After the anxiousness of the unknown yesterday I thought today may have been easier. I knew what to expect and where to go in the rabbit warren of corridors, waiting rooms, and treatment suites. The process of being strapped into the machine was certainly a lot quicker than yesterday. I was also quite pleased with myself at not gagging as much as yesterday too. I had a brief chat with another patient beforehand that was quite pleasant, if not a little morbid in topic. The staff were again lovely. We also managed to bag a park right near the entrance - ahh, small mercies! The aspect of the day that I've really struggled with is the side effects of the treatment are already making themselves known.
Last night at around 2am I awoke in a sweat, feeling very hot, particularly around my neck. When the nurse asked me how I felt after yesterday's treatment I mentioned it but said I thought perhaps it was just "all in my head" being that it was too early to be feeling anything yet. She corrected me, though, saying it was quite normal to have that sensation and to have it at this early stage. She was reassuring and said it wont happen every night. Phew!
It wasn't long after my treatment this afternoon that I also experienced another side effect. My mouth has become quite dry already. Turns out our spit is not only useful for eating but talking as well! I bumped into a friend at the supermarket and by the end of a short conversation my mouth felt very "gluey" and I was ready for a large drink.
At first I freaked out about the effects staring sooner than I'd been told to expect them. I mean, if I'm already experiencing these ones when will others start and how severe will they be? At the same time, though, if the treatment is already effecting my body then its also starting to work on getting rid of that cancer!
No comments:
Post a Comment