Week 10 - Thursday 4th June

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 posting I'm doing OK.

However, losing weight and gaining weight has never been something I've had to think about much before.  I knew without going on the scales that my body felt different, and as I'm always open and honest with my posts, I went from 65kg at the start of treatment to 60.2kg on Monday.  That hit me mentally, as I NEED to keep my nutrition up for my ongoing boss fight.  The figure isn't the issue, it's what that does to my body, especially in such a short space of time, as I now enter week 3 of treatment.

This weight loss also effects my radiotherapy treatment.  If you cast your mind back to when I had my planning appointment, I had the tiny black tattoo markers placed on my body, as well as a full body CT scan.  This was to help with the complex plan the team put in place to target my cancer.  If there's any weight changes, this can effect where the radiotherapy targets, as things in your body move.  This can decrease the changes of being cancer free, as they may not be targeting the area that was originally planned.  However, as I had been keeping the team informed of my issues, we've been able to act swiftly.  The planning team have been informed, and I'm on a mission to put the weight I've lost, back on.

In one shop I used to work in, my shift didn't normally consist of any low calorie options, as I was always eating on the go.  In fact, until recently that had always been the case with me and work.  "Share bags" of chocolates, bags of sweets, packet of crisps, cake or a box of mince pies.  Sometimes there would be dares if I could eat a cake or pudding in one shift... Yes, I could.  However, I currently struggle to eat a full meal.  So how am I going to manage putting weight back on?  The plan is eating little and often.  Not focusing on having 3 meals a day, but slim down the meals to a manageable size (think kids size meals), and increase snacking through the day with high calorie foods.  This will hopefully in turn help with my diarrhea.  The diarrhea spells do put me off eating, it's really draining on my energy, and I just want to curl up until it passes.  There is light at the end of the tunnel, and as I alluded to earlier, I'm currently doing OK, and I can feel the weight coming back on.

Thankfully I've had help with getting food in the house when my home delivery order isn't enough to keep us replenished with fresh items, or items that I need in a hurry (like the Imodium), as I'm shielding due to my chemo treatment (more on that later).  My other half is off as well, as work had given him the option due to his medical history when Covid hit.  He's been allowed an extension to that to keep me safe, which is quite honestly a relief, as we both work in food retail.  Our employer (and the fantastic colleagues I've had the pleasure to work with) have been absolutely exceptional, and with my length or service, I don't need to worry about paying the mortgage and the bills for a while.  Something I know isn't always the case for a lot of cancer patients.

So now to the positives.  The PICC line in my arm made chemo a much more comfortable experience (as are the reclining red chairs we get to sit in!).  My treatment started at 10am, and I was out at 2:30pm, much quicker than the first treatment.  I managed to eat some cheese and crackers, yogurt and and apple for lunch during treatment and the day after I felt pretty good.  I had mentioned to the radiographer on Monday, "I'll see you tomorrow, I may be groggy after chemo". Tuesday I was fine until about 11:30am where fatigue hit me.  I got myself to bed, and slept solidly until 3:30pm.  I was still fatigued for the rest of the day, but I was able to function.  My appetite was also better compared to the day after my first treatment.

I can also feel that my cancer is shrinking (yes, it was that large), but also there's still a long way to go.  I need to keep healthy, stay shielded as my bloods confirm that my immune system has been hit with the chemo treatment (which is normal, they take regular blood samples to keep an eye on things), but all my other blood levels are fine.  Onwards and upwards!

As always, look out for one another, stay home, and stay well. xxx