Procedure for inserting gold fiducial markers prior to CyberKnife

HellieC

 

Hello ladies. I promised I tell you all about the procedure to insert the gold markers into my tumour prior to the CyberKnife radiotherapy treatments.  I got back from The Royal Marsden Hospital in London (very famous cancer hospital here in England) yesterday evening.  Initially we were going to stay up there the night before and the night after the procedure, but the hotel was so awful (hot, air conditioning that didn't work, etc etc) that we cancelled the second night and came away straight after the procedure yesterday. I am feeling fine. A tiny little bit achey and sore where they put the needles in, but pretty much Ok apart from that. It was a fascinating experience. I am truly amazed at the technology used and the skill of the team doing this. I was pretty anxious, but they were so kind. The consultant was a charming Greek man who explained everything to me beforehand and I signed consent. They took some bloods and put a cannula in. Then, basically I had two sets of CT scans of my pelvis, lying prone (face down), one with and one without contrast. The "with contrast" was needed because after the first scan, they had a good look at the images and were a bit concerned that my sciatic nerve was very close to the tumour and they didn't want to touch it.  The contrast agent gave them a better view. While I was still lying on the scanner bed, they gave me some sedation and painkiller through the cannula, injected local anesthetic to my left buttock (where they were "going in") and then did the procedure, which was so fast - only a few minutes from start to finish. I could feel them pushing and a slight discomfort as each gold seed was placed, but really absolutely nothing to shout about. Then a dressing was put over the puncture wounds and I transferred to my bed and was taken back to the ward. I has to rest in bed for 4 hours afterwards, to be sure there were no complications or bleeding. Every single nurse and doctor was skilled and charming. So the next stage is an MRI scan and a CT planning scan next Tuesday.

 

ConnieSW

Hi, Helen

I was hoping we'd hear from you today.  great that it went so well.  It is fascinating.  Don't you just marvel at the things science comes up with!

Kaleena

Great Helen

Helen:

I am so happy to hear that it went smoothly for you and the staff was terrific with you.  It feels weird going home with a patch on your buttocks!   I will be thinking of you on Tuesday for  your scan.   Get some rest today.   Glad you are not back at that hotel!   

Thanks for letting us know how that procedure went.

Talk to you soon.  Hugs

 

Kathy

Double Whammy

Kaleena said:

Great Helen

Helen:

I am so happy to hear that it went smoothly for you and the staff was terrific with you.  It feels weird going home with a patch on your buttocks!   I will be thinking of you on Tuesday for  your scan.   Get some rest today.   Glad you are not back at that hotel!   

Thanks for letting us know how that procedure went.

Talk to you soon.  Hugs

 

Kathy

very impressive

Thanks for the report, Helen.  My husband had seeds implanted for his prostate cancer radiation.  I cringed and felt so sorry for him because that was done via his rectum, as were the initial biopsies.  There is simply no dignity left when one has cancer, is there? Especially for those of us who have cancer in our reproductive organs!   

Hope the radiation does the trick and blasts the you know what out of that pesky tumor.

Best,

Suzanne

NoTimeForCancer

Fascinating!!!  Thank you for

Fascinating!!!  Thank you for sharing.  Will the "seeds" stay in your body forever?  I hope this takes care of your tumor

Ro10

Helen thanks for sharing

i am glad you are home and the procedure was not terribly uncomfortable..  Hoping you have a good weekend and everything goes well Tuesday.  I am glad you felt all the health professionals were kind and skilled.  Do you know how many sseds you had implanted? 

Since they did the CAT  lying prone, will you have to be in that position for the radiation?  I am glad they avoided you sciatic nerve.  You remain in my prayers.

HellieC

Ro10 said:

Helen thanks for sharing

i am glad you are home and the procedure was not terribly uncomfortable..  Hoping you have a good weekend and everything goes well Tuesday.  I am glad you felt all the health professionals were kind and skilled.  Do you know how many sseds you had implanted? 

Since they did the CAT  lying prone, will you have to be in that position for the radiation?  I am glad they avoided you sciatic nerve.  You remain in my prayers.

