Monday, October 09, 2006

Cancer Glossary

Hi, B and I went to do some retail therapy yesterday and bumped into a few students in and around Hanley -- talking to them made me realise that I've absorbed and used a vocabulary that is quite alien to many readers of this blog.

I thought I'd start a glossary -- how English- teacher is that?
Chemo -- this is the drug therapy, so I guess it is short for chemical-therapy. I am having two sorts. One "I.V." (intra-venous) which means I have been in hospital on a "drip" where a needle is put into my hand and the various drug solutions are pumped directly into my veins / blood stream throughout a three day stay. Later I will also be having "oral chemo" which will be different set of drugs, taken in a tablet form, every day AT HOME for six weeks.

Radiotherapy. This is using strong x-ray type stuff to "zap" the tumour. The actual treaments only take a few minutes and these will also be every day, but not at weekends. I go in as an "Out-Patient" just to get the zap then come home. This will also run for 6 weeks.

Side Effects - both of these therapies have side effects, cos while they zap the tumour they also zap healthy cells too! The main side effects of my current chemo are nausea, anemia, exhaustion , sore mouth and hypersensitive hands and feet. I also get a reduced immune system which means I could get quite ill from simple infections cos I lose the power to fight them off. This, and the exhaustion, are the main reasons why I cannot go into work. Cancer isn't making me feel ill, the treatments are! The radiation side-effects are similar, with the added soreness around the skin where they send the rays into me. I will get progessively weaker as the six week treatments go on.

Benefits of Chemo and Radiation. I'm having both these treatments to reduce the size of my tumour. This means that the surgery will be more likely to succeed. I can't have surgery straight after the therapies, cos I'll be too weak, so that is why I will get a rest and hopefully a good Christmas before my operation.

Surgery. Obviously, this is the operation to cut out the diseased part of me. It will be a fairly big incision and I will be in hospital for about 10 days for this. Then I will have to recuperate at home for a while. This is all supposed to take place early in the New Year. After surgery most patients have more of the I.V. chemo, for a period of between four and six months .. so you can see this is a long-haul, though at the moment I don't know how much of this I'll be given.



8 comments:

suze said...

BUGGERATION
something has happened to some of the comments on this thread - sorry Ali and Jean - I dunno what it was --tho it cold have been the machine balked at conveying the idea that Jean was a "fresher" herself at some time in the recent past! Unless she went as a "mature" student, of course!

xx

Anonymous said...

Got the sea mist today coming up from Weymouth.
Hope your hands not so sore now the chemos finished.
Lots of love to both of you L M xxxxxx

Anonymous said...

just rung you must be in the bath
Spending money again on bedding
I F.T am taking over, mother as volunteering to make a pot of tea,
we both hope that things are going as well as they can be for you both.
Still waiting to see what the DVLA have to say,but a case for our positive thinking,
we will be seeing you soon. Dad xxxxx

Anonymous said...

how lovely it has been to talk to you Suzi... love to B too. from Mike xxx

suze said...

Hi mum and dad - I was talking on the phone to Mike - am going to get a bath now -- will talk tonight

Anonymous said...

Thinking of you, praying for you.

Matt D. showed me your blog so I can keep track of how you are getting on.

Hugs & kisses,

Megan, the 'big old softie' from College.

James said...

One word is missing off the glossary.

HERO. (That’s you). You are so inspirational and you manage to give hope, love and all that energy as your continued gift to all your friends even when you have your own mountains to climb. I am so lucky and PROUD to have you as my friend, you are my Hero*.

A less sentimental and more amusing version:

Hero: the bread or roll used in making a hero sandwich

*feminise as needed.

Love you gal.

J

suze said...

@ James -- you are a sentimental fool at time, ... but thanks anyway!

and it's a two way thing -- I also know that you are a really tippy-top friend and "always there for me" (I just which there was a less American way of saying that)

I'm gonna miss you while you are on your hols ...