Note for the squeamish ~ you'd best not read this.
Sunday morning used to be about getting out walking ... and thinking about a pub lunch ... but as I lay on my bed this [mid] morning I brought to mind Bob Dylan's song 'Things Have Changed' ...
Sunday morning used to be about getting out walking ... and thinking about a pub lunch ... but as I lay on my bed this [mid] morning I brought to mind Bob Dylan's song 'Things Have Changed' ...
Then I started to wonder whether I should post this blog. Do people really want to know about the side effects [assuming that's what they are] of radiotherapy ?
Well, I always intended this to be a full and truthful journey ... warts and all.
Fortunately warts aren't involved.
Phew, I hear you say.
However, I have developed two other rather unpleasant symptoms.
The first is oedema ~ fluid retention in the body ~ and this has occurred in a most personal and private place. My GP recommended frozen peas. So on a couple of occasions I have laid down on the bed with a packet of frozen peas wrapped in a cloth pressed against a certain part of me for over 15 minutes. Thankfully it has worked. Whether this will be a regular occurrence we will see. Fortunately the oedema doesn't hurt.
Incidentally [and I did ask] I couldn't get a prescription for frozen peas.
Incidentally [and I did ask] I couldn't get a prescription for frozen peas.
The vision of me lying on a bed with a bag of frozen peas pressed against me has its amusing side ... many is the wry smile that has appeared when I have told members of my immediate family.
Just in case you wondered, the oedema and the lymphoedema in my right leg are separate matters.
Just in case you wondered, the oedema and the lymphoedema in my right leg are separate matters.
The second problem area is just a few inches away but round the back [in the natal cleft] where I am incredibly sore and which has been seeping blood very slightly. Savlon has been liberally applied by a 'volunteer' ! Did I mention that this is sore ?
On a plus note I am generally feeling better and hopefully the two side effects mentioned above will lessen or go away completely in the next few days.
I apologise if anyone thinks this is going into too much detail but I was never aware of this sort of thing happening and personally I think we should be more open about these things ...and, of course, you don't have to read this.
In other news I have actually made an appointment with the dentist.
In other news I have actually made an appointment with the dentist.
Charlie, I applaud your frozen pea action. It's never easy applying frozen anything to any part of the anatomy - and your particular area is well, I imagine anyway, particularly challenging. ~wince~ So, on to the natal cleft. To put not too fine a point on things, I developed this problem when I was on steriods. ~rolls eyes~ Yes, steroids are supposed to make things better, not add to your problems. I found it was a side effect of doing more sitting and less standing - and the hot weather won't have helped. My (successful) method of dealing with it was to wash gently but effectively each day and pat dry. I found that Savlon just added to the problem through keeping the skin moist - it wants to be dry (see the connection where sitting/hot weather comes in?). A little dust with some talc seemed to do the trick. Baby talc is less aggressive than lots of the "flavoured" kinds. Hey! Dentist! Go you! :D
ReplyDeleteInitially Jenny, I thought I might be able to wrap the bag of peas around that part of my anatomy ... but that proved impossible so I had to resort to pressure on one part of the body part before moving the pressure onto another part of the body part.
DeleteAs regards the natal cleft, I did wonder about the steroids which, incidentally, I have just reduced from two to one a day [on the orders of the oncologist] with a view to finishing with them [for the time being ?] in ten days or so. I can appreciate what you say about the Savlon keeping the sore moist ... the trouble is I have to be wary of getting an infection which can cause cellulitis and sepsis. Perhaps I will have to get some baby talc tomorrow though.
Yeah ... dentist ...
I am absolutely in your corner where the cellulitis is concerned, as I have exactly the same concerns. Keep it dry and clean - and it may sound weird and yes I know it's not dry, but if you can get hold of some Manuka honey that has a high Manuka factor - +10 is great - smooth a little of that over it before bed, then wash it off in the morning. Don't go mad with it though, or you'll be getting out of bed with the sheet stuck to your backside. LOL Manuka honey is wonderful with skin problems and I use it long before I ever get the savlon out!
DeleteI have some Manuka honey actually ... I think it may be 15+ ... but I also have some spray which the pharmacist has recommended so I'll give that a shot first. He was 100% sure it will work. I will fall back on the honey Jenny if the spray fails. Thank you for the tip :-)
DeleteI meant to add Jenny that because I have had cellulitis and severe sepsis twice within 12 months I am now on prophylatic antibiotics. I take 5mg of Cefalexin every night before I go to bed ... and it's delicious. The best tasting medicine [it's in liquid form] I have ever taken.
