Birthday Lady (Third Chemotherapy Session)

  

 

Thursday 13 August 2020 Third Chemotherapy Session

It was my birthday today and even one of the nurses sang me Penblwydd Hapus and we all had a giggle. I was much more relaxed this time. I knew what was going to happen and also that the dose would be a bit less. It was a long day, daydreaming and reading. Sometimes joining in with randomn conversations in the room, sometimes not. A gentle atmosphere full of intermittent beeping.

A funny moment...... This lady was sitting the other side of the ward and after about 2 hours she was finished and was getting ready to go home. She opened up her handbag on the floor and I could have sworn she had a miniature dog in there. For a split second I was thinking surely they don't allow dogs in hospitals when she reached down, picked it up and put it on her head. I was glad I was wearing a face mask at that point to mask my smiles. I have to say though it was a fabulous wig.

When I got home (the last to leave, and I got lost trying to find my way out!) my son had made a special birthday dinner and dessert which was delicious and we watched the Marvel Antman movie. Perfect end to a very bizarre day.

The consultant has offered me the option to have bevacizumab treatment in addition to what I was already having. This would begin before the end of my 6 cycles and continue afterwards for 18 cycles, essentially a years worth of visits to Velindre Cancer Centre. If it worked for me I would have a treatment every three weeks.

“Bevacizumab is an artificially made antibody which attaches itself to cancer cells and stops them from growing. It works by stopping the cancer from making new blood vessels. This reduces the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the tumor, so it stops growing or shrinks.” (Velindre Cancer Centre)

This can extend life by 6 months if it works but it is a double edged sword. There are some quite serious side effects which I won't go into here but are pretty daunting to consider. As this cancer is expected to come back after a year perhaps this is a way to extend the period without cancer. Its an all or nothing dose. If I cannot handle the side effects then I will just stop and take my chances. I have three weeks to make up my mind whether I'd like to try it.

Explosive and theatrical rumbling thunder and lightening in the night with loud torrential downpours of rain. I didn't manage to sleep all night. After taking my anti sickness pill 8 hours after the end of chemo at 2am I read and then read some more. Perhaps the last time I had treatment I had a level of worried adrenaline going through my body as well as the chemo so when I got home I was exausted and went to sleep ok. Perhaps thoughts of bevacizumab kept me awake?