Seeds are permanent

Hi Everyone
Thanks for your good wishes.  The seeds stay in the body permanently.  I asked about them migrating over time and the interventional radiologist said that it does happen sometimes but that they are harmless.  Even if they migrated to the lung they wouldn't cause any problem because they are so tiny.

I'm not sure if the radiation will be delivered prone or not, yet.  There has been some discussion that lying prone may enable them to deliver a higher dose without damaging the bowel which is lying adjacent to the tumour.  I think that they will probably scan me both ways on Tuesday and then make their decision as to what is best once they've reviewed the images.  Lying prone and absolutely still for a long time is quite difficult, but if that's the best way then I will do my utmost to compy to give everything the best chance of success.  I don't know yet whether I will have a mold made or there has been some talk of an air mattress where they can let air out of different pockets within it.  Will report back after Tuesday's "scan day" and tell you all about it.

Kindest wishes
Helen 

Abbycat2

HellieC said:

Seeds are permanent

Hi Everyone
Thanks for your good wishes.  The seeds stay in the body permanently.  I asked about them migrating over time and the interventional radiologist said that it does happen sometimes but that they are harmless.  Even if they migrated to the lung they wouldn't cause any problem because they are so tiny.

I'm not sure if the radiation will be delivered prone or not, yet.  There has been some discussion that lying prone may enable them to deliver a higher dose without damaging the bowel which is lying adjacent to the tumour.  I think that they will probably scan me both ways on Tuesday and then make their decision as to what is best once they've reviewed the images.  Lying prone and absolutely still for a long time is quite difficult, but if that's the best way then I will do my utmost to compy to give everything the best chance of success.  I don't know yet whether I will have a mold made or there has been some talk of an air mattress where they can let air out of different pockets within it.  Will report back after Tuesday's "scan day" and tell you all about it.

Kindest wishes
Helen 

You had quite an experience

Hi, Helen, 

i am glad to hear that the placement of the seeds wasn't difficult for you to handle and that the medical staff was kind. Let us know how you do with your Tuesday appt.. Hopefully, You will continue to do very well.

Warm Regards,

Cathy

HellieC

Had CT and MRI planning scans pre Cyberknife

I had the CT and MRI planning scans pre myCyberknife treatment last Tuesday.  It was a long and tiring (and disorganised!) day, with a combination of the usual excellent front line and abysmal admin!  

 

I was told to get to the CT scanning dept at 10 am for my 11 am scan.  We thought about staying in a hotel, but the London prices are so high at the moment (£200+ for a room without breakfast) so we decided to do it all in one day.  So we dutifully arrived at the appointed time, only to be told that they didn’t know why I had been told to get there at 10 am!  Doh!  We had just spent double the usual price on train tickets to get on a peak time train early enough to get us there for 10 am.  We were not best pleased as we could have caught a later and cheaper train had we known they didn’t need me until 11 am.  Then, while I was waiting, I had to toddle over to the other building, to the outpatients’ dept, to see my consultant to sign the consent form for the procedures.  We waited in the large, multi clinic reception area and then saw an assistant was wandering round with a piece of paper shouting “Mrs Ellie” or “Mrs Elleh” or something similar. No one responded, so she took the piece of paper over to a colleague, who looked at it and shouted “Mrs Clarke” – of course I answered.  The first woman had been, in a very  thick foreign accent, shouting out the title and Christian name, rather than surname.  She had the cheek to try to blame me for not responding, so I told her in no uncertain terms that I did not appreciate her trying to put the blame on me and that my name was not Mrs Ellie!  My consultant then took me through the Cyberknife procedure and the possible side effects (damage to bowel, sciatic nerve, possible insufficiency fractures of pelvis etc etc).  It can all be very frightening, but they do give you a written sheet to take away which shows how likely these effects are and, for me, most of them (except the bowel, which is lying adjacent to the tumour) are fairly uncommon.  I am putting huge trust in them to manage the dose so it hits the tumour but spares the bowel.  I hope my trust is well placed!

