Post under editing, perhaps
This thread may seem overly detailed and hammed-up to some. Purposely so, in an attempt to keep it light and inform others that are under similar circumstances to face what May lie ahead of them, and, hopefully to provide enough info as possible to formulate their own plans.
13.30
Lunch
Shortly after, the nurse arrived and did the business.
I was glad that it looked as though the results of my tests would be thorough in time.
The amount that he took was not quite up to Hancock’s ‘nearly an armful’ in
The Blood Donner, but, it was enough to make me wonder if I would be alright considering I was not even going to have time for a cup of tea and a biscuit afterwards.
My first task this morning, because the…..?
UE MARZET
Adresse : 40 bd d'Alsace Lorraine
Code Postal :64000
Ville :PAU
Téléphone :
05 59 92 72 72
Fax :
05 59 02 41 26
E-mail 1 :
clinique.marzet@marzet.fr
Lien internet :
www.pole-marzet.frDirecteur : COURNAU Stanislas
Oncologues Radiothérapeutes :
Oncologues Médicaux : MARTI Pierre
21/12/21
Taxi arrived at 13.45 Terry ? OH accompanied me to the clinic.
Arrive clinic 14.45
Upon taking our places in the waiting room I had an urge to cough and went to the to the toilets where I had difficulty in coughing up some phlegm of a nature that I have not experienced before. After I had expectorated, I noted that It was light slightly yellow/ beige in colour and did not look to be infected with a secondary infection, ‘ mucky ‘ as my pneumolgist has described it. Since my last operation it has sometimes been present in markedly variable amounts from nothing detectable to several cc and much more at the time of the op that had the consistently of soap suds ranging through to egg white
On this particular occasion it was very thick and creamy though and……(enough detail!)
Since my treatment yesterday it seems that I am less aware of something in my throat as I have been since I became aware of it about a week or two ? after I left hospital. I have been most aware of it when I get up in the mornings. I find it hard to imagine that this is because of my treatment, but, I know nothing.
I wrote the above re my symptoms of as I was expecting a rendezvous with Dr, B after my x-ray treatment.
As things turned out, in spite of the slip of paper that I was given yesterday indicating as previously shown, it seems as if my rendezvous/consultation with Dr. L M is scheduled for 8.00 am 22/12.
Life, for myself and oh would have been so much easier if this was made plain to me yesterday instead of the meaningless memo that I received.
The principal of French efficiency, I as I see it, is to maximise procedure in order to
bolster the bonanza of private and public medicine?
Deviation from the norm is only tolerated if tptb are the deviants, who are never wrong and rarely apologise
Arrive back home 17.30
22/12 Taxi 7.00
Take capsule 7.40 Emend
Arrive Hospital 7.58
8.10 Dr. D. M.
After oh and I entered the doctor’s office virtually the first thing that he asked was ‘ Why weren’t you here yesterday?’
oh explained that we were. He seemed a bit flustered. Asked and answered questions. Pushed for time perhaps.
It was all over in about ten minutes.
We took the lift to the first floor and registered details with the staff at the desk
Treatment commend 8.45 drink plenty of water.
In the meantime oh was making enquiries as to the possibility of her getting a lift back home. The driver that brought us here has left to go on another trip.
As she is not supposed to leave the room and return. She could go, shopping perhaps, and rendezvous on my return,
but, tptb seem to pretty clueless when it comes to synchronicity so she will wait with me here.
I am a bit curious as to what the treatment, or, treatments actually entail.
I am under the impression that it will depend upon the results of weekly blood tests.
9.15 a.m.
Today I am scheduled to be on a drip all day. Rather alarmingly, the drip is sodium du chloure 2g ( rather than Flour de Canna)
I wonder what is the difference is, besides paracetamol, between that and a normal drip that is used in hospital. If there is such a thing.
Weed killer comes to mind. (Paradoxically, there was lots of wee.)
There is no WiFi in the room so my curiosity will have to wait.
OH has just received a call from the boss of the taxi company
10.00 a nurse has brought another drip and deposited on the table in the room
Cisplatine NaCl 0.9% 76 mg. 250 ml
perfusion QSP
I am drinking as much water as I can. About a litre so far. Feeling a bit nauseous but nothing too grim as yet.
12.00 lunch Beetroot starter. Macaroni and Toulouse sausage. Fruit salad(apple & pineapple)
Third litre of drip started. Flow rate severely reduced.
13.10 OH has been called for a lift home.
15.00 the container 2.5 L full. Nurse increased rate of drip.
Very Slight indigestion rather tired. I wonder what shape I am going to be in after another 30 sessions of this.
