Entering the rapids

Had a busy hospital week this week, went to both Pembury and Maidstone. The Pembury visit was to check my stoma post op, on past visits to Pembury the meetings have started with me being 'probed' and I was a little concerned and nervous that this meeting was going to continue that tradition. However, this was an all together more pleasant visit with both my consultant surgeon and stoma nurse. The good news is that the stoma has healed well and the next stage can get under way. Incidentally, I still get the urge to go to the toilet 'conventionally' although I don't produce any significant matter (too much information?). Apparently this is perfectly normal.

The meeting at Maidstone was to plan out my Chemo/Radio therapy which starts this coming week (Tuesday). I will be taking a Chemo drug called Capecitabine every day, including weekends, simultaneously with the Radio therapy which is Monday to Friday (other than the first week) for all five weeks of treatment. The list of side effects for the Chemo drug is just this side of the most terrifying horror film you can imagine, but then again if we read the side effects for paracetamol we'd probably put up with the hangover!

Stella has put together an excel spread sheet of all my appointments for this part of the treatment and I can't wait to start 'ticking them off'.

It would be fair to say I am both excited (stoked) and intimidated by the prospect of actually starting the nuclear part of this journey.
It truly is the begining of the end of the tumour and any associated material but I think it is going to be a rough ride for the duration of the treatment.
Still, as one of our daughters said to me "Mountain or Mole hill, depends on your perspective" , out of the mouth of Babes!
A look around the Oncology department reveals plenty of inspiring examples and I am not the first to have gone down this road, so 'into the valley................'