Halfway through radiotherapy
About time I gave an update, and as I am now half way through the radiotherapy treatment, this seems as good a time as any.
Daily radiotherapy started on 10th May, and during that time I have been back to work. The round trip from home, to Bristol, to Cardiff and home again is approx 140 miles, so I am working from home on some days to reduce the driving and help me keep any tiredness at bay, and working short days so that I can get to Cardiff in good time. This is working well, and I feel pretty much OK. I do notice myself getting tired by 2 or 3pm though - but tired of thinking and having conversations, rather than too tired to drive! It is a different kind of energy.
Lymphodema
On 14th May I took the day off work, as I had a 'lymphodema education session' in the morning, and radiotherapy in the afternoon. It made sense to do something nice* in between, rather than travel home or to Bristol and back again.
The lymphodema session was just over an hour, and quite useful. Getting lymphodema is a risk if you have had lymph nodes removed. I had 23 - all of them - taken from my right side 8 years ago (20 of those had cancer cells in them), and 2 taken from my left side (for testing, all clear) this time, so my lymphatic system is compromised on both sides. Lymph is a liquid that moves fluids, toxins, waste products and white blood cells around our body. The lymph nodes filter the good stuff from the bad, and are vital for our survival. This Macmillan page has a good image and description: What is the lymphatic system?
Lymphodema is when the waste fluid can't leave properly, and it fills the area where the nodes are missing. It means you can get a puffy arm or hand which can be painful and cause you problems.
The key tips for managing it are to keep your weight within a healthy BMI (mine is just slightly over...), keep active, as this helps your lymphatic system work, and make sure you treat any cuts or injuries on the side where you're missing nodes quickly to avoid infection, which could turn into lymphodema.
I used the opportunity to have a proper chat with the nurses there (this time I was at St Woolos Hospital in Newport, another Welsh hospital added to my catalogue!) as my right arm has been slightly bigger than my left since surgery 8 years ago. It doesn't hurt, doesn't cause me any problems, most people don't notice it, and hasn't got any worse over time, so they noted that the body has clearly taken over and is managing the lymph fluid OK, but they noted me down for a referral after radiotherapy, where they'll take measurements and show me some massage techniques to help push the lymph fluid towards my hips, where the next set of nodes sit.
The best news was being told I can have massages at spa resorts, as this was something I've always believed I had to avoid. The only thing they warned about is anyone claiming they can give Manual Lymphatic Drainage massages, as this is specialised and should only be done by a qualified practitioner. But I DEFINITELY going to be booking myself a spa trip at the Cary Arms when all this is over. Anyone wanna come?
* The something nice was lunch at Cafe Rouge, and a visit to Cardiff Castle. It was a super sunny day.
Radiotherapy Review
Earlier this week I had a review of how the radiotherapy was going. The shadow of the section being zapped has only just started becoming visible, and I was told off as I have a T-Shirt tan line which is crossing over with that section. Sunburn and radiotherapy don't mix, and I need to make sure I cover up and use a high factor SPF.
I was warned that soreness and tiredness will probably start to kick in from here on, and that it will be a couple of weeks after treatment stops before I start getting better again. Fingers crossed that the effects don't get any worse than a bit of suntan, but I will continue being sensible about driving and working for the next month or so.
Hair update
My parents visited this week and commented immediately that I had a fuzz across my head! And they're right. It is very slight, very soft - and very grey - but it is starting to come back! It will be a while before it is suitable for public consumption, but definitely promising. At the same time, I have even less eyelashes and eyebrows, so those are still on the wane, but hopefully won't be too far behind my head hair on the regrowth front.
Daily radiotherapy started on 10th May, and during that time I have been back to work. The round trip from home, to Bristol, to Cardiff and home again is approx 140 miles, so I am working from home on some days to reduce the driving and help me keep any tiredness at bay, and working short days so that I can get to Cardiff in good time. This is working well, and I feel pretty much OK. I do notice myself getting tired by 2 or 3pm though - but tired of thinking and having conversations, rather than too tired to drive! It is a different kind of energy.
Lymphodema
On 14th May I took the day off work, as I had a 'lymphodema education session' in the morning, and radiotherapy in the afternoon. It made sense to do something nice* in between, rather than travel home or to Bristol and back again.
The lymphodema session was just over an hour, and quite useful. Getting lymphodema is a risk if you have had lymph nodes removed. I had 23 - all of them - taken from my right side 8 years ago (20 of those had cancer cells in them), and 2 taken from my left side (for testing, all clear) this time, so my lymphatic system is compromised on both sides. Lymph is a liquid that moves fluids, toxins, waste products and white blood cells around our body. The lymph nodes filter the good stuff from the bad, and are vital for our survival. This Macmillan page has a good image and description: What is the lymphatic system?
Lymphodema is when the waste fluid can't leave properly, and it fills the area where the nodes are missing. It means you can get a puffy arm or hand which can be painful and cause you problems.
The key tips for managing it are to keep your weight within a healthy BMI (mine is just slightly over...), keep active, as this helps your lymphatic system work, and make sure you treat any cuts or injuries on the side where you're missing nodes quickly to avoid infection, which could turn into lymphodema.
I used the opportunity to have a proper chat with the nurses there (this time I was at St Woolos Hospital in Newport, another Welsh hospital added to my catalogue!) as my right arm has been slightly bigger than my left since surgery 8 years ago. It doesn't hurt, doesn't cause me any problems, most people don't notice it, and hasn't got any worse over time, so they noted that the body has clearly taken over and is managing the lymph fluid OK, but they noted me down for a referral after radiotherapy, where they'll take measurements and show me some massage techniques to help push the lymph fluid towards my hips, where the next set of nodes sit.
The best news was being told I can have massages at spa resorts, as this was something I've always believed I had to avoid. The only thing they warned about is anyone claiming they can give Manual Lymphatic Drainage massages, as this is specialised and should only be done by a qualified practitioner. But I DEFINITELY going to be booking myself a spa trip at the Cary Arms when all this is over. Anyone wanna come?
* The something nice was lunch at Cafe Rouge, and a visit to Cardiff Castle. It was a super sunny day.
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Earlier this week I had a review of how the radiotherapy was going. The shadow of the section being zapped has only just started becoming visible, and I was told off as I have a T-Shirt tan line which is crossing over with that section. Sunburn and radiotherapy don't mix, and I need to make sure I cover up and use a high factor SPF.
I was warned that soreness and tiredness will probably start to kick in from here on, and that it will be a couple of weeks after treatment stops before I start getting better again. Fingers crossed that the effects don't get any worse than a bit of suntan, but I will continue being sensible about driving and working for the next month or so.
Hair update
My parents visited this week and commented immediately that I had a fuzz across my head! And they're right. It is very slight, very soft - and very grey - but it is starting to come back! It will be a while before it is suitable for public consumption, but definitely promising. At the same time, I have even less eyelashes and eyebrows, so those are still on the wane, but hopefully won't be too far behind my head hair on the regrowth front.
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| You might need to zoom in to see any hair. 😆 |
Other stuff
In the meantime, I now have an appointment to see a gynaecologist about ovary removal - sometime in July - and I will get a date before the end of radiotherapy to give me my first Zoladex injection. This is an interim way of suppressing my ovaries so that I can start taking Letrazole. Letrazole will try to stop the oestrogen in the fatty tissues of my body from being 'food' for the cancer cells. Suppressing my ovaries means they won't be producing oestrogen anymore.
And herceptin continues. Another 13 treatments at 3-weekly intervals to go...
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