And not a moment too soon!
The chemotherapy actually got to me on the final day (Sunday/Monday) and started making me feel weak and tired. Considering this though, I was still like a greyhound in the box getting ready to race when preparing to leave hospital, having packed my bags, fully dressed and feet tapping away 3 hours prior to departure. Funny thing was when I finally walked out, it was then that I realised for the first time that this chemotherapy had weakened me. I had to really concentrate when taking each step and making sure that I was evenly balanced as I walked, but, nothing was stopping me getting out of there.
The only other side effect that I'm suffering from is a sore mouth and throat. The little centurion soldier hasn't returned thankfully. This time, my gums are just one huge ulcer which as anyone could imagine, isn't the most pleasant of feelings. I have to not talk and keep my mouth closed and moist at all times. It's been 5 days since I left hospital and it doesn't appear to be getting any better as yet, if anything, it's getting worse. No pain, no gain, I suppose.
I had a review of my treatment with the Oncologist at Nepean on Wednesday to see how everything had went. As far as reaction to treatment, my body took it well and the mouth issue is a result of the 5FU drug, so really, really looking forward to cycle 2..not!
If all things proceed according to plan, I have 10 days of treatments remaining to complete, then a month afterwards to recover from the chemotherapy. After this, it'll be a huge effort to try and regain normality in body weight, muscle mass, strength and fitness. I can't believe that the doctors think it'll take 3-5 months for that to happen. Hopefully I can prove them wrong on that one.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Day 4 almost over...
Well, here I am, day 4 and onto my 3rd bag of FU5 with one more to go. Surprisingly, to the doctors, to the nurses and most of all...me, there have been no nasty side effects from the treatments thus far which is absolutely fantastic. Every morning the team of white coats walk in during their morning rounds and ask the same question, "have you been sick or feeling nauseous?" to which I've happily replied "no", "nein", "nyet". Tomorrow I hope to be able to say "non".
The only complaint that I have is that sitting / lying in a hospital bed for 23 hours a day is damn annoying when your accustomed to being mobile at least. That's not to say that I can't go for a walk around the corridors, which I'm doing every day much to the amusement of the nurses, but I have to tote my FU5 drip feeder along with me with my cannula leash and it's just plain annoying to do so. At least it doesn't leave any droppings along the way for me to pick up which is a bonus I suppose.
I'm eating every meal of the day and thankfully my taste buds have not yet returned, as I'm almost 100% positive that if they had, then it would probably be a different story (again hosspies..I'm joking!). My weight is up to 58.2 kgs, proof that solid food is way better than liquid food for weight gain. The soreness in my throat has completely subsided and I can even yawn now without a searing pain shooting down my throat.
Another interesting little item to note is that the nurses have to monitor your blood pressure, pulse rate and body temperature every 4 hours between 4am - 10pm, which can be slightly annoying when your enjoying a restful sleep. Well, here's proof that being fit is definitely good for you. On my first examination they were alarmed at how low my blood pressure and heart rate were. I was continually asked "do you feel faint or dizzy?" or "are you short of breath?" to which I replied no. My head doctor was then called and she immediately said "he's a fit person, make a note on the nurses chart to not be alarmed at the lower readings for this patient" Lowest rested heart rate has been 41 bpm recorded at 10pm, although they did wake me from a peaceful slumber. Average is between 47-55 pm. Blood pressure is consistently hovering between 108/70 to 113/75.
Two more sleeps to go and that'll be 1 cycle down, after which I'm bolting home to cook up a feast of cardboard flavoured lamb chops and veges. Woohoo!!
The only complaint that I have is that sitting / lying in a hospital bed for 23 hours a day is damn annoying when your accustomed to being mobile at least. That's not to say that I can't go for a walk around the corridors, which I'm doing every day much to the amusement of the nurses, but I have to tote my FU5 drip feeder along with me with my cannula leash and it's just plain annoying to do so. At least it doesn't leave any droppings along the way for me to pick up which is a bonus I suppose.
