A Third and 33

I’ve now completed one third of my treatment. That’s 11 of the 33 doses of radiation in total.

I had a really good weekend at the garden show with my collector friends. The weather could have been better but that didn’t stop us from having a lot of fun amongst ourselves and with the event’s visitors.

The side effects – minor diarrhea – weren’t really a problem. I had one minor mishap shortly after I arrived at the venue but I put this down to the two and a half hour drive and rushing around when I got there, so perhaps a combination of adrenalin and lack of concentration.

I was sleeping in a tent and a bit worried that any unscheduled bathroom visits during the night might present what I’ll euphemistically call “logistics” problems, But in the end I didn’t need to get up. Sleep was intermittent but I was warm and dry, depsite the rain which largely fell overnight.

The treatment today was routine but at 2pm instead of the usual 10am-ish slot. That presented a slight challenge in getting the hydration right, especially as I had probably become a bit dehydrated over the weekend. I had my usual pint of water an hour before the treatment was due and drank the smaller bottle on the way to the facility. I arrived in good time but felt I might need a bit more water, so drank a cup from the dispenser in the waiting room. That did the trick but the radiographers were running a few minutes behind schedule – about 20 as it turned out – which meant that I was almost bursting by the time I was called through. One of the radiographers had spotted my discomfort on the CCTV linked to the waiting room and came to see if I was alright. She suggested I could “let a little go” if I liked but I reckoned that once I started to pee that would be it, so I decided to tough it out.

Actually, it wasn’t any worse than one of the earlier days but the sudden increase in the feeling of fullness between arriving at the facility and going through to the changing rooms and waiting area made me wonder if it would continue to build up. As before, once I was on the table the urge seemed to lessen. I imagine this is also because I am lying so there is less pressure on the bladder from whatever is just above it. Plus, as I mentioned in a previous post, when you’re in the treatment room you have a much better idea how long you need to hold on.

Day Eleven

Tiredness: 0/10

Side Effects: minor diarrhea in morning, before leaving for treatment but otherwise OK