 

The CT scans were fine.  They did two sets, one with me lying on my back and the other on my tummy, as they think that they may be able to get a higher dose of rays to the tumour through my back and wanted to compare the two options. I didn't have a mold made, but they did use a sort of mattress which they can put air into, to sort of snuggle around my legs to keep them in the same position.   Then we had a break and went across the road for a sandwich and I took my valium ready for the MRI scan.  I was told to get to that for 1 pm, but they left me sitting there until 1.30 pm and then came and got me changed and ready and I then waited another 15 mins to be called in.  They did two sets of scans again, all very unpleasant as although their machine is newer than previous ones I've been in, the noise from it is considerably louder, so even with both foam earplugs and ear defenders it was still like having someone using a very loud road drill beside your head for 10 mins at a time, repeated 4 times!  Even with valium I barely managed to deal with it - I have never been so pleased when something was over!

 

After that, we were finished, so we walked to the nearest Underground station and caught a train back to Victoria and got on a train for our home town. But the train went nowhere as the guard hadn't turned up!  So everyone on the train had to dash over to another platform to catch a different train that would get us part of the way home.  To cut a long story short, after two further changes at diferent points down the line, we managed to get home! 

So not the best of days, but at least it is all done and I got to sleep in my own bed at the end of it.  The actual treatment starts on Wed 1st Oct.

 

 

 

Kaleena

HellieC said:

Had CT and MRI planning scans pre Cyberknife

I had the CT and MRI planning scans pre myCyberknife treatment last Tuesday.  It was a long and tiring (and disorganised!) day, with a combination of the usual excellent front line and abysmal admin!  

 

I was told to get to the CT scanning dept at 10 am for my 11 am scan.  We thought about staying in a hotel, but the London prices are so high at the moment (£200+ for a room without breakfast) so we decided to do it all in one day.  So we dutifully arrived at the appointed time, only to be told that they didn’t know why I had been told to get there at 10 am!  Doh!  We had just spent double the usual price on train tickets to get on a peak time train early enough to get us there for 10 am.  We were not best pleased as we could have caught a later and cheaper train had we known they didn’t need me until 11 am.  Then, while I was waiting, I had to toddle over to the other building, to the outpatients’ dept, to see my consultant to sign the consent form for the procedures.  We waited in the large, multi clinic reception area and then saw an assistant was wandering round with a piece of paper shouting “Mrs Ellie” or “Mrs Elleh” or something similar. No one responded, so she took the piece of paper over to a colleague, who looked at it and shouted “Mrs Clarke” – of course I answered.  The first woman had been, in a very  thick foreign accent, shouting out the title and Christian name, rather than surname.  She had the cheek to try to blame me for not responding, so I told her in no uncertain terms that I did not appreciate her trying to put the blame on me and that my name was not Mrs Ellie!  My consultant then took me through the Cyberknife procedure and the possible side effects (damage to bowel, sciatic nerve, possible insufficiency fractures of pelvis etc etc).  It can all be very frightening, but they do give you a written sheet to take away which shows how likely these effects are and, for me, most of them (except the bowel, which is lying adjacent to the tumour) are fairly uncommon.  I am putting huge trust in them to manage the dose so it hits the tumour but spares the bowel.  I hope my trust is well placed!

 

The CT scans were fine.  They did two sets, one with me lying on my back and the other on my tummy, as they think that they may be able to get a higher dose of rays to the tumour through my back and wanted to compare the two options. I didn't have a mold made, but they did use a sort of mattress which they can put air into, to sort of snuggle around my legs to keep them in the same position.   Then we had a break and went across the road for a sandwich and I took my valium ready for the MRI scan.  I was told to get to that for 1 pm, but they left me sitting there until 1.30 pm and then came and got me changed and ready and I then waited another 15 mins to be called in.  They did two sets of scans again, all very unpleasant as although their machine is newer than previous ones I've been in, the noise from it is considerably louder, so even with both foam earplugs and ear defenders it was still like having someone using a very loud road drill beside your head for 10 mins at a time, repeated 4 times!  Even with valium I barely managed to deal with it - I have never been so pleased when something was over!

