I have just two of my 35 rads left, on Tuesday and Wednesday after the holiday weekend.
I've gotten through this pretty well, I think, and am hopeful for an uneventful and strong recovery.
I mean this to be a tale of hope for people entering treatment; I don't mean it to be boastful. I feel very lucky and grateful for what follows:
The oncology team told me to stay as active as I could. Since I ran a marathon on May 30, four days after my diagnosis, I decided to try to jog 2 to 3 miles three times during the week, and then try to do 5 miles on Saturdays. I really never imagined I could keep it up all the way through, but I just finished a 5-miler and logged 13 total miles for the week.
On non-running days, I've ridden stationary bikes, lifted weights (lightly) or walked a mile. I've done some exercise every day for the past 36 days.
If nothing else, it has helped fight fatigue, and perhaps has aided my appetite. I need pain meds now for the neck burns and the nasty sore under the front of my tongue, so I sleep more, but I haven't had the drag-my-butt fatigue described in other places.
My side effects got much worse over the past week. My neck is oozing and spotting blood. I'm using Silvadine, Alra and Domeboro as instructed. It all works pretty well until I wake up from even a short nap, at which time the right side of my neck feels like it's on fire and bleeding freely.
I have to cut the collars off of T-shirts to keep them from rubbing the burns.
Waking up is the worst moment. I throat is so dry it feels stuck together, and in my grogginess, I sometimes feel scared that I'm swallowing my tongue or something equally hideous.
My tongue really hurts. My mouth feels increasingly dirty as the day goes on and plain water "tastes" slimy. This week, three days after my final chemo, I had the first nausea that I couldn't knock down with meds, though I didn't throw up and it finally passed.
The idea of consuming calories is daunting, even though I continue to force myself and have lost only 6 pounds through the treatment. My wife is making all kinds of shakes and smoothies, wanting me to avoid the processed sugar drinks. I also am still able to eat some soft foods, such as eggs, oatmeal and bologna, and I know most people can't at this phase. I am doing a gratitude list most days to try to keep a positive perspective.
I'm spacy from pain meds, but have no choice but to take them. I start to feel sick in many ways if I get behind the pain.
Mentally, it's a relentlessly grinding experience. Rinse, soak, drink, get calories down, repeat ad infinitum.
Two more treatments to go. This weekend feels a bit like waiting for school to get out knowing that a bully is going to beat me up afterward. Each radiation treatment hits pretty hard now.
It's all worth it if it works and kills the cancer. I have to wait till November or December to find out about that, but I'm assuming it will work.