Mask
The next few weeks are blurred as I met the radiotherapy doctors and had further MRI scans and generally got prepared for radiotherapy. On top of this I continued to have my ear cavity packed and repacked as they monitored the progress of the granulation. Otherwise I was totally well, eating and exercising normally and enjoying the luxury of being off work. One thing that did stand out was being fitted for my mask.
Radiotherapy to the head requires the patient to be secured in exactly the same position for each session. To achieve this each patient must have there own closely fitted mask made so that they are millimetre perfect for each visit.
Being fitted for a mask involved lying down and having my body alignment set using lasers. Once the radiographers were happy with my position; they carefully lowered a warm plastic matrix over my face and then quickly moulded it around my contours until it was a snug fit. With pens they then marked the position of my eyes, mouth and nostrils. It took less than a minute to complete this and then the mask could be lifted having solidified enough. Once they had cut out the breathing holes I had the mask put on again and then aligned once more with the laser.
Being Zapped
I cycled to the hospital for my first radiotherapy session and locked my bike up outside the radiotherapy building. The radiotherapy unit is actually below ground level and so I descended into a spacious waiting area where there were quite a few patients waiting. The hospital has a number of radiotherapy machines and they are so in demand that as one patient comes out the next goes in. Each patient has a ten minute slot and appointments tend to run exactly on time.
When it was my allotted machine time I entered the radiotherapy room and was told to lay down on the bed. The two therapists treating me then placed my mask over my face and clicked it into the bed to secure my head. They then used a red laser to line me up to the exact point I needed to be. After asking me if I was OK they left the room to start the machine. I waited trying to ignore an itch on my nose which I now couldn't scratch. The machine started up and I could hear the electric motors and a few knocking sounds as my treatment proceeded. There was no feeling or sensation to be experienced by the radiotherapy. I was aware only by the movements of the machine around my head that the beam of energy was travelling into me from different directions. Of course this had all been explained to me before but actual experience is always more meaningful. My treatment lasted about five minutes and so it wasn't long before the therapists were back to remove my mask. I got up slowly, as instructed, and felt totally normal. Not that I expected anything to be different straight away. I thanked the staff, got my cycling gear on and was soon on my way home.
Radiation Sickness
The next couple of radiotherapy sessions were similar to the first with me cycling to and from the hospital and feeling fine. However, later in the afternoon of the third day I had begun to feel a little different. It was my step-father's birthday and I remember feeling a little tired, having a little nausea but still attending the meal out. The fourth day was a Friday, the final day of my first radiotherapy week and the last day I cycled to the hospital. I remember feeling slight nausea for a short while straight after the treatment but I was well enough to cycle home.
Over the weekend, even though I had no treatments, my symptoms got worse. I had a slight sore throat and was noticing that food was losing its taste. I had more nausea and was already losing my appetite. I recall being both surprised and a little frustrated by how quickly I had begun to feel unwell. The following week I was still able to drive myself to the hospital and the now familiar routine of the radiotherapy appointments continued to run efficiently like clockwork. My fatigue increased so that I did little more than sit in front of the TV for the rest of day. My throat became increasingly sore so that swallowing anything including liquids became extremely unpleasant. By the end of this second week the right side of my face and ear were starting to look quite red and I was readily applying the aqueous cream the hospital had given me. I was eating mainly plain food and struggled with fruit and vegetable. Combined with my inactivity this meant that I was already becoming quite constipated. At the end of week I had a review meeting with the radiotherapy doctor and went home with an assortment of medicines to try and help me. These included pain killers, anti-nausea tablets, laxatives and something to control the heartburn caused by acid reflux.
By week three I was not coping very well. Catherine, had now had to stop work to look after me full-time. I was starting to lose weight as I now lacked any appetite, I was being sick, the burning sensation during swallowing and the lack of taste of food meant that I was falling well short of the daily recommended calories. Eating became so slow that it now took me about an hour to eat one wheatabix mixed with warm water. The nausea was becoming more constant and I tried to avoid any movement. I struggled with fast moving images and so watching TV became a struggle. I remember watching a lot of natural history documentaries. I was now in bed sleeping for 12 to 14 hours and apart from my daily visit for radiotherapy the rest of the time was on the sofa. Catherine liked me to go to bed from tea time so that I was settled and she could focus on the children and try to give them a more normal evening.
At my weekly review I had the familiar routine of having a blood test and being weighed. The doctor was a little concerned at my weight loss and prescribed me liquid food supplements.