I'm eating every meal of the day and thankfully my taste buds have not yet returned, as I'm almost 100% positive that if they had, then it would probably be a different story (again hosspies..I'm joking!). My weight is up to 58.2 kgs, proof that solid food is way better than liquid food for weight gain. The soreness in my throat has completely subsided and I can even yawn now without a searing pain shooting down my throat.
Another interesting little item to note is that the nurses have to monitor your blood pressure, pulse rate and body temperature every 4 hours between 4am - 10pm, which can be slightly annoying when your enjoying a restful sleep. Well, here's proof that being fit is definitely good for you. On my first examination they were alarmed at how low my blood pressure and heart rate were. I was continually asked "do you feel faint or dizzy?" or "are you short of breath?" to which I replied no. My head doctor was then called and she immediately said "he's a fit person, make a note on the nurses chart to not be alarmed at the lower readings for this patient" Lowest rested heart rate has been 41 bpm recorded at 10pm, although they did wake me from a peaceful slumber. Average is between 47-55 pm. Blood pressure is consistently hovering between 108/70 to 113/75.
2 cycles remaining to be completed with 2 weeks rest in-between each cycle, to allow the body to recover from each treatment.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The end of a top day!
What a fantastic day it's been.
Woke at 6am and began throwing down the water like a drowning fish to inflate my veins. Then 20 minutes prior to the cannula being put in, I had a delightfully long shower so my veins / skin would soften up and rise even more. The end result, cannula in first time without an issue. Absolutely Brilliant!
One item they had forgot to fill me in on was that the Cisplatin and pre-hydration were DOUBLE doses today. Whatever, bring it on! That kicked off at at 9:30am and had completed by 6pm. Now receiving 10 hours of Sodium Chloride post hydration. Beginning from tomorrow morning until the end of the week will be the administering of the Fluorouracil drug.
(Karen - this note is especially for you - King of the water works. 2 litres in 4 hours. Say no more!)
I've been eating like a man possessed. Really, I have! I forgot to mention yesterday that I decided to attempt solid food, so off I went to the butcher and returned with 4 lamb chops. Now they might not have smelt like lamb chops, they might not have tasted like lamb chops, but after managing to eat the first one, do you think I cared? I was like the kid in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory who just discovered he has the last golden ticket, overjoyed I was! Since that moment, whatever is put in front of me, I devour. It's still slightly tender in my throat but it's a thousand times better than feeding by the stomach peg. I think the reason that the doctors kill off your taste buds for a while is so that you'll eat the hospital food that's put in front of you. (to the hospital staff reading this...joke joke!!)
My day was made fantastically brighter with Bernadette spending the day along side me, then Israel visiting for a couple of hours, followed again by Bernadette, Madison & Tayla for a couple more hours.
Thanks for the love, energy and laughter. Also, from the bottom of my physically small yet mystically ginormous heart, thanks to everyone for all the messages of support.
1 day down, 14 remain.
What a fantastic day it's been!
Woke at 6am and began throwing down the water like a drowning fish to inflate my veins. Then 20 minutes prior to the cannula being put in, I had a delightfully long shower so my veins / skin would soften up and rise even more. The end result, cannula in first time without an issue. Absolutely Brilliant!
One item they had forgot to fill me in on was that the Cisplatin and pre-hydration were DOUBLE doses today. Whatever, bring it on! That kicked off at at 9:30am and had completed by 6pm. Now receiving 10 hours of Sodium Chloride post hydration. Beginning from tomorrow morning until the end of the week will be the administering of the Fluorouracil drug.
(Karen - this note is especially for you - King of the water works. 2 litres in 4 hours. Say no more!)
I've been eating like a man possessed. Really, I have! I forgot to mention yesterday that I decided to attempt solid food, so off I went to the butcher and returned with 4 lamb chops. Now they might not have smelt like lamb chops, they might not have tasted like lamb chops, but after managing to eat the first one, do you think I cared? I was like the kid in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory who just discovered he has the last golden ticket, overjoyed I was! Since that moment, whatever is put in front of me, I devour. It's still slightly tender in my throat but it's a thousand times better than feeding by the stomach peg. I think the reason that the doctors kill off your taste buds for a while is so that you'll eat the hospital food that's put in front of you. (to the hospital staff reading this...joke joke!!)
