Session 4 of my Chemotherapy went very well as I did not have many side effects and also I didn't feel that tired, still it was the first one after a long break and this one may not be so good. I had my bloods done on Monday and for the first time for several visits the unit was fairly empty so I did not have long to wait. For once they had a full staff on duty!
On Tuesday Wendy and I were able to go on the train as the appointment to see the doctor was at 11.00am, we can only use our Freedom passes on the trains after 9.30 am. The doctor checked me through at around 11.30 am and we went into the
treatment room around 11.45 am. it was around two thirds full however
there was a full staff on duty and everything was running smoothly. Some
of the regular nurses have been away on 3-5 weeks holidays to visit
relatives abroad when this happens they bring in more staff from The
Royal Marsden in Sutton. So today was a good day as they were able to
start the treatment promptly. It all went very well and we were able to
leave by 4.00 pm to get the buses back home something of a record.
I
felt very well physically by the time we got home and I decided to have
a bit of a rest and get on with my book that Alan gave me for Christmas
called "World without end by Ken Follett" quite an easy read but it is
1262 pages and I am on page 1077 at the moment as it is getting more
gripping and I am spending more time on it as I now want to see how it
finishes. It is set in the period 1327 to 1361 in the time of King
Edward III and it gives an accurate insight into the times and politics
of that era and how the working class lived and were treated by the
ruling classes.
On Thursday I went back in to the SWRU to have
my bottle removed and my PICC line flushed and cleaned. Whilst I was
having this done I was being interviewed by a medical PhD student who
was doing some research to find out if everyone was satisfied with their
chemotherapy bottles that pump a measured dose into you for a couple of
days. She was taking on issues that the patients brought up so that she
could use the information to somehow improve the performance of the
pumps. My issue is that the pump hardly ever finishes pumping the full
dose into me over the 48 hour period, others have the same problem so
that is probably the sort of issue she will have to have a look at and
find a solution.
So now I am writing this on Saturday 2nd November and so far beyond a bit of excess flem at the back of my throat which makes me cough
and a couple of partially blocked ears which make my hearing go strange
so that I talk a little oddly and also feel a little disoriented. So I am feeling quite good and feel almost my usual self, plus I feel clean and fresh as I had a nice shower this morning.
