Cancer: Post Radiotherapy and Side Effects

30 April 2024. Two weeks ago today was my last radiotherapy treatment. Today I got a letter from Christies inviting me to go for a talk with my consultant on 30 May. First I have to go to the phlebotomy department. I think this is to give blood samples for testing rather than to have my bumps felt - though you never know your luck... (No, you pillock! That's phrenology!)

14 May 2024. I have spent most of the past 2 weeks coughing so much my ribs ache and each time it takes a minute or two for my stomach muscles to unclench. If I don't come out of this with a restored six pack I'm going to be very disappointed... Also the 20 or so pills I take daily do not mix with the cough so well and I've developed a new skill in upchucking them out again. Am now managing to stay awake through almost 9 to 10 hours a day which leaves up to 14 hours where needing the bathroom is inconvenient. Managed to watch all the way up to the end of the UK Eurovision entry last weekend in what should surely be renamed next year to the Eurovision S&M Homo-eroticism Contest... Dire... just dire.

30 May 2024. Today was another trip to Christies to give blood samples and see my oncologist. Reassuring to know that with all the grotty side effects, including the passing of poo in Smartie-sized pips until the final bit has to be ejected with such strained force that it can leave you bleeding (sorry folks but this series of articles is meant to help fellow sufferers at the start of their journey understand what they might have to deal with), she seemed to think they were all in keeping with what I've had done.

I had been warned that the cancer would take moisture out of the gut but that phrase doesn't seem to go as far as the possible symptoms somehow... An MRI won't be taken until sometime in July - it apparently has to be 3 months after the radiotherapy has finished.

3 June 2024. Diabetic review today after having donated yet more red corpuscles the other week. Sugar has leapt upwards but thankfully it is due to both the recent radiotherapy and associated stress so should come down again. However for the moment it has increased my daily pill intake again...

13 July 2024. After two years of Covid lockdowns and a year of feeling a whole range of grot from just feeling off, to feeling exhausted and unwell and then having cameras shoved in everywhere, then CT and MRI scans, it was two years ago today that I learned I had cancer on the liver. Since then I've been passed from Blackpool Victoria Hospital to Leeds St James then Christies hospitals, two procedures, one that worked and one that didn't, an intense course of radiotherapy that I'm still recovering from the after effects of.

I'm hoping that the next MRI a week on Tuesday will tell me that the radiotherapy worked. Throughout, the support of people that I have known from all sorts of periods and places has been amazing and I thank you all. Special mention has to go to school chum Janet Astley and hubby Graham for giving up time and more, ferrying me to and from Leeds and Manchester, my bestie David Lancaster and Miss Jeannie for their incessant support and love through times during which he and I have both been going through "stuff".

Lastly of course my own family, especially the wonderful Miss Franny who has watched over, encouraged and cared for me throughout and Gillian Statham our daughter and son-in-law Edward for all their support and help with running about and doing stuff when I've not been able to. And I mustn't forget our wonderful granddaughter Grace, who cheers me up and fills me with love and who comes to rub my arm or back if ever I show any sign of a cough or discomfort. Two years is enough - Christies: I want that next MRI to show nothing but what should be there!

22 July 2024. Just got back from another fabulous weekend with Talking Pictures TV at their Monmouth Festival of Film. Many thanks to Noel and Sarah Cronin for putting on such wonderful weekends, to Caroline Munro, Jayne Crimin and Madeline Smith for being as lovely as they always are and to comedian, Mel Byron, for naming me from the stage leaving everybody wondering who the heck I was.

Some other great guests including Tony Christie, Maureen Lipman, the indefatigable Jimmy Cricket who had the audience in stitches throughout his spot and no TPTV weekend would be complete without the glamourous Lola Lamour. There were many more of course including The Footage Detectives with Noel and Mike Read and some great film snippets and features.

23 July 2024. Just back at 8.54pm from Christies hospital where I had bloods taken and then MRI scan. Bloods were taken at around 2.30pm so a long afternoon. In the waiting room for the MRI I was sitting next to a guy who had been diagnosed with cancer across his shoulders. He was asking me about my experiences as he was only recently diagnosed. Although I was honest, I was making light of my own experiences, yet he was staring at me like I was some sort of hero and saying "Oh my God!" at almost everything I said. I'm no blooming hero, but what can you say when you are asked "Were you put under when you had your operation?"

I had to say, "No, because I had to hold my breath at certain points, so it was just a local anaesthetic..."
"Oh my God! So you were awake all through it? How long did it take?"
"About three quarters of an hour..."
"Oh my God!!!"

8 August 2024. Got the results of my first scan after the radiotherapy today. The cancer hasn't grown and hasn't shrunk or disappeared. "It's what we would hope to see, we wouldn't have expected it to have shrunk yet, it takes longer than that after radiotherapy." Well, if they had told me that in April it would have saved me from what feels like a disappointment today then wouldn't it...? Ah well - another MRI in 3 months. Same old.