My day was made fantastically brighter with Bernadette spending the day along side me, then Israel visiting for a couple of hours, followed again by Bernadette, Madison & Tayla for a couple more hours.
Thanks for the love, energy and laughter. Also, from the bottom of my physically small yet mystically ginormous heart, thanks to everyone for all the messages of support.
1 day down, 14 remain.
What a fantastic day it's been!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Tales from the crypt
Well I received the call this afternoon to head up to hospital tonight and try out the accommodation a day prior to kicking off my treatment. How thoughtful are the people here at Hotel Nepean!
Bernadette and I arrived at 8pm and they lead us to my private room and said "You're in here". What'd I do? You mean I'm going to have no one alongside me to tell me their life story, or ask me mine? How boring. Thankfully, I have a laptop and Internet access so I can keep myself occupied until lights out, which is 10pm. Sorry, but that's not "MY" bedtime, so being in my own room isn't too bad in hindsight.
The guy in the next room must be deaf, I can hear every word from his TV headset unit. If anyone recalls how tiny the speakers are in the hospital bedside TV speaker unit, then you'll understand how loud that volume is. Thankfully, I remembered to pack earplugs so it won't be a problem.
One more thing to add, these hospital rooms at night are akin to being inside a fridge, whilst your naked. Honestly, why do they make it so cold in here!
I'm ready to attack my chemotherapy tomorrow with vigour and after that day is over, there's only 14 days of treatments remaining to get through, although that last treatment day isn't until the 8th of May. I know there's some difficult days that lie ahead but the end is so near now that nothing is going to stop me charging to that finish line!
Bernadette and I arrived at 8pm and they lead us to my private room and said "You're in here". What'd I do? You mean I'm going to have no one alongside me to tell me their life story, or ask me mine? How boring. Thankfully, I have a laptop and Internet access so I can keep myself occupied until lights out, which is 10pm. Sorry, but that's not "MY" bedtime, so being in my own room isn't too bad in hindsight.
The guy in the next room must be deaf, I can hear every word from his TV headset unit. If anyone recalls how tiny the speakers are in the hospital bedside TV speaker unit, then you'll understand how loud that volume is. Thankfully, I remembered to pack earplugs so it won't be a problem.
One more thing to add, these hospital rooms at night are akin to being inside a fridge, whilst your naked. Honestly, why do they make it so cold in here!
I'm ready to attack my chemotherapy tomorrow with vigour and after that day is over, there's only 14 days of treatments remaining to get through, although that last treatment day isn't until the 8th of May. I know there's some difficult days that lie ahead but the end is so near now that nothing is going to stop me charging to that finish line!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Another countdown looms ahead in the distance....
Hi Breeders (that's what I call my blog readers)
It has been a while since I've last blogged I know. I've been going through the motions every day for the last week waiting for some sort of normality to return to my daily life. Firstly, the pain in my throat / mouth has finally started to subside although it has returned slightly today, but nowhere near as bad as it has been over the prior 2 weeks. I'm hoping that by Sunday, it would have healed up to the point that I can start attempting to eat real food again, although I'm not going to push it. I need it to recover to 100%, otherwise it'll just retreat back to the pain again which I can assure you that I do not want.
The skin on my neck has healed up nicely and no longer am I in pain. Thankfully skin can heal relatively quickly from radiation burning, especially when they give you the gel product called Intrasite to bathe your neck in. That gel not only provided relief from the burning pain, it helped the seeping open skin to close over and then heal much more rapidly. I was mentioning to a few people that the skin on my neck was becoming extremely itchy, to which everyone said "that's a good sign". You see, I've never suffered bad sunburn before, so I wasn't privy to that piece of information. But, I am now!