 

After that, we were finished, so we walked to the nearest Underground station and caught a train back to Victoria and got on a train for our home town. But the train went nowhere as the guard hadn't turned up!  So everyone on the train had to dash over to another platform to catch a different train that would get us part of the way home.  To cut a long story short, after two further changes at diferent points down the line, we managed to get home! 

So not the best of days, but at least it is all done and I got to sleep in my own bed at the end of it.  The actual treatment starts on Wed 1st Oct.

 

 

 

Thanks for the update

Oh my Hellie!

What an ordeal.   I am sure you were so glad to finally get home!    Its bad enough to do the scan alone but to have all those obstacles on top of that!   Yikes!

Don't you just love it when they try to blame you for something that they messed up?   lol   But you handled it well!

I will be praying for you for your October 1st treatment.  

Kathy

Ro10

HellieC said:

Had CT and MRI planning scans pre Cyberknife

I had the CT and MRI planning scans pre myCyberknife treatment last Tuesday.  It was a long and tiring (and disorganised!) day, with a combination of the usual excellent front line and abysmal admin!  

 

I was told to get to the CT scanning dept at 10 am for my 11 am scan.  We thought about staying in a hotel, but the London prices are so high at the moment (£200+ for a room without breakfast) so we decided to do it all in one day.  So we dutifully arrived at the appointed time, only to be told that they didn’t know why I had been told to get there at 10 am!  Doh!  We had just spent double the usual price on train tickets to get on a peak time train early enough to get us there for 10 am.  We were not best pleased as we could have caught a later and cheaper train had we known they didn’t need me until 11 am.  Then, while I was waiting, I had to toddle over to the other building, to the outpatients’ dept, to see my consultant to sign the consent form for the procedures.  We waited in the large, multi clinic reception area and then saw an assistant was wandering round with a piece of paper shouting “Mrs Ellie” or “Mrs Elleh” or something similar. No one responded, so she took the piece of paper over to a colleague, who looked at it and shouted “Mrs Clarke” – of course I answered.  The first woman had been, in a very  thick foreign accent, shouting out the title and Christian name, rather than surname.  She had the cheek to try to blame me for not responding, so I told her in no uncertain terms that I did not appreciate her trying to put the blame on me and that my name was not Mrs Ellie!  My consultant then took me through the Cyberknife procedure and the possible side effects (damage to bowel, sciatic nerve, possible insufficiency fractures of pelvis etc etc).  It can all be very frightening, but they do give you a written sheet to take away which shows how likely these effects are and, for me, most of them (except the bowel, which is lying adjacent to the tumour) are fairly uncommon.  I am putting huge trust in them to manage the dose so it hits the tumour but spares the bowel.  I hope my trust is well placed!

 

The CT scans were fine.  They did two sets, one with me lying on my back and the other on my tummy, as they think that they may be able to get a higher dose of rays to the tumour through my back and wanted to compare the two options. I didn't have a mold made, but they did use a sort of mattress which they can put air into, to sort of snuggle around my legs to keep them in the same position.   Then we had a break and went across the road for a sandwich and I took my valium ready for the MRI scan.  I was told to get to that for 1 pm, but they left me sitting there until 1.30 pm and then came and got me changed and ready and I then waited another 15 mins to be called in.  They did two sets of scans again, all very unpleasant as although their machine is newer than previous ones I've been in, the noise from it is considerably louder, so even with both foam earplugs and ear defenders it was still like having someone using a very loud road drill beside your head for 10 mins at a time, repeated 4 times!  Even with valium I barely managed to deal with it - I have never been so pleased when something was over!

 

After that, we were finished, so we walked to the nearest Underground station and caught a train back to Victoria and got on a train for our home town. But the train went nowhere as the guard hadn't turned up!  So everyone on the train had to dash over to another platform to catch a different train that would get us part of the way home.  To cut a long story short, after two further changes at diferent points down the line, we managed to get home! 

So not the best of days, but at least it is all done and I got to sleep in my own bed at the end of it.  The actual treatment starts on Wed 1st Oct.