What follows next is our cruise with Tomas and Maris on the Norwegian Pearl in the Adriatic Sea. This has already featured on the blog but I'll just repeat this little snippet from the entry on 1 September 2024 in which I am describing a day in Rijeka on 21 August 2024.

A couple of weeks ago I took a step short coming downstairs at home and scraped the back of my leg on the step, leaving a carpet burn that blistered. I'd been putting antiseptic cream on but Miss Franny had only packed the small tube we were halfway through so needed to buy some more. I know it sounds trivial but at age 70 and with diabetes, these things do not heal quickly and can be very painful."

In fact the damage to the liver had given me a developing leg ulcer. Any pain I might have had from the cancer would shrink in my mind due to what I would suffer from this and more similar spread of wounds on both legs. I went through the cancer on just paracetamol. With the ulcers I progressed to nerve pain killers and codeine then morphine and still had such pain that I could have wept. (At times I did!)

Currently on 8 December 2025 my legs are still bandaged though the wounds are disappearing. 15 months of suffering, 2 months spent in hospital May to the beginning of July this year, unable to stand and having to watch a pool of blood forming on the floor around my feet when I tried... It has been a long struggle that still continues.

Cancer and Leg Ulcers Index
Family Memories: Personal Index

Cancer: Life After TACE

18 August 2022. More or less one week on from the operation and I'm starting to feel human again. The orange shorts - the illusion caused by the painting on of pre-op antiseptic fluid - have sadly disappeared and even most of the bruising is turning yellow. I still can't rest on my right side though and am not allowed to strain myself by trying to lift or carry anything heavier than a bag of fluff. But have been able to get a bus into the village centre and potter about on my stick for a few minutes before heading for a cafe for coffee and sit down.

28 August 2022. I'm ok. I think Miss Franny might say "ok-ish..." We should have been in Austria for a week from this weekend but have had to cancel that on doctor's orders. So we've booked a couple of nights in Bridlington. Can just potter about and hopefully get a sketch or two in. One of the frustrations of both the cancer and the after-effects of the operation is getting used to the fact that some things are out of bounds even when I feel ok. And if I'm honest I'm not always ok.

I was warned that cancer in the liver affects the digestion process by drawing a lot of moisture from the gut. This dries up whatever is left and therefore - do I need to go into details? Going to the loo can be hard - think of more than one interpretation for that sentence... I suffered some bleeding.

Unfortunately this coincided with me getting one of those 2-yearly bowel cancer surveys and inevitably I got a follow-up letter saying blood had been found on the sample... I had a fair idea where it was coming from so I ignored it... There was no way at that time I wanted to go through the laxative and bowel emptying that preceeds a camera up the behind... And I would have had to spend the entire evening sat on the loo because I just couldn't move as fast as that requires you to do. Once the urge hits you have to make a mad dash!

2 September 2022. We took a couple of days in Bridlington. It was windy and cold and we spent much more time in the hotel than we would have normally done. I was having to go for a lie down and sleep for one or two hours every afternoon and we usually didn't venture out after the evening meal. Even when out I spent a lot of time sitting on benches near the harbour whilst Fran had a look around the shops. These often led to conversations with other holiday-makers, some of whom would ask if I was alright - Heaven only knows what I looked like at that time but it must have been obvious I was ill... At least there are people who can look beyond me having a ruddy complexion!

26 September 2022. Some good news for a change! Had my phone consultation after the MRI and the tumour has shrunk a bit from over 6cm to 5cm and liver function and bloods all ok. No fluid apparent in any other places it shouldn't be, so all is well. All the sensations and discomfort I've had are consistent with the procedure I had, so nothing too worrying about them either. Next MRI mid-December to see what happens next.

October 2022. Remember that bit about no fluid being apparent in places it shouldn't be? I should have been worried about there being no fluid in places it should be. I've already touched on the problemn re the gut. I ended up compacted and in such pain that I was unable to sit down, lie down or stand up without being doubled over in pain. The doctors prescribed something the chemist couldn't get hold of but luckily the purchase of something that they suggested slowly did the trick, though there had been several days of agony and thinking I was about to burst my colon and go the way of Rudolph Valentino, but without all the fun of his days of fame!

15 September 2022. A planned visit to the doc's after my twice annual diabetic blood tests went well. Diabetes readings down, thyroid, kidneys, stable. Blood pressure normal. Weight down 3kg - good but a bit of a double-edged sword given the existence of cancer... Yesterday we had gone to a Macmillan's afternoon at a local hotel. I wasn't sure what to expect really but the whole thing was a bit meh. We hadn't been sent a programme so assumed it was drop-in sessions, but when we got there a series of talks were just ending and of all the specialist stalls for prostate, bowel, leukaemia, lymphoma, there was nothing for liver cancer (or lung cancer - as we left someone was complaining bitterly about that). A few stalls for mental health - ha! I've always been pretty mental really... More stalls encouraging activity as though I could fit any more zumba and pilates classes into my life... (I don't do any, but I make sure I can't fit any into my life...) Then the highlight last night, took Miss Franny to a carvery for tea and then to the Winter Gardens where granddaughter Grace and her co-performers won their school a shield for best effort in the dance competiton! Yay! Go Grace!

