The 2nd cycle of Chemo officially finished a week ago today.
Chemotherapy, Finished !
Chemotherapy, Finished !
I am still 'suffering / experiencing' the side effects...
To be fair, this cycle has been far less arduous then the first. I suspect the my system built a level of tolerance and the two week rest period did what it was supposed to.
The "Atomic Hiccups" were far less server and far less frequent this time.
I have lost half of my sense of taste, salt and sour. I can still appreciate milk and ice cream, but you can't live on that for two weeks. My taste buds are starting to come around again, slowly. Its a miserable existence not being able to enjoy eating. I've lost weight, again.
The Steroids kept me up for 3 - 5 days, even with taking sleeping pills. Coupled with the fact that my Kidneys have been working 'flat out' for a week and a half, pestering me to get up and go for a pee every two hours, every night for a week and a half.
The inside of my mouth is 'tender and raw' but not ulcerated.
Same sore throat as first cycle.
Friday 10th the District Nurse Marian Barron made her visit to disconnect me from the portable pump. She remembered from my last service visit to her that I like my PICC line dressed "Oncology" style. We played a short game of "you mean like this ?"...
"How exactly do you want this dressed, again ?"
Fold the dressing in half, around the connector.
"Like this ?"
Yes... but length ways.
"Oh ! like this ?"
Yes... but the connecter need to be that way around
"I see, like this ?"
Yes... but don't move the connector
"but then the dressing is that way around"
so the connector goes like that, and the dressing goes like that !
"I see... like this ?"
Yes... but put that, that way around.
"you mean... like this ?"...
...anon
It took a few minutes but we got there in the end. I'm not clear of the rules, or who won in the end, but I did finish with the PICC Line dressed the way I like it. I think I need to hone my 'explanation' skills...
During her visit while rummaging through the box of spares Marrion noticed some blog "flyers ?" I had printed out, she was so genuinely interested she asked ( and very politely ) if she could have one too.
Wednesday 15th up to Guy's for a Nadier Blood Test.
After waiting for 30 or 40 minutes the Nurse call me. The Blood test room is in use, she doesn't want me waiting around , so we'll use a side cubical of the chemo ward. My PICC Line had not been fully dressed when I left the ward a week and a half ago, I thought It hadn't, but didn't say any thing at the time, I should have said something, I'll know better in future.
While I'm waiting one of the nurses who has treated me before passes the lounge and stops to say "Hello !". "Hello!" becomes "Hello how are you ?" that becomes "Hello how are you how are you ? how you getting on ? etc. etc." We chat about how 'I'm doing' and 'how I'm feeling' for ten minutes or so. You have to admire and appreciate anyone who, while probably quite busy makes time to see how you're felling and getting on...
I wait an hour, the test results come back, blood work all, A-OK !
Friday 17th, visit to the District Nurse at the Bconham Beacon for my weekly PICC Lone service, we chat, she tells me that last week one of her patients 'cut' through his own PICC Line, "WHAT !"...
Both Tumors are now completely undetectable to the touch, and still almost two months of treatment to go...