DeleteWow! I'm relieved to say that I've just had cellulitis the once and venous eczema (which very nearly wound up with cellulitis) is a constant. However because of it's constancy, I'm always in the running for a nice dose of cellulitis. Fortunately, the oral antibiotics cleared it up both times - but I'll remember to demand Cefalexin if things worsen, if only to sample the flavour. LOL You know what I am for flavours! ;) Oh and by the way, I am much amused by the mental imagine of someone "falling back onto honey". :D
DeleteIf some one tells me not to read if I'm squeamish,I just have to ignore them!!. Lets hope things improve soon as it sounds pretty uncomfortable.Question is what happens to the peas afterwards.Ann
ReplyDeleteI thought as I typed 'Not for the Squeamish' that it would, if anything, draw people in ...
DeleteWell Ann, the peas don't defrost completely and so [for a while] they will be refrozen a number of times. I did wonder whether we might eat them at some stage but I think that unlikely. Whilst they are in a plastic bag and they've been wrapped in a cloth, they will have been thawing and then been re-frozen a little too often I think.
Yes, let's hope things improve soon ...
Personally, I think you were right to post this. As you say, if you're going to write an accurate account of your journey, you shouldn't shy away from the more unpleasant parts.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with your 'natal cleft' must surely be down to the radiotherapy. I read up on the effects of radiation on the human body many years ago, and this was described as one of them.
Thank you Mitch. It isn't just the fact that it's on the 'personal and private' side I suppose it's also partly the fact that I don't want to appear to be overdoing it. So far though everyone has approved of this posting ~ I get feedback on Facebook too and one or two via Twitter.
DeleteInitially I thought the soreness might be the radiotherapy too though they didn't actually irradiate me there. They did get close though and they did say it might affect my bowel ... which it has to some extent [I don't give *all* the details !].
As my oncologist commented a couple of months ago ~ it's a three legged dog. So whilst we don't know for sure what caused it, the fact remains that I've got it and as long as it clears soon ... :-)
This is something we all should learn I think. Iam glad the peas are working.. Will you be using those peas in any recipe in the future??? LOL..
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't think we'll be making anything with the peas Barbara. Somehow it wouldn't seem right :-)
DeleteThere was the princess and the little pea... and now Charlie and a bunch of frozen little peas... If it works that's what really matter. I hope the discomfort will go away in the next few days.
ReplyDeleteI've got my fingers crossed Diane ... thank you for your good wishes.
DeleteYou realize you don't have to tell your dentist about all of this, in detail, don't you? But it could be fun. As soon as I see NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH, I need to see it. I too used frozen peas (and beans actually) when I wrecked my right leg last fall. It still isn't back to normal but then neither am I. I thought about using the veggies in a stew after many freezings and thawings but just eventually turfed them. I hate waste. So does the Queen. Maybe we should send them to her. I shouldn't giggle at your writings about your troubles but I do. Sorry. Thanks for being so forthright.
ReplyDeleteI don't have to tell the dentist ? How disappointing ... I just about told the pharmacist everything. I;m sorry to hear you're not back to normal ~ will any of us be normal again I wonder ? I don't think I'll be eating my frozen peas unless I offer them to Ian [highheavens] below. Feel free to giggle, I certainly did as I lay on the bed a short time ago and was liberally sprayed you know where ...
DeleteI can't really offer any advice on how to deal with these problems, but you have all my good wishes. I applaud your sense of humour!
ReplyDeleteThank you Alison. I fear my sense of humour will get me in trouble one of these days.
DeleteCharlie - if ever I make it round to yours for dinner, please remind me not to have the peas!
ReplyDeleteKeep taking the frozen goods and keep telling it like it is. That's the main point of the Ticking Away series I think.
Damn ... and I was going to offer to make you some pea and ham soup Ian. The Ticking Away series could have been worse, I do have an edit/censor button which I have been known to operate.
DeleteSince we are concerned about you, I know that we all appreciate anything and everything that you share with us. I do wish that things were much better for you ... but at least you have treatments that can help the problems.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I really don't know what's wrong with my memory. I forgot my password again and it took some "doing" to get back into Blogger. I don't know what is worse ... my memory or the fact that they don't keep my Blogger account open.
Thank you Pet. Today I have visited my GP as regards three of my more recent problems and have come away with two creams and three sets of tablets. I have to say after just a few hours I am feeling a little more comfortable ... indeed, almost like new.
DeletePasswords are the bane of my life. I appreciate your problems !