 

 

 

Helen

I am so sorry your day was so long and disorganized.  I have never had an MRI, but I did hear they were noisy.  The noise must really be awful.  It sounds like you needed two...or three Valium throughout the day.  And probably a couple for your husband., too.  I hope the treatments go much better.  Do you know how many treatments you will need?

I will have my last treatment when you have your first.  I did not get any papers telling me about the stereotactic body radiation treatment, which surprised me.  Most places always have printed information to give patients.  I do hope the position you have to be in will not be too uncomfortable for you while you get your treatment.  How do you do in the prone position?  I can sleep on my stomach, so that position would not bother me, but I know it would bother some people.  

I do hope your treatments are as uneventful as mine and that they go well.  You remain in my prayers.

Abbycat2

Ro10 said:

Helen

I am so sorry your day was so long and disorganized.  I have never had an MRI, but I did hear they were noisy.  The noise must really be awful.  It sounds like you needed two...or three Valium throughout the day.  And probably a couple for your husband., too.  I hope the treatments go much better.  Do you know how many treatments you will need?

I will have my last treatment when you have your first.  I did not get any papers telling me about the stereotactic body radiation treatment, which surprised me.  Most places always have printed information to give patients.  I do hope the position you have to be in will not be too uncomfortable for you while you get your treatment.  How do you do in the prone position?  I can sleep on my stomach, so that position would not bother me, but I know it would bother some people.  

I do hope your treatments are as uneventful as mine and that they go well.  You remain in my prayers.

What an experience, Hellie!

What a long and frustrating day you had, Hellie!   Hopefully, the actual treatment will go much smoother. I, too, have difficulty with MRI's.  I always have to have a towel over my eyes; otherwise I don't think I can stand the coffin-like closeness of the machine.  The noise is terrible and rather intimidating.  I do hope that the actual treatment will be a breeze for you. 

 

Best of Luck,

Cathy 

Ro10

Abbycat2 said:

What an experience, Hellie!

What a long and frustrating day you had, Hellie!   Hopefully, the actual treatment will go much smoother. I, too, have difficulty with MRI's.  I always have to have a towel over my eyes; otherwise I don't think I can stand the coffin-like closeness of the machine.  The noise is terrible and rather intimidating.  I do hope that the actual treatment will be a breeze for you. 

 

Best of Luck,

Cathy 

Helen

thinking of you today.  I hope all goes well today.  Hope it was an uneventful trip to and from the hospital., and things were  "organized" today. Wishing you the best outcome.  In peace and caring.

ConnieSW

Ro10 said:

Helen

thinking of you today.  I hope all goes well today.  Hope it was an uneventful trip to and from the hospital., and things were  "organized" today. Wishing you the best outcome.  In peace and caring.

Helen

Projecting most excellant vibes to you from across the pond.  Feel 'em?

Kaleena

Thinking of you

Hello Helen:

I hope everything went well for you today.   Jyst wanted you to know I am thinking of you!

Kathy

HellieC

Thank you, ladies

Thank you, ladies for your support and good wishes.  All went well for the first treatment.  The travel was uneventful up there and the treatment went well. 

They have decided to give me a total of 30 Gy ( 5 x 6 Gy), which seems to tie in with the case study I read of a lady in US with a similar situation of pelvic sidewall disease. 

The radiographers seemed pleased that the machine was able to detect all four gold markers and use them for positioning (apparently, sometimes it can only detect two or three or some have migrated elsewhere!).  The actual treatment took about 45 minutes and I had to lie still on my tummy for that time.  I was concerned about my colostomy, as lying flat like that puts pressure on it, but they placed the special mattress that they had shaped for me in place and it wasn't too bad (in fact, I think I might have dozed off during the last few minutes).

However, about half an hour after the treatment the nerve/burning pain that I have had from the tumour (which stopped a couple of weeks ago after 3 months of tamoxifen) started up again.  I wasn't expecting it and had not thought to carry water with me so couldn't take any painkillers (there are no buffet cars on UK trains to get any refreshment - you have to wait for a trolley service, which never comes on a crowded train in rush hour because the aisles are blocked with people standing up!).  It was quite bad, so the journey home was a bit grim, but once I was able to take some pain relief it was fine again.  I'm not sure whether is is the Cyberknife treatment that has aggravated the sciatic nerve (seems a very quick reaction to get it so immediately after the first session) or whether it is lying in the flat prone position.  I will discuss it with the radiographers on Friday before treatment number 2 ( will remember to carry water and painkillers this time!). I hope this isn't something they will be worried about, as this morning all seems fine and I am keen not to compromise the dose if possible.  I'll keep you all posted.

