Leveling Up For The Boss Fight - My cancer journey

This week has seen the start of my final treatment, brachytherapy.  I've mentioned this in a couple of previous blogs, but now I'll explain all about it. Brachytherapy in the crudest terms for me is having some tubes inserted into my cervix (under spinal or general anesthetic).  These tubes are directed to the cancerous cells, and then connected to a machine which sends radioactive material in these tubes through a ball bearing, to kill off the last of the cancer. Firstly, my treatment sees me travel to Bristol, as the hospital I've been having my current treatments, doesn't have this facility. Treatment is over 4 days, on Tuesday and Friday this week and next.  It's a long day, which starts with no food from midnight, and only drink water until 6am.  Travel up to Bristol for around 8:30-9am to start preparation. Tuesday was my first treatment, so the team run through things and ask if I have any questions.  I go to theatre, to be given the spin...

Hello lovely readers! It's been a roller coaster of a week, and as ever, I'm being honest with you all.  There's no sugar coating of my journey with cancer.  After I had radiotherapy on Friday, I thought to myself having the weekend off from treatment may settle my body down from the battering it's been taking.  Well, it had the complete opposite effect. Saturday was a battle with Niagara Falls (diarrhea), and a small spell of feeling sick (anti sickness tablets helped), Sunday was the same, but worse.  I started feeling sick, took my anti sickness tablet, and then went to have a shower.  When nearing the end of this, I started getting lightheaded, and knew I needed to get out and hug the toilet.  Luckily I wasn't physically sick, but was almost.  Followed that with the diarrhea, then I had a few stomach cramps, and the odd ringing in my ears, my usual positivity crashed.  For the first time, I actually had a bit of a cry.  I didn't e...

Hello again, and thank you for stopping by to read my weekly update on my journey with cancer. I have no idea how I make these blogs sound like I'm constantly doing something, far from it.  The average day (where I'll start at midnight), is eventually falling asleep, occasionally waking up mid way through the night with the potential of a stomach cramp (get a bit of food in me to stop that progressing), then falling back to sleep listening to the dawn chorus (yes, 4am is early, but it is wonderful).  I get up between 6am-8am, depending if I have radiotherapy early in the morning. I'll have a small breakfast to get me going, have a mid-morning snack, a small lunch (usually a sandwich on granary bread), and afternoon snack, a small dinner (recently it's been a jacket potato with lots of butter and cheese).  I actually don't have an appetite (which is normal), so I don't get the "ooh I fancy...".  I try and pay attention to the time and remember I nee...

Hello, dear reader. As I mentioned in last week's blog, it was a day late.  I had severe diarrhea, so much so I had lost weight.  What caused the diarrhea was a combination of coming off codeine (long term use can cause constipation, so coming off may mean the complete opposite effect happens), the very hot weather meant I was drinking even more water, I eating a lot of fruit, and also my treatment (due to the area it's targeting). As I am having radiotherapy 5 days a week, as well as having access to a 24/4 cancer helpline number, I was able to get some advice.  Having diarrhea for anyone can be distressing, more so when it's the Niagara falls version I had, as it can leave you dehydrated.  Each radiotherapy session I had, I was asked how I was doing, I was recommended getting some Loperamide (or if you're looking for a familiar brand, Imodium).  I was also trying to increase my bread consumption to help firm things up a bit.  Thankfully, as of pos...