Although I don't like to mention my weight, (as I know my mum reads this) I'll admit that whilst it's down slightly, it's not that bad really. Today, nearly breaking the scales as I've stepped on them, they recovered enough to report that I'm at 56.4kgs. Now, firstly (mum), I haven't been able to keep the ensure plus down every day and that took away 4 days of feeding during the last 2 weeks. But I'm returning as of today back to a 4 can per day feed cycle, and increasing it to 5/6 by this weekend. My goal is to be back to 60kgs by Wednesday next week.
Wednesday next week is the looming countdown as, it's the first of my 5 day straight chemotherapy cycles in hospital. I'll be admitted to the Hotel Nepean, and the doctors plan is to treat me on Day 1 with Cisplatin (YAY!) and then Days 2-5 with Fluorouracil-or 5FU, (YAY AGAIN!), which you may recall I referred to in my blog dated Dec 30. I do hope hospital food has improved drastically and that my throat has healed 100%, but then again, with no taste buds to worry about, it doesn't really matter. I do have the stomach peg as a way out I suppose!
After this first cycle has been completed, I'm given 16 days to recover from the treatment, then thrown back into the deep end again for cycle two to commence on the 13th of April. After completion of cycle two, the doctors informed me that they'll examine me after the second 16 day lay-off to determine whether I can endure a third cycle. That didn't sound good coming from them and it doesn't sound any better typing it! They believe that 2 cycles is more than enough, but would like to throw a 3rd one in for good measure, just to be sure. I applaud their care and attention, just not the prospect of a third stay in Hotel Nepean. The way I see it, what's 5 more days of treatment considering how far I've come in this journey. Overall, that's 15 days of treatment in total that lie ahead, after which time, it'll all be completed and I'm on the road to recovery.
They tell me that the road to recovery is still a long way away, at least until August/September at this stage, but one thing you can bet on, I plan to do everything in my power to reach that target sooner, rather than later.
Ok, that's it for now. Next update will probably be from my hospital bed next Wednesday, cause you know, I'm busy and all that jazz! Thanks everyone for your continuing love and support As I've said before, I appreciate each and every email, sms, Facebook message, letter, card, call and whatever else
has come my way. Ciao!
It has been a while since I've last blogged I know. I've been going through the motions every day for the last week waiting for some sort of normality to return to my daily life. Firstly, the pain in my throat / mouth has finally started to subside although it has returned slightly today, but nowhere near as bad as it has been over the prior 2 weeks. I'm hoping that by Sunday, it would have healed up to the point that I can start attempting to eat real food again, although I'm not going to push it. I need it to recover to 100%, otherwise it'll just retreat back to the pain again which I can assure you that I do not want.
The skin on my neck has healed up nicely and no longer am I in pain. Thankfully skin can heal relatively quickly from radiation burning, especially when they give you the gel product called Intrasite to bathe your neck in. That gel not only provided relief from the burning pain, it helped the seeping open skin to close over and then heal much more rapidly. I was mentioning to a few people that the skin on my neck was becoming extremely itchy, to which everyone said "that's a good sign". You see, I've never suffered bad sunburn before, so I wasn't privy to that piece of information. But, I am now!
Although I don't like to mention my weight, (as I know my mum reads this) I'll admit that whilst it's down slightly, it's not that bad really. Today, nearly breaking the scales as I've stepped on them, they recovered enough to report that I'm at 56.4kgs. Now, firstly (mum), I haven't been able to keep the ensure plus down every day and that took away 4 days of feeding during the last 2 weeks. But I'm returning as of today back to a 4 can per day feed cycle, and increasing it to 5/6 by this weekend. My goal is to be back to 60kgs by Wednesday next week.
Wednesday next week is the looming countdown as, it's the first of my 5 day straight chemotherapy cycles in hospital. I'll be admitted to the Hotel Nepean, and the doctors plan is to treat me on Day 1 with Cisplatin (YAY!) and then Days 2-5 with Fluorouracil-or 5FU, (YAY AGAIN!), which you may recall I referred to in my blog dated Dec 30. I do hope hospital food has improved drastically and that my throat has healed 100%, but then again, with no taste buds to worry about, it doesn't really matter. I do have the stomach peg as a way out I suppose!