Once again, thank you for your care, concern and good vibes - it is good to carry these into treatment  and know that you're thinking of me.

Ro (my fellow Cyberknife warrior) - how are you doing?

Kindest wishes
Helen x

Ro10

HellieC said:

Thank you, ladies

Thank you, ladies for your support and good wishes.  All went well for the first treatment.  The travel was uneventful up there and the treatment went well. 

They have decided to give me a total of 30 Gy ( 5 x 6 Gy), which seems to tie in with the case study I read of a lady in US with a similar situation of pelvic sidewall disease. 

The radiographers seemed pleased that the machine was able to detect all four gold markers and use them for positioning (apparently, sometimes it can only detect two or three or some have migrated elsewhere!).  The actual treatment took about 45 minutes and I had to lie still on my tummy for that time.  I was concerned about my colostomy, as lying flat like that puts pressure on it, but they placed the special mattress that they had shaped for me in place and it wasn't too bad (in fact, I think I might have dozed off during the last few minutes).

However, about half an hour after the treatment the nerve/burning pain that I have had from the tumour (which stopped a couple of weeks ago after 3 months of tamoxifen) started up again.  I wasn't expecting it and had not thought to carry water with me so couldn't take any painkillers (there are no buffet cars on UK trains to get any refreshment - you have to wait for a trolley service, which never comes on a crowded train in rush hour because the aisles are blocked with people standing up!).  It was quite bad, so the journey home was a bit grim, but once I was able to take some pain relief it was fine again.  I'm not sure whether is is the Cyberknife treatment that has aggravated the sciatic nerve (seems a very quick reaction to get it so immediately after the first session) or whether it is lying in the flat prone position.  I will discuss it with the radiographers on Friday before treatment number 2 ( will remember to carry water and painkillers this time!). I hope this isn't something they will be worried about, as this morning all seems fine and I am keen not to compromise the dose if possible.  I'll keep you all posted.

Once again, thank you for your care, concern and good vibes - it is good to carry these into treatment  and know that you're thinking of me.

Ro (my fellow Cyberknife warrior) - how are you doing?

Kindest wishes
Helen x

Helen

glad your first treatment went okay.  Sorry you had pain on the trip home.  I hope you do not have pain with each treatment.  I can understand your anxiety about lying prone that long with your colostomy.  I hope the air mattress continues to work for you.

You said you will have 5 treatments.  How often will you go?  How long is your travel time each day?  I am glad you are planning to take your water and pain pills along in the future.  I hope Friday's treatment goes well.   You remain in my prayers.

HellieC

Ro10 said:

Helen

glad your first treatment went okay.  Sorry you had pain on the trip home.  I hope you do not have pain with each treatment.  I can understand your anxiety about lying prone that long with your colostomy.  I hope the air mattress continues to work for you.

You said you will have 5 treatments.  How often will you go?  How long is your travel time each day?  I am glad you are planning to take your water and pain pills along in the future.  I hope Friday's treatment goes well.   You remain in my prayers.

Hi Ro

Thanks for your wishes and prayers.  My treatments are every other day, so I have the second one today, then a break over the weekend, then one on each of Mon, Wed and Fri next week. 

The journey takes about 2.5 hours each way, as long as there aren't problems (which there frequently are!). I go on the mainline train from the south coast up to Victoria Station in London, then change onto the Underground, then a 10 minute walk. I did consider staying in a hotel, but, to be honest, there's nothing like sleeping in your own bed at the end of a long day, so I am trying to get home.  But I will judge it as the days progress and if it gets too much, I will stay in a hotel for part of next week. 

