Yes, I finished radiotherapy, and yes I rang the bell, but it was an anticlimax. Why? Well, lots of reasons really. First off, the day before my final treatment, at the weekly clinician review Sarah the Neuro Oncology nurse specialist reminded me that radiotherapy side effects usually get worse for a few weeks after you... Continue Reading →
29/30
Tomorrow is my last day of radiotherapy, the last of the 30 sessions, and the day I get to ring that bell like an enthusiastic Quasimodo. I've had a surprisingly easy ride, with relatively mild side effects, but the last few sessions have been a bit of a slog and I am more than ready... Continue Reading →
Being brave
You're so brave! This is what people say to you when you're going through something like this. Nah. It's not bravery, it's lack of choicery. Life lobs these boulders in all of our paths, and you either climb over them or sit down and give up. No one makes it through unscathed, and we all... Continue Reading →
Hairmageddon
First off I need to make it clear that many people lose all their hair due to chemotherapy (even nose hair! who knew?) or alopecia and that is so very much worse than what is happening to me. I am lucky really, and need a dry slap. But I'm still going to whine. At length.... Continue Reading →
There’s a ghost in my house
It’s me. This is the second Saturday in a row that I feel really quite down. A useless burden. Full of hate, and hateful. This tumour is like a newborn baby. It consumes all your time and available memory, leaving you with nothing else to talk about, boring the pants off everyone else. There's nothing... Continue Reading →
Waiting for the shoe to drop
Although I knew full well that it takes around two weeks for any radiotherapy side effects to show themselves, it's hard not to interpret each and every twinge during the first half of my six weeks of daily radiotherapy as A Sign. Is this tired feeling a symptom of the treatment, a side effect of... Continue Reading →