Radiation Treatment & Aftermath

I'd love to say the five weeks of daily radiation therapy went without hitch..... well it nearly did.

The skin behind the knee broke on the second last day of treatment & pain & swelling started. Since then the area behind the knee and inside of the thigh have become red & peeling. To say it is painful is an understatement. The fluid swelling, probably lymphedema, is bad in the early evenings and this, combined with the cracked skin makes life very uncomfortable. I'm limpy Dan at the moment Lol. I've learned to crab walk up and down stairs & have to slow my self down & pace myself accordingly.

At this time it's beginning to hit home that I actually have cancer and one's future might not be too bright. At the moment I'm coping well psychologically, indeed it sometimes puzzles me when people start getting pessimistic, though I'm beginning to understand. Cancer is such an insidious disease!!

I had my first consultation with an orthopedic surgeon today, since the end of RT. To say he was pessimistic was an understatement. This has left me quiet perplexed & angry since it differs from opinions & advice given in earlier consultations with orthopods & the radio-oncologist. At the same time it has caused me to take more interest in the disease. These guys don't seem to know much when one asks them a question about one's illness. More on my grumbles on the weekend.

I intend to post my observations and experiences on all this more frequently, and also some information on liposarcoma.

Rob

So far so good!!

Just a quick update as I haven't posted in a while. Today will be day 20 of my radio therapy treatment and all is generally well so far. The area being treated is a little bit red, sometimes a bit itchy and occasionally stings, but not really what I would call troublesome. I have another six treatments to go including today's, then a bit of a rest, review and then planning for the next stage, surgery. I would guess surgery will probably be sometime in October.

I am quite pleased with myself as I have to commute daily to & from hospital which can be quite a journey... only just over an hour getting there but sometimes 3 hours returning home depending on timetables. Treatment itself only takes a few minutes. The staff of the radio-oncology unit are friendly & professional. The reason I am pleased is that the nurses said I would never manage to commute back & forwards due to the side effects from the treatment. However one of the doctors told me that being in the leg treatment will not cause too many side effects. I was very fatigued last Friday but freshened up over the weekend.

I have a slight cold developing and I hope that does not mess things up. I have been spending the time I have at home with my hobbies.