Monday 4 April. Day 1 of 35 important days.. Day 1 of treatment!
I am very thankful that the team at Peter Mac has tried to accommodate my requests to schedule my RT (Radiotherapy) treatments later in the afternoon. This allows me to go to work for a few hours every morning to make sure everything is going well (and to also keep some normality in life) before I head off for treatment.
My appointment today is scheduled for 2:20pm. My aim is head up to the city on the train at midday, get another blood test (joy of joys) and then whack on the face brace and get zapped.
My internal body clock doesn't let me over-sleep. So it is up early, in to the shower and out to start getting dressed.....at 1:50am, HOLY CRAP you have to be kidding. I looked at my watch upside down and given that I was only looking at those "glow in the dark" chunks on the hands of the watch and I was looking at the watch through near sighted old fart eyes.
So I sheepishly tell Lisa I have stuffed up and showered nearly 4 hours too soon.
Thankfully, the challenge of today does not weigh on my mind and I fall back in to a nice restful sleep only to wake to the soothing melody of the alarm at the correct time. Note to Self - be more careful next time!!!!
Arriving at the office at 6:15am is just awesome. You just get so much done. By 9:00am I have achieved more that I usually manage in an entire day and I am feeling fantastic. It is still school holidays so there no teachers or students which really gives me a sensational boost in finishing the end of month reporting (that us accountant types have to do each month) and by 11:50am I have totally finished and can feel comfortable that the major work demand for this week is finished two (2) days ahead of schedule.
I don't get to travel on trains much and so there is an amount of enjoyment experienced by just sitting in the nice warmth of a mild, but cloudless day and enjoying the views (funnily enough there are things worth looking at along a train track.
Being a bit anal about being punctual for any appointment I arrive at the L2 Basement Radiotherapy ward slightly ahead of the scheduled time, because I want to check whether I should get my Bloods (jeez I am using the medical terminology now) done before or after the RT appointment. The ward clerk tells me that it is my lucky day because I can go straight in to my appointment.
Now you may think I am slightly weird but that is awesome news. The "nervous anticipation" that you get before any "different" experience only disappears when you actually start, so the long 6 week wait is finally over and we are a T minus zero.
Jo my Radiotherapist, shows me around, gives me a gown and directs me to the change cubicle. Then I am whisked in to the treatment room, meet the second Radiotherapist and the Monash Med Student who is getting some practice on me. Comforting thought indeed!!!
I am gently reintroduced to my much loved face brace (the one made about two weeks ago). I feel the reassuring pressure as they bolt me to the table. There really is something relaxing about having the gentle pressure on your entire face, which at that stage is totally immobilized. Combine that with the never ending information and assurances that come from the RT's and I am really feeling free of any apprehension and am actually enjoying what is going on.
Your sense of hearing and movement is heightened because your eyes are best closed - you can leave them open but I can feel my eyelashes stroking against the face shield - and therefore I find myself trying to track the "gun" section of the zapper as it moves around me to the 9 predetermined locations from which to zap me. It is very assuring that they tell me just how accurate the 'treatment map" is and how they work hard to eliminate the residual effect of treating non necessary areas.
No sooner have we started and I hear, "That's in Tony, all done" and just like that you are released from the face brace and are heading out of the ward and off home.
For the next 7 weeks, here is the drill from Marianne my lovely care nurse who is also going to be along side me for the journey to make the experience as comfortable as it can be -
1. No wet razor (buy a new electric one). Cuts to my skin won't heal.
2. No perfume (AS IF) or after shave
3. No shaving cream or soaps
4. Mouthwash 5 times a day
5. Sorbolene treatment all over my cheeks and neck twice a day but at least two hours before treatment each day.
6. Drink plenty of water (one of the biggest lessons I have had reinforced during this adventure so far is the huge benefits of drinking natural clear water.....)
Sounds like an easy set of things to do.... and they start right now. Bring it on. Tally Ho
I will be 2/7 for Chemo tomorrow and 2/35 as well. The Cruise Ship has left the dock and is steaming out to open ocean, returning to port on 23 May. Hopefully, time will fly. We will need to wait and see.
Take care
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