November 27 – Kerzapped! – Job done.

Friday. - Done, finished, complete, over, ….that’s it. I had my last radiotherapy zapping on Monday afternoon. Me and MLB are now starting to become ‘normal’ again.

The whole zapping experience was fine. I had, in a moment of boredom, read some forum entries on a breast cancer website which moaned on and on about how tired people felt and how painful their boobs were and how ghastly the whole process was. They must live on another planet. I have had no tiredness despite the travelling, no soreness, no broken skin, no burning sensation, and I wore a bra the whole time.

There were some funny moments. Normally you are allocated to one Linear Accelerator and its attached team – I was allocated LA6. One day however, I had to go to a different one as LA6 was having a routine service. So I found myself in a waiting area with loads of men in dressing gowns, no trousers but they were wearing shoes and socks….obviously the prostate cancer crowd. I was called in and sure enough it was an all male radiography team. They had me in hoots as they set up the table for a breast cancer zap and then took about 20 minutes to get me lined up as compared with my usual team who could do it in about 2 minutes. They got there in the end. They sheepishly admitted that they didn’t do breasts very often but hoped it was OK! Seemed all right to me.

During this time I had some golfing mates over for lunch and they bought me the most beautiful bunch of flowers. So lovely I have had to add a photo of them to this blog to say thank you.

Now the other news is……da da…My hair is growing!! Just a bit but it is starting to become obvious. Not enough for me to go wigless yet but I think in a couple of weeks I might experiment.

Other side effect news. My nails are a mess – including my toenails. I had a pedicure a couple of days ago and when the beautician took the old nail polish off two of the toenails were black. So we covered them up again rather quickly.

My left arm is now pretty much a normal size after the course of MLD and I wear the horrible compression sleeve for all activity but it comes off in the evening. So far so good.

Still a bit of tingling and numbness in my feet but this should disappear over the next few months.

So I’m looking forward to going to Spain for Xmas and New Year and just relaxing without having to face any more treatment or pill popping apart from the Arimidex which I will take for five years. Just like HRT or the pill. Not a difficult one.

As my strength is returning, so my golf is starting to get back to a reasonable form and I should become competitive again by spring – watch out all my golfing mates.

I’ll post the next blog after I get back from Spain, hopefully with news of massive hair growth etc. Until then have a fun festive season and happy new year.

November 3 - Zapped

Today was the first day of Radiotherapy. Now call me old fashioned but as a private patient, when I have an appointment for 10.40, I expect it to be kept within 10 minutes or so. Especially as I am still working and have arranged meetings and teleconferences around the scheduled radiotherapy times.

I didn’t get in to be zapped until 50 minutes after my scheduled time. Needless to say, I explained which way was up to the people concerned. I don’t think it will happen again!

Early days but the actual zapping bit was straightforward. Large machine is positioned by two radiographers who mutter strange numbers at each other for a few minutes and move you around in the dark with light beams being lined up on the tattoos etc. Then a minute or two of actual zapping – only noticeable by the noise the Linear Accelerator makes, and then it is off to put the bra and top back on and home we go. The biggest problem is that it takes me at least 40 mins to drive each way, which is a complete drag.

Apparently I am very likely to get a sore boob after a week to 10 days, which will last for 2-3 weeks after the therapy is complete. C’est la Guerre.

My biggest concern at the moment is getting the lymphedema in my left arm treated. My medical insurance won’t cover Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage by any one who is not a registered nurse or certified by the HPC. As there is no category for MLD specialists in the HPC that only leaves RNs who are also MLD specialists and there aren’t any within about 25 miles of where I live. There is however a highly recommended therapist where I live so I am working on trying to get the Insurance Company to agree to use her. If not I will have to pay for treatment myself or use the NHS (many weeks of waiting and a 50 mile round trip). In the meantime, my left arm is swollen and aches when I stretch it. I spend a lot of time waving it in the air and clenching and unclenching my fist. (Something that is supposed to help.) I’ve tried doing it in public and while I am driving but people think I am making black power salutes at them and give me some very odd looks. I need to be a bit circumspect about this. It could lead to some nasty situations.

Side effects from the chemo are also still in evidence – swollen ankles and feet and fingernails that are becoming detached from the nail bed. No sign of hair regrowth yet.

On the positive side I had a fantastic few days in Venice. It was wonderful and I am definitely going back – soon. The wig behaved reasonably well - It got overexcited on a breezy vaporetto trip and tried to take a quick dip in a canal but I managed to stop it.

NEWS…NEWS…NEWS… I just had an e-mail from the insurance company agreeing to let me use the local therapist for MLD. Brilliant.

October 6 - That's it...no more chemo

Tuesday 6 October.
I’m up and about! Tired and prone to falling asleep at the drop of a hat but upright and dressed which is better than when I was on hols. I took my own advice after the last chemo session and simply gave in.

The actual session was fine. In fact I couldn’t wait to get it done with so I really could say ‘ no more chemo’. Good thing it was the last session. I have no more useable veins in my right hand and arm so if I needed any more IVs I would be in trouble.

During the last session Dr S arrived to discuss the next steps – Radiotherapy - and we have arranged for me to have a planning session and CT scan on 13 October followed by the first blast of mega rays on 3 Nov at St Luke’s Cancer centre in Guildford. After that it is a daily trek to the hospital for a 10 minute session until 23 Nov when we will be all done. As ever I have had to sign the inevitable consent form, including giving permission to be tattooed! Apparently they like to put some permanent ‘dots’ in place so they know where to aim the RT. And I always said I would never have a tattoo!

Saw Mr P on the Thursday after chemo while I was still OK. A five minute follow up where he expressed himself more than happy with progress and asked me to come back in January. I’ll be interested to see how much we get charged for that visit. Had the last Neulasta jab Thursday afternoon and that was it.

Worked from home on Friday but was beginning to feel a bit spaced out and by Saturday I was sleeping most of the time. Sunday and Monday were much the same with the ‘bleugh’ feeling and lack of taste kicking in. I decided not to take the co-codamol but stuck to paracetamol for the bone pain. It sort of worked but I have had a lot of bone pain at night, which has made me a bit more tired than I planned. The positive is that I have not had as much of an upset stomach. Swings and roundabouts. Now though I think I might be able to do a bit of work tomorrow and even attempt some gentle Pilates on Thursday.

The chemo nurses have been great through all of this but I have to say I am delighted not to have to see them again. I did get to have a chat with the oncology liaison nurse before I left. Not about the treatment but about the pastoral care chap who has jumped ship and gone off to be a Roman Catholic priest. I jokingly said I hoped he wasn’t married and she floored me by saying not only was he married but he has two children. How does that work then? Answers in the comments section if you know. It’s all a bit ‘Thornbirds’ if you ask me.

Next stop Venice and then I shall be looking carefully in the mirror to spot the first signs of hair re-growth. So much to look forward to!

The wig is getting a bit worried. I shall work on a retirement plan for it. But it will still be needed for a few months yet I think.