First Radiotherapy Session, March 2024

14 March 2024. Early morning start to Christies (even earlier for that top man Graham Astley once again acting as chauffeur, carer and all-round good egg) and we got there in good time. I went to register for my MRI, had to undress and wear a gown - either I have shrunk or they have grown - maybe as well because it had to be tied at the front so they could admire my new tattoos.

Usually I spurt blood all over the place quite nonchalantly but this time the canula went in just above my wrist and my left arm must have been empty from the elbow down. The right arm worked though. Inflatable belt again and this time with the added bulk of the MRI plate resting on my abdomen - a ticklish moment when the hard bit of the velcro belt fastening got twisted and the edge started to dig in me under the weight of the plate. I had to stop them, but it got sorted and I was trundled head first into the MRI tunnel - not a huge amount of space between the MRI tunnel ceiling and everything that moved along with me after being belted, inflated and plated...

Ear plugs inserted - not had those before but it was ok - they went in my ears... - and headphones on. Very noisy machine, much more so than Blackpool or Leeds. Had to hold my breath having breathed out which I find very difficult due to the asthma and is illogical anyway, you can't hold what you've already got rid of...

Very stiff and sore coming out of tunnel at the end and when the nurse said "You can sit up now" I had to answer, "Easy for you to say!" So my ankles were grabbed, legs swung to side of bed, hands on shoulders sitting me up - voice from in front says "oh... I'll just shut the door..." as passers-by were treated to bare legs and undies.

They were very apologetic (the nurses not the passers-by). I said "It's ok, I'm old enough not to worry about it as long as no-one actually laughs..." Home now, rested, (means I went to sleep...) and ready to start thinking about this weekend's event as we are off to one of Talking Pictures TV's fabulous Film Festivals. Yay for the good guys.

16 March 2024. A couple of days later we were down in St Albans at the Talking Pictures TV event. I've been lucky enough to know and have fairly long acquaintances with a number of actors in my life and here I am with Bond girls Caroline Munro and Madeline Smith. Other highlights of the weekend were my usual chat with Noel Cronin, who started off our favourite TV channel, getting to sit as "minder" to Caroline over her autograph session, something I've done many times over the years since we first met in 1999. Someone asked if I were her husband... I quickly denied it before she had time to look affronted!

Oh and that naughty but nice chanteuse, Lola Lamour nipped my bum as I was in a queue for coffee. Back on stage after the break, she grinned at me and said, "I pinched your bum!"
"Yes..." I answered loudly, "can I have it back?

21 March 2024. I got a phone call from The Christie hospital. After the MRI they are thinking of reducing the risk to my heart a bit by delivering the radiotherapy over 8 visits rather than 5 (bearing in mind that with a normal doseage it would take 30 visits...

27 March 2024. Graham arrived early to take us once more to Christies. This was for my first radiotherapy session. I was a bit quieter than usual perhaps, wondering what lay ahead as we drove there. I had been warned it might make me feel sick, so Janet had loaded a washing basket with towels - so many I wondered whether she thought I might explode... Anyway it didn't affect me that way.

The session went ok apart from sudden horrendous pain when the belt thing being adjusted moved a floating rib. I had to ask them to let out the belt and physically push the rib back. Luckily I had come across a description of floating ribs beforehand or that could have been a lot more frightening. Do a Google search for "floating ribs".

The procedure means uncovering all parts the beam needs to travel through from one tattoo to another both up/down and side to side. Trousers and undies were pushed down but not removed altogether. This huge lump of machinery moves around you at times (you are on a narrown bed but not in any surrounding tube like with an MRI). You will probably be able to see the point of origin of the laser beams used to pinpoint the track from tattoo to tatto. Gazing fixedly at them is not recommended. Also the room is very large and cold but you just have to put up with that.

