Slow learner....

What a weekend...

Tough weekend. I must say I got a little cocky getting through Friday's end of radiotherapy and Chemo treatment and being released from the treatments and moving into recovery mode.

In case you haven't been following things, Friday was the last day of my 5 weeks of treatments. That comprises 25 radiotherapy sessions, and two weeks of Chemo, the first and the last week.

I felt so great being unhooked and talked in my last blog of the freedom of knowing I have no more daily appointments, and now it was time to move to stage 3, the pre operation recovery period.

It has not turned out to be the most pleasant weekend.

Notwithstanding this, compared to my expectation at the start of my treatments,  I have faired way better than I thought. Isn't it amazing just how quick we are to move the goal posts on expectations! I was feeling so clever. Cocky!

Friday night was tough. The pain killers no longer are cutting it, and the nausea has really stepped up a notch. I actually am not 100% sure whether I was getting slack on the alternative treatments, as I certainly have not been as regimented, or so vigilant to the timing of taking these supplements. For example, rather than taking the stuff 30 minutes before meals, I have been doing it more like 15. Rather than ALL the powders, I didn't get around to replacing one of them, I thought I was going strong and didn't prioritise it.

I may never know, but this weekend I sure have been asking myself the hard questions of myself.

Up often on Friday night. Remember I escaped to the vineyard and was on my own as the girls had commitments in town early Saturday morning. I got a late text from a mate who was at a charity function, Bernard B had said some extremely kind things to the audience about supporting me. It was pretty emotional reading that late at night, especially when I was in so much pain at that time and when the mobile did its incoming message "bing bing". A memorable moment for me.

Funny how things work out. The truth of people's characters seems to come out under the most unusual circumstances. More feedback came in on Saturday morning, thanks BB!

Saturday and the mornings have been YUCK.

I have felt uncomfortable all weekend. Really uncomfortable. Initially I was sitting around watching some movies. Marcus (our awesome IT guru) had set me up with a hard disk drive full of stuff, but I started to get quite fidgety as the day rolled on.

Even though I really couldn't think of anything worse, I eventually went out to the gym, and did an aerobic workout, very light but forced myself to drink a lot of water. It was the right thing to do.

Today Sylvia and I went for a walk around the vineyard with Mia...in the drizzling rain, and the sun came out for a while. Now that was therapeutic. We caught up briefly with the neighbours Peter and Ginette who had some of their cows out on the small road between our places, it was great to see them, yeah...the cows too.

Ears are ringing, whistling away...all part of the Chemo deal. Eyes, yep, they can go off apparently, so may just be age, but I suspect some impact there at the moment too. Mouth getting sore, yep...this week there will be lots of mouth washes. Tongue sore too.

Radiation. Finally succumbed to the special moisturizer for the radiation burns. Thanks Sylvia, been using it all weekend. Again, I was playing this little tough game, wanted to say I didn't need it and that I got through without it! What was I thinking? It works so well, my skin was red and looking pretty ordinary.

While we are on the subject of advice, with the step up of pain relief a few weeks ago I was advised to go on to regular Movicol, a constipation relief drink that tastes terrible. Did I do it? Of course not. I was doing just fine. Am I on it now? One guess! YES. Why? Because the doctors were spot on, the alernative was becoming ugly.

What sort of an idiot does this stuff, ignores the doctors? I think after this weekend I am now over trying to be some sort of hero, especially given no one else cares and all it does is make Sylvia and my life harder. I learnt some weeks ago about pain relief, initially I just wanted to tough it out, no longer, lesson learnt.

Promises are being kept.

I was promised from way, way back that the 10+ days  after my treatment finishes will be my toughest. Yep. Correct.

I never cease to be amazed with the Doctors, nurses, specialists, and the entire medical system that I have seen. They are so professional, and they have been spot on with everything they have said.

Here is an example. Last week I assumed I wouldn't need to see Tabitha, my Oncologist tomorrow since I had completed my Chemo treatment...but she wanted to leave the appointment in place just in case. Today I called her to check on how much more pain relief I could take, and confirmed, "see you tomorrow as planned" - they know!

I also have an itchy arm from the PICC line, blood and weeping over the weekend, so probably needs checking too. I was warned NOT to pick up stuff with that arm. So I got home and loaded the combustion heater with out even thinking about it. Loaded wood on my arm. How dumb. I guarantee lessons are finally being learnt by this little cancer patient, lots of them.

As my immune system continues to drop away this week, I will take the advice. I don't think I will be seen around the place much this week, could be a doosey.

This has been a tough learning weekend. This weekend I had the opportunity to read the briefing notes for my operation, scary.

The Professor has my absolute attention.

Onwards and upwards,

Have an awesome week,

Anthony

........but there is more......blogger contributions....
Ready for some more bad jokes?? Looch, pretty damn good actually. Just in case you are wondering, I am sharing about 10% of Looch's jokes!!

CONFUCIUS DID NOT SAY...

Man who wants pretty nurse, must be patient.

Passionate kiss, like spider web, leads to undoing of fly.

Squirrel who runs up woman's leg will not find nuts.

Man who leaps off cliff jumps to conclusion.

Man who runs behind car gets exhausted.

Man who eats many prunes get good run for money.

War does not determine who is right, it determines who is left.

Man who fight with wife all day get no piece at night.

It takes many nails to build a crib, but only one screw to fill it.

Man who drives like hell is bound to get there.

Man who stands on toilet is high on pot.

Men who live in glass house should change clothes in basement.

Man who fish in other man's well often catch crabs.

Finally CONFUCIUS DID SAY . . .

"A lion will not cheat on his wife, but a Tiger Wood!"