Last Chemo 12th to 17th Feb

I have been admitted initially to the BMT unit on the same terms as Ward 62 If I am up to it then I will be allowed out. This presents a bit of a run around for my parents. As I can potentially finish the morning treatments by 10:15, then have the entire day free until the 3:00 treatment where timings are a little more unpredictable. I can be finished by 4:00 if no delays have built up, however it seems usual for one of the machines to breakdown or the sheer volume of users just causes everything to come to a halt. Also they won’t work Sundays but will work Saturdays? I get the Sunday off all treatment as a result.

Radiotherapy starts on schedule on Saturday. Once you are lead into the radiotherapy room and stripped off and attached to sensors you are made to lie in position by the doctors. Once again all my trust is placed with the doctors who made the dosage calculations.

Mondays afternoon session the is a long delay. The is a little girl. She lightens the atmosphere playing in the waiting area. However when she goes into treatment you can hear the screaming even through the extra thick walls.

The Treatment goes smoothly enough. However the were a few unforeseen surprises. You can feel the radiowaves scanning up and down making each hair stand on end. This tingling continues up the next and across the eyes. The first time I decide to keep my eyes open the first time. I feel the tingling sensation buy shut my eyes the second time. It lights up my eyelids like a torch at close range. In my 3rd session these tingling feelings develop into involuntary twitches.



One last treatment before the transplant that is Chemotherapy. Possibly my last ever session Of Chemo, just as before it will treat the whole of my body but this will be far more intense, designed to kill off any remaining stem cells. Side effects are almost instant. I’d able to get out the hospital up until now. I was tired, appetite gone, no energy in my limbs.. I was now stuck in the BMT unit ..