Tuesday, 30 June 2009

Holey fricking moley

Other patients have complained to me over the years about the sore mouth that comes with chemo. I've had some problems, but never really anything to write home about. Usually just goes away after a few rinses of salt and baking soda.

But this time it's unbelievable. Eating, drinking, swallowing, existing is so uncomfortable. I thought I was being a bit precious when I presented myself to the hospital at Monday's chemo, but you could see them physically recoil and say "we haven't seen something that bad for awhile". Nearly every part of the mouth is effected - ouch!

So I now have little sponges on lollipop sticks for toothbrushes, about three different mouthwashes and a course of Fluconazole to try and get on top of it. Don't really feel much better, but food like rice pudding and custard go down a treat - well maybe not a treat, but with less pain. So I think I should just stay home as much as I can and try and build up some kind of strength.

I have chemo on Thursday and then only Monday for three weeks. The spinal fluids are still running clear of cancer.

Update: Oh my god, then I sneezed!!!!!

Thursday, 25 June 2009

My Hero

Gisela Dulko knocked that screaming nightmare Maria Sharapova out of Wimbledon. The Telegraph describes this as the "Shock of the day", all I can say is Gisela you are truly a hero and should be given a knighthood for services to women's tennis.

Michelle Larcher De Brito is even bloody worse, we can only hope that she screams herself into a heart attack. Why the umpires allow this annoying mindless noise is beyond me. If I was playing against her I would have to slam my racket across the court at her. Jesus!

Friday, 19 June 2009

Updatedty Updated Update

Frick what a week last week was. Just after my last posting I was watching the Ambulance program 'Rapid Response' thinking they're kind of cute, gosh my shoulder hurts bad, let's give them a call, maybe they'll come out.

Well okay it wasn't quite like that - but after an afternoon of putting down continuously different pain killers I finally admitted defeat and asked Em to call the hospital to see if I should go to Ward 62 or A&E. My screaming caused them to say phone 111, which Em duly did and the lovely ambo team turned up. Out came the laughing gas to get me under control and stop the screaming - 10 puffs later, no pain - amazing! Unfortunately this stuff only lasts a couple of minutes so it was decided that admission overnight might be a good idea just in case the pain came back. So I got to suck on the juice of angels for a good 20 minutes and was rather chatty by the time I was admitted.

After a night of no sleep (god it's noisy there, nurses just stood outside the rooms talking in daytime voices that borded on outside voices), I headed home in the morning to have a shower and back to the hospital for #2 radiation therapy. Took Methadone for the rest of the week, which seems to work the trick for me. No pain now, and radiation therapy seems to be working a treat and my dead left arm is coming back to life.

Being sick is a busy life I would have you know. Was at the hospital 10 times last week, 6 for me and 4 for my flatmate who visited A&E twice on Wednesday night with an extremely painful eye - she didn't scream like me, but was in more pain. Anyway we are all fine now and I'm enjoying a more relax treatment schedule of chemo into the spine twice a week. This should go on for a few more weeks until my spinal fluids run clear of NHL.

Monday, 15 June 2009

Updated update

After a rather sleepless night I was dozing uncomfortably at 8am when the hospital phoned and said come on in for a consultation and possible treatment pronto. So bounced out of bed, into shower and stumbled into car.

So the day was spent in Acute Oncology being seen by the radiotherapists, being sized up for radiation and then my first of five treatments at the end of the day. Finish on Friday.

Rather painful now, so taken all the drugs I can take & just trying to get comfortable and waiting for 'Spooks' to start.

Wednesday, 10 June 2009

Update

Bad news from the MRI that I had Friday last week. It shows cancer on the C3 & C4 vertebrae and a lump under my arm. All this of course explains the massive pain and discomfort I've been having in my neck and shoulder.

In the meantime I've been put on 16mg of Dexamethasone every day and this killed the pain within 4 hours of my first dose - arh bliss. I wasn't going to handle all this so well being in that amount of pain.

Also I am on Methadone which works much better in pain reduction than Pethidine and unlike the Morphine doesn't make me throw up two or three times per day - a relief to finally get on top of all this - without the horrible side effects.

Treatment is unknown at this stage, still under investigation at the hospital. Will update you as soon as I know.