The radiotherapy itself was over in what seemed like a much shorter time than I had expecting. I got off the machine and managed to keep my trousers from falling right down, but then realised I had hold of my trousers but not my undies and had to go fishing... Ah the joys of hospital visits...

I had a burning sensation in the side where the tattoo was for a while but not sure if that was just the weary old body playing tricks with my mind. It felt real though and I asked at my next visit and was told it probably was real.

I was exhausted coming out - I went to sleep in the car coming back. I spent a lot of the afternoon asleep too but we were up early and I suspect that I'll sleep better tonight instead of wondering what I'll be facing next time. Visits are scheduled for either 2 or 3 times a week with a minumum of one free day between treatment days.

Family Memories: Personal Index

Cancer: Preparation for Radiotherapy

12 September 2023. Carrying on from the previous article, it is now the third day after the second TACE procedure on my cancer. The bruise from my groin extends a full 12 inches (30 and a bit cm) round the top of my leg, up the side of my bum and looks set to extend up my back. Though it is starting to go yellow in a few spots. The twinges and stabbies have now started a bit in my side and I know they will get worse and probably last a few months now. Getting tired easily, can nap at any time whilst eating, whilst at the computer, am not driving...!

20 September 2023. Whilst trying to protect the area to the side of my bits where a catheter was shoved up not quite a fortnight ago, I've strained the other side haven't I... So whilst sitting, jumping up and uttering "Oh, 'pon my word!" every now and then, I get a package from Talking Pictures TV with tickets for one of their film festivals that I booked, only to find I'd only ordered one ticket and not two. On the phone grovelling and paying for another ticket and have now returned the ticket for the centre of the front row and await whatever are the best tickets for two seats together. Sigh... I remember when my mind worked properly...

22 September 2023. Ok, so I'm back on track now thank goodness and healing well. Bruise is mostly yellow but still have an 8" x 1.5" strip with purple. Most afternoons involve a nap for anything up to a couple of hours, so often that I have given up and just go to bed for a few hours each afternoon. I have managed to get out of the house once or twice.

19 October 2023. MRI No.6 done and dusted. We found the hotel after a false start... There are four Premier Inns in Leeds and we saw the sign for one from the 4th floor of the car park after picking up the case. It was, of course, the wrong one and in the opposite direction than the one we were booked in.

The MRI machine surprised me a couple of times by saying "take shallow breaths...". So after a short interlude of panting I was starting to think I should breathe into a paper bag... Also the nurse said "I've seen you before haven't I?" So I thought here we go, she remembers me spraying blood all over the place, but no! She remembered either the face or the physique - probably the face because she didn't laugh... So now it's the usual wait for the results whilst trying not to bite my nails further down than the first knuckle... Onwards and upwards! Xxxx

21 November 2023. Tomorrow we are heading once more over to Leeds as I have a face to face with the consultant re the cancer. Not sure what to expect as I've already been told the last set of blood tests showed anaemia or low haemoglobin count again. Any more iron tablets and I'll be unable to walk past magnets...

22 November 2023. Back from the trip to Leeds. Mixed news as always. The last op had no effect. The two tumours haven't changed in size and are both still active or viable - meaning capable of being active. So the medical bods at Leeds are now meeting as a team to decide whether they should try the procedure again or, because the first one shrank the main tumour enough that it's just under the upper limit for radiotherapy, whether to try that.

The team meeting will look at where entry (target) points for radiation would need to be and whether that would zap any other parts that shouldn't be zapped. If they go for radiotherapy it could be done at Christies in Manchester which would knock an hour off each journey. Options would only be Leeds or Christies as it has to be done in a major cancer-specialising hospital. Not likely to hear now until near Christmas and nothing likely to happen until next year. Took a full 8-hour day that, from leaving house to getting back.

28 November 2023. I'm getting very dozy. I can fall asleep no matter where I am, at my desk, watching TV, in the doctor's waiting room. Miss Franny is having to nudge me every half hour or so...