After this first cycle has been completed, I'm given 16 days to recover from the treatment, then thrown back into the deep end again for cycle two to commence on the 13th of April. After completion of cycle two, the doctors informed me that they'll examine me after the second 16 day lay-off to determine whether I can endure a third cycle. That didn't sound good coming from them and it doesn't sound any better typing it! They believe that 2 cycles is more than enough, but would like to throw a 3rd one in for good measure, just to be sure. I applaud their care and attention, just not the prospect of a third stay in Hotel Nepean. The way I see it, what's 5 more days of treatment considering how far I've come in this journey. Overall, that's 15 days of treatment in total that lie ahead, after which time, it'll all be completed and I'm on the road to recovery.
They tell me that the road to recovery is still a long way away, at least until August/September at this stage, but one thing you can bet on, I plan to do everything in my power to reach that target sooner, rather than later.
Ok, that's it for now. Next update will probably be from my hospital bed next Wednesday, cause you know, I'm busy and all that jazz! Thanks everyone for your continuing love and support As I've said before, I appreciate each and every email, sms, Facebook message, letter, card, call and whatever else
has come my way. Ciao!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Wednesday quick update..
Nothing much has changed except that my mouth, throat and tongue, are still excruciatingly painful.
I have to make a conscious effort to not breathe via my mouth otherwise within seconds, it feels like there's a little centurion solder in there poking around the roof of my mouth with his spear (sorry, best way I could think of describing that!) Swallowing is still as painful and it's not until something like this happens to you, that you realise how often you do that action involuntarily. I am using the drugs / solutions to numb the pain, but, some of it still gets through.
Talking still isn't an option either at the moment, so the family have become used to my hand signals, grunts and moans, and silly looking facial expressions to communicate. You come to realise how often you converse on a daily basis, and how much you miss conversation, and the sound of your own voice.
My weight is steadily climbing back up (thank god my doctors don't read my blog otherwise I'd probably hear "we told you so!". I'm now consuming 4 cans a day of the Ensure Plus.
My daily feeding schedule with the stomach tube is shown below. I've expressed it in the manner of a computer program, as it never deviates from this routine.
(1) = Syringe 50 mls of water initial flush, then 237 mls of Ensure Plus, Syringe 50 mls water post flush
(2) = Syringe 6 x 50ml water, 300ml total, to remain hydrated
Line 10. 8am - (1)
Line 20. 10am - (2)
Line 30. 12pm - (1)
Line 40. 2pm - (2)
Line 50. 4pm - (1)
Line 60. 6pm - (2)
Line 70. 8pm - (1)
Line 80. 10pm - (2)
Line 90. Delay job for 10 hours
Line 100. Goto Line 10.
Ok, I re-dressed my bandages, made a blog entry for the day, time to creep back into bed until the 8am alarm rudely wakes me. Sayonara peeps!
I have to make a conscious effort to not breathe via my mouth otherwise within seconds, it feels like there's a little centurion solder in there poking around the roof of my mouth with his spear (sorry, best way I could think of describing that!) Swallowing is still as painful and it's not until something like this happens to you, that you realise how often you do that action involuntarily. I am using the drugs / solutions to numb the pain, but, some of it still gets through.
Talking still isn't an option either at the moment, so the family have become used to my hand signals, grunts and moans, and silly looking facial expressions to communicate. You come to realise how often you converse on a daily basis, and how much you miss conversation, and the sound of your own voice.
My weight is steadily climbing back up (thank god my doctors don't read my blog otherwise I'd probably hear "we told you so!". I'm now consuming 4 cans a day of the Ensure Plus.
My daily feeding schedule with the stomach tube is shown below. I've expressed it in the manner of a computer program, as it never deviates from this routine.
(1) = Syringe 50 mls of water initial flush, then 237 mls of Ensure Plus, Syringe 50 mls water post flush
(2) = Syringe 6 x 50ml water, 300ml total, to remain hydrated
Line 10. 8am - (1)
Line 20. 10am - (2)
Line 30. 12pm - (1)
Line 40. 2pm - (2)
Line 50. 4pm - (1)
Line 60. 6pm - (2)
Line 70. 8pm - (1)
Line 80. 10pm - (2)
Line 90. Delay job for 10 hours
Line 100. Goto Line 10.
