at times, but once started it will fly by. Just over 9 months since I was waiting like you  and life is almost back to normal, just back from taking Pip for her bedtime walk. 

Take care. Sending best wishes for next week, 

Ronnie 

Thanks so much. It all really is a pain. But you’ve all done it I’ll give it a go too.

I'll echo Ronnie....It will fly by, just beware the real downer when you aren't being mollycoddled daily by medical staff. A year later it will feel like somebody else did it.

Good Luck when your sessions start.  Take Care x

How was your check up today and what does it entail; if you don't mind me asking. Do you dread them coming and how do you feel afterwards? Sorry for being nosey but I'm curious how people cope as I stress about everything and the thought (even if everything goes to plan), of having these check ups scares me too. I suppose in an ideal world you'd be told it worked and that would be that. And then back to blissful ignorance (hopefully).

Personally I really appreciate the check ups Rich.  It's good to have a chance to chat through any issues and have scans if required.   If everything looks OK that's great but if not, then I know I'm in the ideal position to get treated quickly.

Linda x

I can’t speak for Ronnie but  in my experience I was so relieved to get the treatment over and get into proper recovery I hardly thought about the first few leading up to my PET at 16 weeks. Treatment failure ( not recurrence) is unheard of in early stage disease anyway. I’m well aware that the first year is the dicey one so I would get a little agitated a couple of days before my appointments. The check ups were uneventful. I was expertly scoped had my neck felt for swollen lymph nodes and told all was good. The anticipation got less intrusive as time went on and when I hit two years it was like some sort of mist clearing and sunshine flooding my soul again. They reckon if you get to two years your chances are pretty good. 

LindaWT said:

Personally I really appreciate the check ups Rich.  It's good to have a chance to chat through any issues and have scans if required.   If everything looks OK that's great but if not, then I know I'm in the ideal position to get treated quickly.

That’s so true, Linda. 
I had a hiccup with my PET/CT and they were straight on it. They didn’t mess around with re scanning me two months later, instead I had a biopsy five days later and results a week after that. 
I have been back twice outside my normal appointments for reassurance over something that was worrying me. Both times I was assured that I wasn’t wasting any body’s time. That’s what they are there for. 

Hi Richy,

It wasall good today thanks. Once treatment finished the check are back in the grim A35 up on 3rd floor. 

You have a weigh in to start, to make sure you're not losing loads of weight. That's what delayed my PEG removal in the summer.

Then in with consultant (saw the main one today which was nice to be able to thank him).Usually goes like this: quick chat to check if anything concerning you, look in mouth and a bit of a prod, thorough feel of neck for possible lumps, then nasendoscopy both nostrils and look down the throat, sometimes prod / push to check, say eeee / aaah. Takes a picture for the file. So long as all looks good back in 6 weeks. They checked how I was doing back at work, and I know I can see slt if any voice problems. 

Today he said I can go 2 months until next appointment,  but if anything worries me call them up and they will see me. Some of that might sound grim, but after the past year it just feels routine. Today was my 5th once since treatment ended. Much like Linda and Dani I find them very reassuring. Last time I'd had an awful cold with some blood in mucous, they really checked me over and told me to go back in a couple of weeks if it didn't clear. 

Ronnie