Friday, 15th September 2023
Week two of being radiated, seven zappings in, today’s the eighth (so far two four-day weeks). I had thought once it started I’d have loads to write about. And although that’s true, I’m just too tired. Last night I slept thirteen hours, with a few wee breaks, and still woke up exhausted. I had hoped to make it to my first Boat Show in Southampton next week, but that’s unlikely. I’ll spare you too much info, but yesterday on the way home, even though I thought there was not much in there, I poo’d myself. In someone else’s car. They go to great lengths to zap only the tumour, and the modern machinery is incredibly well tuned to hit only the same shape of the cancer, but a disturbance to the bladder and bowl is inevitable. The one thing — that’s not true, one thing of many — that MS has taught me is that we are all different, unique, and our bodies react to the same circumstances differently. However much you read up on this stuff, how ever much you speak to other people, you cannot be fully prepared. What preparation is there to being hit by a brick wall?
Amongst the non-cancer medication I’m on (other than high-energy X-ray beams I’m not on cancer specific medication [yet, maybe]), is Perinpodril for high blood pressure. I’m not entirely sure what it does but I think it has something to do with stoping the kidney’s re-uptake of salt, or something else entirely, that affects the kidneys and as a side-effect, weeing. Since the start of radiation I have had difficulties weeing, it won’t come, as it were, builds up pressure, stings a lot and dibbles when it does come, and you don’t know when or if you’re finished. First they suggested Ibuprofen for anti-inflamation, the zapped cancer tumour is getting a bit pissed off and the body’s immune system causes inflamation which squeezes the tube between the bladder and the wee’s freedom to the outside world. That didn’t work, so now they’ve suggested [**] which has made a difference to the start of the process and to the flow, and it doesn’t sting, but I ain’t half going a lot more. They said stop the coffee, it irritates the bladder apparently, but I’ve been drinking coffee all my life, it’s one of the few pleasures atm, and there is conflicting advice from different staff. So coffee stays for the time being, but Prinpodril stops, just in case it exacerbates problems. I’ll risk the stroke for now. With trying to keep an eye on urinating frequency, you’re supposed to remain hydrated, clear the bladder before getting to hospital then drink a bunch of water to fill the bladder for the treatment (a full bladder pushes the prostate into the correct position, or the same position as the day before and the day before that). And controlling the bowel’s need to constantly ’squirt’ an exit strategy, by still needing to eat, it can do your head in.
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