Ok, I re-dressed my bandages, made a blog entry for the day, time to creep back into bed until the 8am alarm rudely wakes me. Sayonara peeps!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Tell me why...I don't like Mondays...
Hi all,
Monday evening and a quick update as to what's been happening since Friday's post.
I've had to give in and have been feeding off the stomach peg since Saturday. It was becoming just to difficult to eat or drink anymore via my mouth. Can you imagine feeling thirsty, then "injecting" fluids into your stomach to quench your thirst? It was particularly difficult for me to get over that hurdle. The same goes for feeding using the Ensure Plus nutrition mixture. The first time I did it, watching gravity feed the solution into my stomach, conjured up many strange science fiction images in my head.
My neck has be dressed twice daily at the moment due to the radiation burns, but I'm hoping that by Sunday, the skin may have been able to repair itself to the stage that I won't need the burn cream, gauzes and bandages around my neck. I feel like one of those tribes people with all the rings around their neck. If my neck is longer after all of this, I'll know why!
To add to all my woes, I've also contracted a cold that comes along with a most unpleasant cough. Seriously bad timing! It's bad enough that I can hardly talk, and that I have a throat that feels like barbed wire was dragged through it. So now I also have to contend with a cough filled with, wait for it, a nice big mixture of phlegm as well. Absolutely fantastic!
On the bright side, my radiation treatments did finish last Friday. Yippee!!!
If only they'd finished the week before...oh well.
Monday evening and a quick update as to what's been happening since Friday's post.
I've had to give in and have been feeding off the stomach peg since Saturday. It was becoming just to difficult to eat or drink anymore via my mouth. Can you imagine feeling thirsty, then "injecting" fluids into your stomach to quench your thirst? It was particularly difficult for me to get over that hurdle. The same goes for feeding using the Ensure Plus nutrition mixture. The first time I did it, watching gravity feed the solution into my stomach, conjured up many strange science fiction images in my head.
My neck has be dressed twice daily at the moment due to the radiation burns, but I'm hoping that by Sunday, the skin may have been able to repair itself to the stage that I won't need the burn cream, gauzes and bandages around my neck. I feel like one of those tribes people with all the rings around their neck. If my neck is longer after all of this, I'll know why!
To add to all my woes, I've also contracted a cold that comes along with a most unpleasant cough. Seriously bad timing! It's bad enough that I can hardly talk, and that I have a throat that feels like barbed wire was dragged through it. So now I also have to contend with a cough filled with, wait for it, a nice big mixture of phlegm as well. Absolutely fantastic!
On the bright side, my radiation treatments did finish last Friday. Yippee!!!
If only they'd finished the week before...oh well.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Pictures of neck radiation burns and skin rash across stomach
Warning, if you suffer from a weak stomach or graphic images upset you, please DO NOT click on this link.
These pictures were taken on the 2/3/11, during Week 6 of my treatment.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60189917@N02/
These pictures were taken on the 2/3/11, during Week 6 of my treatment.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60189917@N02/
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
3 Radiation treatments to go..
And then the body will get 2 and half weeks to recover from the effects of daily radiation and weekly chemotherapy treatments, before beginning the first cycle of 5 day chemotherapy treatment. I eagerly and impatiently await this "rest period".
My neck now requires dressing daily and it's a 25 minute process twice a day. It's immensely important this is done correctly to avoid any infections. I start by donning a pair of medical rubber gloves, after all, you have to look the part don't you? We then open a basic dressing pack containing a sterile field tray, 3 forceps, towel with 6 swabs and begin by cleaning the severely burnt areas using sodium chloride solution from tubes emptied into the tray. A gel called Intrasite is applied over the burnt areas which assists the skin's healing process and stops the affected areas from further weeping. Next a soft paraffin gauze dressing called Jelonet is applied over the gel to soothe / protect the wound plus allow free passage of exudate. To finish, sheets of Interpose-lite which is a non-adherent absorbent dressing are placed over the gauze, then the entire neck is wrapped with crepe bandage to hold everything in place. Does all this feel uncomfortable? I can easily answer that question with a powerful, one word response. YES!
