Two Weeks Down

Today was the final treatment of the week and I am looking forward to the weekend. So far it has been going well, in so far as there have been no complications and very few side effects.

That said, I have begun to experience some minor diarrhea. Nothing that has caused any issues yet and nothing to stop me getting on with the daily routine of treatments, travel and life in general. I asked the radiographers about things I could do to alleviate the problem. They suggested cutting down on foods containing fibre, including wholemeal bread, fruit and vegetables. That’s pretty much my entire diet so I guess I’ll be making a few changes.

One simple piece of advice was that green vegetables and anything else that grows “above ground” should be reduced and those that grow underground increased. So, more potatoes and less broccoli it is then…

This weekend I am off to one of my favourite events of the year, a big garden show where I am exhibiting some of my vintage machinery. I’ve been exhibiting their with some fellow collectors since 2000 so this year will be my 20th visit. Although I am really looking forward to catching up with everyone, I will be seeing some of my friends for the first time since my treatment started and a few of them don’t know about my original diagnosis. I’ve decided that it’s time to tell them.

When I visited this event three years ago I was in the middle of confirming my diagnosis – in fact, I had my first MRI scan on the Friday morning before heading off to the event later that day. Looking back it was all a bit surreal, trying to take it all in and at the same time thinking about what the future might hold and how it would all turn out. At the time I wasn’t thinking three years ahead. That’s not because I feared the worst – although of course it’s in your mind – but more because making decisions about potential treatments and then planning for that treatment are the focus.

Day Ten

Tiredness: 0/10

Side Effects: minor diarrhea in the morning, and again in afternoon