15 December 2022. Another trip to Leeds for a follow-up MRI scan. It went ok, MRI shook rattled and rolled as per, but easier to cope with the more of them I have done. Gave up some blood afterwards, which was reluctant to stop but eventually did - nice purple lump just under my elbow bend... Got to say a huge thank you to Graham who drove us there and back, our thanks and appreciation for all he did, an absolute gent. Got home and flopped a bit. Miss Franny woke me up at 9:00pm to send me to bed... Today could be a bit like that too... Thanks to all who sent good wishes and encouragement. Now it's the waiting game until I get the results.

23 December 2022. Just over a week since the MRI and the bruise where the canula pressed against my arm in the machine has started going yellow... Nice to meet up with Fran's brother Bob and family last night and a good night was had by all! Should have taken a photo of that really...

16 January 2023. Had the hospital phone call and on the whole the results of the MRI are very good. The cancer has shrunk again but there's another small lesion on the liver lower down. They are calling it a satellite of the main tumour and assure me that it's too small to worry about. Next step is another MRI in April. Told to take painkillers for a week as I've been getting stabbing sensations most days, which make me jump out of my skin. They are like an electric shock or a sharp jab with a needle. Could be nerve endings around the tumour healing perhaps.

February 2023. What a month since the last paragraph. Miss Franny had to have a cornea graft on her eye and that involved me having to put 27 drops into her eye every day. Many return visits to the hospital as the graft didn't take properly at first. Also the pains I was experiencing in my body had got a lot worse. I wasn't taking anything stronger than Paracetamol although by now I was taking the maximum allowed dose every day and still suffering. Also around this time my mother had to be repeatedly taken to hospital after falling at home and then being confused. There were times she couldn't name us or remember all her grandchildren. We lost a few relatives both on my side and Fran's side. A bit of a shit time overall really...

2 March 2023. The digestive troubles hit again. However, feeling vaguely human again... The night before last was a never-ending run between bed and bathroom and all day yesterday was zoned out. Couldn't eat much, despite Miss Franny's repeated "you have to eat something". Apologies to any who messaged me without getting an answer or just a one word response. I'm back to normal today. You know... dopey as anything but willing to try...!

14 March 2023. Nothing to do with the cancer but... We were shopping a while ago when it started snowing very heavily with small pellets of snow. Coming home we drove out of it, but when I looked back over towards the village of Thornton you could see waves of falling snow against the dark clouds.

23 March 2023 - the day after another MRI scan at Leeds. Home safe and feeling battered. Got halfway to Leeds and realised that because I had carried coats to the car I have not picked up my walking stick... Roadworks mean that finding the hotel and car park is a nightmare. Park and get a bus - bus stop moved due to roadworks - to the hospital.

Long session at the hospital, I was an hour and 45 mins from going into the MRI unit to coming out and Miss Franny was starting to get worried. Some of it was spent just waiting for the machine to become available and some of it spent spraying blood from where they took a sample.

Then had to go to the oncology part to give more samples only to be told they had no notes about me. "Do you come to a clinic here?"
"No, I had a TACE chemo treatment last August and come every 3 months for an MRI and then here to give blood samples."
"Well this is only for people with cancer!"
"Ye-e-e-e-s-s-s..."
"Well who sent you? You have to tell them to order the bloods."
"There is no doctor's name on the letter, I didn't speak to anyone it was just a letter." I wave it under her nose and let her read it. "Well we deal with 70 doctors, which one sent you?"

Luckily I can remember the consultant's name even though I only met him once. They find my records and take same bloods as last time. Then a very crowded bus going back into Leeds and with no stick, no one is inclined to let me sit down until to my horror as the bus lurches to a halt at a bus stop, I almost fall on top of a young woman with a baby on her lap. By the time we get some lunch it is almost 3:30 and then back to the hotel where I revert to quivering wreck status with occasional painful twinges just to enliven things.

We have been put in a disabled room, I think because of limited rooms not because I look and act like a wreck, but whatever, I manage to hit the wrong switch and set the alarm off...

Get back to car in Wednesday morning to find building work going on. My car is in a roped off area. I ask a workman "How can we get out?" He points to a narrow path. "I was thinking of taking the car with me..." He moves some cones. Nice man.

Spent the rest of the night twitching and waking up going "agh!" until I got to to 5:00am when I woke and saw lightning through the window. Long way off, the thunder came quite a while after. There was another one a bit after which Miss Franny claimed not to hear even though she was awake...

Today will be spent trying to get over the twinges and back ache through not having the stick...

Cancer and Leg Ulcers Index
Family Memories: Personal Index