Due to the blog being an account of this journey, and knowing that there are people out there that are / will travel the same path as me, I will be adding pictures of my affected neck and rash areas soon but these will only show if you click on their weblink.
Oh, and a COLOSSAL thank you for the emails, messages, letters, cards, gifts, phone calls, visits and help. The loving support of family, friends, colleagues, means so much to my family and I, and goes a long way to help me "keep my chin up" through this battle. Thank you.
My neck now requires dressing daily and it's a 25 minute process twice a day. It's immensely important this is done correctly to avoid any infections. I start by donning a pair of medical rubber gloves, after all, you have to look the part don't you? We then open a basic dressing pack containing a sterile field tray, 3 forceps, towel with 6 swabs and begin by cleaning the severely burnt areas using sodium chloride solution from tubes emptied into the tray. A gel called Intrasite is applied over the burnt areas which assists the skin's healing process and stops the affected areas from further weeping. Next a soft paraffin gauze dressing called Jelonet is applied over the gel to soothe / protect the wound plus allow free passage of exudate. To finish, sheets of Interpose-lite which is a non-adherent absorbent dressing are placed over the gauze, then the entire neck is wrapped with crepe bandage to hold everything in place. Does all this feel uncomfortable? I can easily answer that question with a powerful, one word response. YES!
Due to the blog being an account of this journey, and knowing that there are people out there that are / will travel the same path as me, I will be adding pictures of my affected neck and rash areas soon but these will only show if you click on their weblink.
Oh, and a COLOSSAL thank you for the emails, messages, letters, cards, gifts, phone calls, visits and help. The loving support of family, friends, colleagues, means so much to my family and I, and goes a long way to help me "keep my chin up" through this battle. Thank you.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
6 radiation treatments to go..you bloody beauty!!
There is a light at the end of this tunnel, and I can see it now. It can't arrive soon enough in my eyes.
How have I been of late and what's the latest with my wonderful machine called the human body? Well, I'm glad you asked!
I've managed to continue eating via the mouth up to now and today my weight is 61.4 kgs, which shows that I've kept up with the required food calorie intake. The soreness is my throat is still there but the numbing solutions are dealing well with that. If all goes according to my plan, I hope to manage the next 3 weeks eating via the mouth. Fingers crossed that I can make it as after this period has elapsed, the dietician will recommend that the stomach peg be removed. Another milestone to look forward to as the tape used to hold the peg up against my skin has created a rash across my entire stomach area.
The radiation burns around my neck area are really starting to kick it up a notch. I've started to develop some blistering on the skin, which feels as dry as a sun baking stone in the desert. To combat this, I smother my neck in pure sorbolene cream, thicker than Warnie's nose had ever been covered in sunblock. Funny thing is, after a few hours, it's all gone having been completely and totally absorbed into my skin.
My veins are showing signs of superficial thrombophlebitis, which is due to the combination of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Therefore, it was a great relief when the Doc got the cannula in on the 2nd attempt yesterday. I could've done cartwheels down the hallway, well almost if not for the cannula in my arm.
** 2 hour nanna nap delay required **
Ok, I'm bacccck!
On Tuesday, I had to go to Westmead Hospital's Dental clinic to have two mouth guards made up. Due to the radiation treatments causing my saliva grands to dry up, the worry is that the teeth do not have the protection of constant saliva being generated within the mouth and therefore they now require regular flouride injections to protect them from decay. In addition to brushing and flossing, I need to place within the tray area of the guards, two products that I will alternate every second evening called Colgate Neutraflouor 5000 Plus and Recaldent GC Tooth Mousse Plus. If I should ever take up a full contact sport again, at least I have tailor made guards ready to go :)
So to end today's entry.....
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