1 December 2023. Blooming heck! Mid meal - CRUNCH! - sigh... didn't need that tooth anyway... This is the start of a few losses in the mouth, mainly on the lower right where one missing tooth has created a space for another one to gradually lean over, crushing another couple of teeth. Luckily they haven't caused any pain or discomfort so I've sort of ignored them. Our dentist got taken over by someone who announced I needed four extractions and two fillings before I'd even opened my mouth...

16 January 2024. Follow-up to the meeting at Leeds on 22 Nov. Apparently my details and scans have been forwarded from Leeds to Christies Hospital who are still to make a decision on whether radiotherapy is possible for me. Next step is wait for Christies to get in touch and presumably they will want an up-to-date scan to see whether the tumours have grown or not since my last scan in October. In other words: don't know nuffink... The only thing I do know is that I am still able to fall asleep within two seconds of letting my mind go blank...

8 February 2024. It's my first visit to Christies (or more formally: The Christie) Hospital just outside Manchester today. I am to have Stereotatic Ablative Body Radiotherapy which is high dose, precisely targetted and due to the high dosage will be completed within 5 treatments, one every two days. There are some risks and some side effects. The risk of not having it done is of course a touch more severe... Two visits before the treatment days to have scans done to see how much my liver moves about of its own accord. (It's always been a bit flighty...) Some sort of belt is used to limit my breathing during the hour long treatments - sounds fun to a life-long asthmatic. They estimate that treatment will start in March. Oh... and I have apparently shrunk an inch and a half in height since the last time I was measured.

I updated friends on Facebook and had a few questions directed to me about what on earth "Stereotatic Ablative Body Radiotherapy" meant. I responded:

SABR - stereotatic means two beams - all the better to make me glow in the dark. Hope they don't cross the beams! (see Ghostbusters for explanation)

Ablative means to reduce.

Body apparently means that just the thought of it has reduced me one and a half inches already

Radiotherapy means I'll go green and strong when narked... a bit like the jolly green giant... or the Hulk... or something... This would have been better on Facebook if I hadn't missed out the letter R in narked...

15 February 2024. Letters arriving from Christies on a daily basis (well, it's only been a couple of days...) CT scan and planning meeting scheduled for 8 March and MRI on 14 March. Expecting the treatment to start shortly afterwards.

8 March 2024. To Christies for a CT scan and meet with the oncology team to plan the raidotherapy treatment. We had met up with friends from school days a couple of weeks ago and Graham had very kindly offered to drive us to Christies whenever I needed to go. "I can't ask you to take me there twice a week!" I exclaimed.

"Well... you can..." came the calm reply. What an absolute gent. Already he had taken us to Leeds many times, giving up a entire day each time.

Anyway we got to Christies, found that there was free parking. I found the Radiotherapy ward ok, got registered, had the prep talk then decided not to risk the scanner without going to the loo first. Then of course I got lost in a long corridor as the loo was down a side corridor... I also managed to get lost coming back, as all the doors were marked "Radiation - Do Not Enter" so I didn't fancy opening the wrong door...

The bit I was worried about was the belt around the abdomen to restrict my breathing. The nurse assisting with the CT put it on and tightened it and I thought "oh... not so bad..." Then she said "I'll inflate it now..." It felt a bit like having a solid cricket ball pressed hard into your stomach making each breath a gasp. My chest looks like a noughts and crosses board, arrows everywhere (drawn on not shot at...) I got four tattooed dots, which would be used to ensure the beam would enter and travel through me from the right point and in the right direction. Two dots gave the vertical target and two others from side to side gave the horizontal. I had been warned the beam would touch the bottom of a lung and my heart. One of the dots was tattooed only an inch above a designated area of natural interest (that one made me wince!).

This was the tattoo on my chest - no you can't see the corresponding one lower down...

We got home mid afternoon, I was asleep in 15 minutes flat... The actual radiotherapy will start in just a few days.

Family Memories - Personal Index