Leaving the House

Here's an interesting one. Well, it's interesting to me. I completed my Radiotherapy sessions last week, and this ended my Monday to Friday trips to hospital. All of a sudden what was a routine became something in the past which I looked back on fondly. 

The Radiotherapy unit I was placed in were lovely. They'd always chat with me about anything and everything that wasn't what was going on with my brain. We'd chat about Matilda, things we've laughed at on YouTube, things we've watched on tv, music we like, Christmas decorations. Yeah, Christmas. That still feels weird, it was the least festive I've ever felt (understandably). But we did it, we got through six weeks of it. 

Then it stops. I left the hospital with Masky and everything went into limbo. The weather was rubbish, my white blood cells and platelet counts were low so we had a simple way of life - don't do anything until the levels improve as I really don't want to get ill - mainly as I won't be able to fight it as well as if I was full strength. Pumped full of drugs and injections to make me as 'normal' as I can be. 

We also worked out that as the antihistamines I'm taking (for the chemo rash/electric shocks) are drowsy ones this might be why I'm so sleepy. Now my blood sugars are improved and aren't too high I've had a coffee again so let's see what happens there. I mean, it's obvious when written down but we've had so much information about everything it just became another thing. Until it became an "oh YEAH" thing. Which was less than a week ago. 

So if I drink more coffee, arrange to meet friends for coffee, don't push myself too much but keep on moving, get out of the house and to a coffee shop (levels of things permitting of course), then hopefully my stamina will return slowly but surely. Plus I'm getting out of the house so it's good for my overall mood. 

Coffee seems to be a theme here....

Introducing Masky

This is Masky. Masky currently lives on a light in our living room as there's nowhere obvious for them to live right now. I'm also trying to think of a good purpose for Masky so that it's not just another 'thing'.

Masky and I met at the start of my second phase of treatment when a piece of plastic was placed over my swollen face and moulded to the shape of my swollen face. Mid-way through the treatment we had to adjust things a bit when the swelling disappeared (it took six weeks) which was fine, it just required my head to be bumped up a bit to keep everything really still. 

Masky and I laid on that Radiotherapy bench every day, clamped in place knowing the treatment was quick - which it always was at around ten minutes.

"Does it hurt?" - I felt no pain.

"Can you tell when it's there?" - I kept my eyes open so saw when the Radiotherapy zapper was targeting my forehead area

"Have you lost any hair?" - yes - just in the area the zapper got me and from the back of my head where the exit beam would have been. 

"Was it claustrophobic?" - I didn't find it that way, though I have spoken to people who do. The Radiographers were all brilliant when it came to chat and reassurances - I miss them all. 

Anyway, here's Masky.