35. Radiotherapy, part 2

I am scheduled for 30 sessions of Radiotherapy ( RT ) at Guy's Hospital. One a day, five days a week, for six weeks. Each lasting for about half an hour.

I have a pre-RT consultation, explaining what to expect both during the treatment and in way of side effects. After the trauma of the "Adult" Tonsillectomy I didn't think it would be too bad... "idiot !"

Two giant copper leafs stand centennial over the entrance to the Radiothereipy Department

The Green mile

Week one - two

The effect should be quite mild. There will be no sensation during the treatment and no after effects for the first week or so, with the possibility of mild redness and slight soreness developing around week two.

Week two - three

Might see redness of the neck and a sore throat start to increase.

Week three - four

I could expect my neck and throat to become noticeably sore, enough that medication in the way of painkillers would be made available should I need it.

Week five - six

Would see all the effects of the RT increase in severity to the point that it would become so very uncomfortable and that I would almost certainly need pain killers and be using the PEG tube for feeding.

At the end of the RT there would be a period of two to three weeks possibly more of "over cooking" where all the effects would continue to increase in severity.

After the eight or nine weeks of "over cooking" there would be almost as much "cooling down", while everything settled back down to a reasonable and manageable level of comfort/discomfort, normality...

So RT start to finish would take, for me, somewhere around three or four months.

An Elekta Synergy System Machine, ( 'not' from Guy's but almost identical ) 

RT orientation included a tour of the facilities and a visit to see Electra 5 and 6 the two machines that would be doing the deed. As I returned to the waiting room I enthusiastically called out to Jo "there's been a terrible mistake, they say I haven't really got cancer and I could go away and live on an island somewhere" wishful thinking on my part, but it seemed to go down well with the audience, wishful thinking for all of us.

That's me done for the day