Tuesday 10th January 2012, 03:00 PM
Grubs Up !
The fifth and final appointment of the day, phew !
With both the Chemo & RT weight loss is a serious issue. Good nourishment plays a significant role in the ability to cope with and recover from treatment. This coupled with the fact that the exposure map the RT will be working to is so precise ( one millimeter or so ) that any significant loss or gain in weight and the inevitable change in body shape that would ensue Nutrition & Dietetics are taken extremely seriously.
When Nurse Annabel called to confirm that I had received the letter for this appointment she also told me that this would be when I would meet the rest of my team. I had visions of walking into a room full of people ( remember Mr Terry telling me that all my results are reviewed by a 28 person panel ) casting my eye around the the room and saying "I suppose you are all wondering why I called you here today" There were only 3 there, the dietation ( name to follow ), Nurse Annabel and the speech therapist ( name to follow ) Imagine my disappointment.
Basically the meeting boiled down to two main issues:-
1, Eat the high calorific foods that I like. Custard, chocolate pudding, dairy, cream, cheese etc. Because I would in all likely-hood be feeling so rough & nauseous that anything to keep my weight stable would be good.
2, That I would almost certainly need to have a feeding tube ( PEG ) inserted into my stomach.
I had been warned about this feeding tube before, and frankly the idea gives me the "heebie-jeebies". But because I will be irradiated through both sides of my neck I can expect the discomfort be become so extreme as to make normal eating as good as impossible. One alternative is to have a feeding tube "UP THE NOSE" that's 'worse' not better, NO THNK YOU !
I was sure I'd be OK without it, after all I managed after my tonsillectomy, but that was just for a couple of weeks, not four, and only on the left side, not both.
As consistent good nutrition and constant body weight play such a crucial role in both treatment and recovery of Chemo & RT I think I'll just have to just 'suck it up' be a 'brave little soldier' and have the damn tube fitted.
It will be a two night stay in hospital, but now after having my PICC line inserted I'm getting used to the idea. If it means getting better quicker I'm all for it.
And on the plus side... here comes the chocolate pudding.
Edited by Jo W, with thanks
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