So there we are, I survived my sixteen sessions of GemCis Chemotherapy yesterday.
I now have to wait for a CT Scan and appointment to see my Oncologist to see if 'Boris' has shrunk, or, hopefully shrivelled away completely. I won't have this until the new year and hope to feel at least a little stronger for Christmas, after which the weight loss efforts will resume again. I am horrified how much weight I have gained due to the effects of the steroids, although my skin and nails are wonderful.
I will miss the Chemo Unit, I have made some friends amongst the regular patients and staff, learned some stuff, and realised that I am stronger than I thought possible. Both the Nurses in the Unit and the Oncologist have said they were amazed I completed the whole course of 8 cycles of two sessions but I did. Despite MS and some horrid issues with my mobility, starting and titrating insulin to try to counteract the Steroid effects on my Diabetes ( I still have to do that for this one last week). I needed one blood transfusion when my Haemoglobin levels dipped but had no adverse effects during or after that.
So this is me today, thinning hair, droopy watering eye, eye-bags the size of suitcases, water retention, tiredness, waves of nausea, tremor and unsteadiness on my feet - I try to do everything possible not to fall over as being six foot it is a damn long way to go down, and an immense struggle to get up again. I look pale, although it actually feels like my cheeks are burning - I call it my radiation Glow!
Hopefully this is the worst I will look now for a few years but i will be nice to look back and see where I have come from in the future.
As I said, my skin and nails look wonderful (after the Radiation Glow subsides), but as you can see the hairline is going further and further back. So of course I now have the impending delight, or doom that is the Charity Head-Shave on the 14th December at the MS shop in Shanklin. This has now been moved to the office, as due to the Café there are of course Health and Safety and Food Hygiene standards that need to be complied with. However, it will be photographed and videoed for evidence and I will put it up on my You Tube Channel, and of course, on here.
I am up to £140 already but there is still time if you want to donate to my charities:
- MSS IoW
- Macmillan Cancer Care
- Friends of St Mary's Hospital, Newport.
https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/jennies-post-chemo-head-shave
Now I can start to think about putting up our tree and some Christmas decorations up and getting back to some sort of normality.
Some exciting News
My pop hero must have heard about my trials and treatments and is, for the first time, actually coming as a headline act to the Isle of Wight Festival! 'Hello' its ONLY bloomin' LIONEL RICHIE! He was a huge part of my life in the 1980's (especially 1984!) with my Nursing partner in crime, Julie Marshall and I rarely without his music blasting out from somewhere - jukebox, CD player, Car, On the Ceiling and ALL NIGHT LONG!
Obviously with him coming all this way to see me it would be rude not to go along and see him perform, and with him appearing around the time of my birthday it will be a real treat - by June I should feel as good as I am going to get (although certainly no Ballerina Girl!), and although I have never been to the Isle of Wight Festival before, I can get tickets at Islander rate. Julie is coming over and we have a huge amount of catching up to do - she and Mike haven't even met my husband yet and we have been married 27 years next year! Hopefully they will both stay on the island over the weekend and we can take them out in our vintage care 'Daphne' for a pub lunch, we only want to see Lionel on the Friday so here should be time enough. I would find other days too long and there are no other acts that appeal to us really. Hopefully I will be able to book disabled parking and a spot on the disabled viewing platform.
Do I sound excited? WELL I AM! Roll on June!
