It’s been a while since I last posted on here, so let me bring you up to speed with what’s happened…
First things first: I’ve finished my treatment!!!
I had four-and-a-half weeks of intense radiotherapy. All that radiation zapped into my body every early morning wore me out, hence why I haven’t blogged as much recently.
My radiotherapists put me into position under the machine, before blitzing my breast and sub-clavicle with radiation. The machine hovered over me but – unlike a CT scan – I was not in a tunnel, so any claustrophobes that are due to undergo radiotherapy need not worry. My sessions were quite quick, they took no longer than twenty minutes.
I was warned by my doctors that the side effects would worsen the closer I got to the end of my treatment. They weren’t wrong – I’m bloody knackered. Chemo was every three weeks, which gave me time to get my strength back before the next cycle; whereas with radiotherapy, I had it every weekday for nearly five weeks. Thus, all the radiation built up as the treatment went on and left me exhausted.
Although it’s not exactly the same, I can imagine what arthritis sufferers go through. My knees – which aren’t great at the best of times – and other joints ache, even when I get up from my seat after watching TV (I still have SO MANY programmes to catch up on). But I am going for daily walks to help boost my stamina and feeling better for it. I’m not getting ahead of myself in thinking that I’m close to full strength, oh no – I’m currently trying to master the balance between being active and over-exertion.
However, my hot flushes are ridiculous. They have been a regular occurrence since chemo but have got worse over the course of my treatment, especially now that I’m on hormone therapy medication. Nobody warns you about how insane they are – even on the coldest days and nights, I’ll end up sweating like a pig in a sauna.
Thank goodness the weather isn’t warm right now, but I’m sure it will be unbearable when summer comes around, especially if it’s anything like last year – 36 degrees centigrade and rising. Extreme temperatures annoy me at the best of times, so dealing with it on a daily basis for the next few years is not something I’m looking forward to, but things could be worse and I’m extremely thankful that they are not.
My scars are healing nicely and, apart from some soreness under my breast (which was really itchy at first but has sorted itself out), they are doing well.
Also, my fingernails are looking less blackened, but my word, they are absolutely hideous right now. I foolishly decided to give myself a manicure and misjudged how weak my nails are – I over-buffed them and now they are a broken, busted mess.
During chemo (they were darker than this):
Now (before my awful manicure):
They grew so long during chemo and with little effort – my pinky fingernails were like talons! I felt like Coko from SWV.
My hair is also growing back. I was rocking a bald head and had no eyebrows for ages, but in the couple of weeks they’ve suddenly burst back to life. My new growth is really soft and looks great.
It’s been over a month since I finished my treatment and I’m feeling ok, but I’m still a bit fatigued and achy around my body. I feel like a robot that needs some WD40 to oil my rusty joints.
Apart from that, I can’t complain!
greatbiglump 