Tolerance helps through
My radiotherapy
session yesterday was the latest in time for all visits to The Christie
Hospital at 18h15, it represented the longest time between the weekday
treatments as there are no weekend sessions. I was first in on Thursday morning
at 08h00, the receptionists and staff had not arrived when I got to the
hospital for my appointment.
With 7 done, we are
over a third of the way through it and I have a better understanding of what to
expect. I am tolerating radiotherapy well, but fatigue is a downer, much as I
want to be active the body is sending signals I cannot ignore, and tiredness gets
respite with sleep at irregular times leading to nocturnal insomnia where you
wake up in the middle of the night and even though you are tired, you cannot
sleep.
The side effect is
more related to fatigue than insomnia being a documented side effect of
radiotherapy when it applies to the prostate. It royally screws up the day that
you need to become flexible about how you are productive.
Take each day
I would do whatever I can when my energy levels are up, regardless of the time of the day, and take the rest as needed when the fatigue sets in.
The waiting rooms during
the evening sessions are quite busy and this time, as I was waiting to be
called into my usual suite, I was reassigned to another suite where I was
immediately called in for my radiotherapy treatment.
One other thing I
have noticed is my ambulatory performance is quite low compared to my usual walking
speed, it reminds me of the months of recuperation after chemotherapy in 2010, I
just took my time putting one foot in front of the other knowing I would eventually
get to my destination. The distance to the hospital on my good walking days I
could do in 60 to 70 minutes. It is not something I have contemplated currently.
The smart thing now is prioritising the responsiveness to treatment over other situations and variables, and making the best of the weekend breaks on the treatment plan.
Blog - Photons on
the Prostate - VI
Blog - Photons on the Prostate - IV
Blog - Men's things
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are accepted if in context are polite and hopefully without expletives and should show a name, anonymous, would not do. Thanks.