Friday 19th February 2016
Port Flushing and General Progress
Again, writing this on 8th March.
Back to Ricky Grant to have my port flushed, for the last time. They are always very pleased to see me and they all said how well I was looking. Again, I took some cakes in for the chemo-ites and had some nice conversations with various people. It was a fairly quiet session with not so many people in as usual so I shared the rest of the cakes with the nurses.
Peripheral Neuropathy
I think this is beginning to improve slightly, at last. My fingers are definitely a bit better, but my feet remain as badly affected. The Lhermitte’s is much improved and there’s only a little trace of it left. The urinary retention remains the same, and I have noticed a tiny amount of dribbling after I’ve finished – if it doesn’t improve by the time of my appointment with Dr. Lo in June, she may want to refer me to a urologist, but there’s another 3 months to go so by that time things might have improved.
Rectal Stump
Everything seems to have settled down just fine in this area, and apart from a little bit of discharge a few weeks after it was cleaned out, I have had nothing since, so I am hoping that the procedure, coupled with the end of my chemo, has sorted the problem once and for all.
Generally
While I was still undergoing treatment, I liked to think of myself as a cancer warrior rather than a cancer sufferer. I am feeling well adjusted to my new status as cancer survivor now – in fact I’d prefer to call myself a cancer victor! Last month I found myself thanking God that I’d had cancer! I know this sounds really weird, but I had ulcerative colitis which was a real pain, and I frequently had to drop everything to rush to the loo and quite often I wouldn’t make it in time… The colitis wasn’t bad enough (especially after the medication improved things) that I would ever be likely to end up with a bag, which meant that I would have to go on like that for the rest of my life. Then along came the cancer and the decision was made. After a normal initial teething period with Kermit, which wasn’t easy, I soon settled down and found that my life was completely changed, and for the first time for years, I felt in control of my life, and I simply haven’t looked back. If I were to have my time again, I wouldn’t change a thing. So I am GLAD I had the cancer because it has given me my life back in more ways than one!
I am currently feeling a lot better than I have felt for a very long time. I am glad this has coincided with a period when I seem to be very busy! I do get very tired in between my various activities and find myself collapsing on the recliner and not being able to keep awake, but I can put up with that. On days when we are not so busy, I am having a lie-in in the mornings and not pushing myself. I have been back to the Lodge (the cancer support and information centre at the hospital) for a couple of relaxation sessions which make us all feel great, and I’ve made a couple of new friends there, and my friends from our hospital stay try to make it as often as possible too, so it’s a nice opportunity to get together and have a chat over coffee afterwards.