The hospital is in one of the most expensive parts of London, with beautiful old houses.  I don't know if you ever saw a British TV  series made in the 1970s, called "Upstairs, Downstairs" about life in an affluent Victorian/First World war household, but it was filmed there and I walk past the street where it was made.  Just for fun, I looked up the price of the houses there and was astounded that there is nothing for less than £5M and prices from £8 - £12M are common! How the other half live, eh?  I was born and brought up in London, but prices have risen so much that I don't know how anyone can afford to live there now.

I'm so pleased your treatments have finished, Ro.  I do hope you continue to have no side effects and that the wait for the results doesn't seem too tiresome.  We seem to spend large portions of our lives having tests and waiting for results, don't we?

Kindest wishes
Helen x

 

Ro10

HellieC said:

Hi Ro

Thanks for your wishes and prayers.  My treatments are every other day, so I have the second one today, then a break over the weekend, then one on each of Mon, Wed and Fri next week. 

The journey takes about 2.5 hours each way, as long as there aren't problems (which there frequently are!). I go on the mainline train from the south coast up to Victoria Station in London, then change onto the Underground, then a 10 minute walk. I did consider staying in a hotel, but, to be honest, there's nothing like sleeping in your own bed at the end of a long day, so I am trying to get home.  But I will judge it as the days progress and if it gets too much, I will stay in a hotel for part of next week. 

The hospital is in one of the most expensive parts of London, with beautiful old houses.  I don't know if you ever saw a British TV  series made in the 1970s, called "Upstairs, Downstairs" about life in an affluent Victorian/First World war household, but it was filmed there and I walk past the street where it was made.  Just for fun, I looked up the price of the houses there and was astounded that there is nothing for less than £5M and prices from £8 - £12M are common! How the other half live, eh?  I was born and brought up in London, but prices have risen so much that I don't know how anyone can afford to live there now.

I'm so pleased your treatments have finished, Ro.  I do hope you continue to have no side effects and that the wait for the results doesn't seem too tiresome.  We seem to spend large portions of our lives having tests and waiting for results, don't we?

Kindest wishes
Helen x

 

Helen

how did your second treatment go?  I hope it was an uneventful trip home.  2 1/2 hours is a long trip each way.  Hope you had no pain on the way home.  Will be thinking of you Monday as you have your third treatment.  In peace and caring.

HellieC

Ro10 said:

Helen

how did your second treatment go?  I hope it was an uneventful trip home.  2 1/2 hours is a long trip each way.  Hope you had no pain on the way home.  Will be thinking of you Monday as you have your third treatment.  In peace and caring.

Thanks for thinking of me, Ro

Thanks for thinking of me, Ro. The second treatment went well, with no travel problems.  I asked the radiographers about the pain and they think it could be a sort of "tumour flare" as the tumour becomes inflamed by the radiotherapy.  I had the pain again on the way home, but was well prepared with water and painkillers this time.  I have added nausea to the side effects now!  I remember the nausea from my original radiotherapy but for some reason didn't think I would get it this time as the area being treated is so confined.  It's been a bit miserable over the weekend, but this morning, thankfully, seems to have eased a little.  I will be off for my third session in a couple of hours so we'll see how it goes this time.

I hope you are feeling well and not getting any effects from your treatment?

Kindest wishes
Helen xx

Kaleena

HellieC said:

Thanks for thinking of me, Ro

Thanks for thinking of me, Ro. The second treatment went well, with no travel problems.  I asked the radiographers about the pain and they think it could be a sort of "tumour flare" as the tumour becomes inflamed by the radiotherapy.  I had the pain again on the way home, but was well prepared with water and painkillers this time.  I have added nausea to the side effects now!  I remember the nausea from my original radiotherapy but for some reason didn't think I would get it this time as the area being treated is so confined.  It's been a bit miserable over the weekend, but this morning, thankfully, seems to have eased a little.  I will be off for my third session in a couple of hours so we'll see how it goes this time.

I hope you are feeling well and not getting any effects from your treatment?

Kindest wishes
Helen xx

Thinking of you - Third Treatment

Hi Helen:

Hope your third treatment went well and that you were not in any pain on the way home.   Thinking of you!

Kathy