I think that I can understand the reason that some ot the outpatients that I have seen in my years of visiting
hospitals may look so dreadfully ill. It’s Impossible for me to know why now of course, but I know of people who have
had four or more complete courses of chemo who have said that it gave them five years ( or more.?) extra life.
15.45 Pee abt. .35L.
16.10 Nurse removes drip, but, leaves connector ? and I am escorted to Attente Saturne where there are three ladies waiting.
one of who doesn’t sent seem to have had a problem of loosing too much weight.
16.40 arrive back in waiting room waiting for taxi.
I seem to be getting to learn the form of things. I suppose the most important thing to do is always expect the unexpected
and understand the unexplained.
I have probably been to the toilet today as many times as I normally go in two or three days and nights. After I had been called to the maze that is the scanning area as I took my shirt off I thought it best if I went to the toilet next door first and went through to the area where I was able to tell the staff there that I would be absent for two minutes. When I was washing my hands in front of a mirror hthe brilliantly lit washroom I was quite shocked to see that the hair was the same colour as an Arctic Hare. I am not sure if this perception was due to a trick of the light or the chemo radio treatments.
23/12/12 8.10
Has anybody reading these had any experience in taking drugs in tandem with x-ray treatment that knows the best time to take them?
I realise that every one is different, warnings about to to what the Doctor tells you etc etc.
Yesterday I took 125 mg. Aprepitant about half an hour before I went to Saturne.
where I was strapped on to the table where another tablet was slipped into my mouth immediately before the treatment begun.
The rest of the day I was mainlining laying on the first floor up-stairs.
How does the drug cocktail work?
Mechanism of action
The short term effects of corticosteroids are decreased vasodilation and permeability of capillaries, ( therefore increasing blood pressure) as well as decreased leukocyte (white blood cell) migration to sites of inflammation..4
Corticosteroids binding to the glucocorticoid receptor (thereby increasing anti inflammation)mediates changes in gene expression that lead to multiple downstream effects over hours to days.4
Glucocorticoids inhibit neutrophil apoptosis and demargination; they inhibit phospholipase A2, which decreases the formation of arachidonic acid derivatives; they inhibit NF-Kappa B and other inflammatory transcription factors; they promote anti-inflammatory genes like interleukin-10.4
Lower doses of corticosteroids provide an anti-inflammatory effect, while higher doses are immunosuppressive.4 High doses of glucocorticoids for an extended period period bind to the mineralocorticoid receptor, raising sodium levels and decreasing potassium
9.45
All drugs taken. I have tried to read up on how they work and cp some paras.
My eyes are heavy. Feel tired right now. Sigh s of faint indigestion not apparent.
I suspect that I will be taking it easy today but will try and tidy the bedroom and kitchen up first.
10.10 Kitchen cleaned and have done a bit more reading up on drugs.
I wondered about the tablet that the nurse in the treatment room asked me to place on my tongue, so I thought. It melted rapidly.
I wondered about this, not that an attack of angina was likley, many drugs are used to treat various situations
Nitroglycerin sublingual tablets are used to treat episodes of angina (chest pain) in people who have coronary artery disease (narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart). It is also used just before activities that may cause episodes of angina in order to prevent the angina from occurring. Nitroglycerin is in a class of medications called vasodilators. It works by relaxing the blood vessels so the heart does not need to work as hard and therefore does not need as much oxygen.
How should this medicine be used?
Nitroglycerin comes as a sublingual tablet to take under the tongue. The tablets is usually taken as needed, either 5 to 10 minutes before activities that may cause attacks of angina or at the first sign of an attack. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take nitroglycerin exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Nitroglycerin may not work as well after you have used it for some time or if you have taken many doses. Take the fewest tablets needed to relieve the pain of your attacks. If your angina attacks happen more often, last longer, or become more severe at any time during your treatment, call your doctor.
You learn something most days
If want cause to worry
Read on
medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a601086.htmlNot that I know what drug is slipped into your mouth with the instructions to
hold it on, or under your tongue and stay perfectly still.
10.22
As I lie down reading this, I can hear that there is much activity in the digestion department.
I will either go and sit down, or, tidy the bedroom up.
Decisions decisions.
12.37 lunch..
13.45 Taxi called on time. I was five minutes behind time. I did not recognise the driver. He is not very commutative. We are on the autoroute.
I wonder if we will make all of the journey on the peage.
14.37 Arrive Marzet
Waiting in Attente Saturne.
3 ladies there. After I came out of the toilet there were two
14,45 A lady came ot of one of the three changing rooms. She gave me a nod. I did not recognise her. No surprises there then.
One of the ladies, looks older, reminds me of Meeks. Her name is Madame Pulle or BuLlay I heard the nurse call her. She is a bit lax. She had her mask off of her face, more on her throat. She coughed quite a bit, friendly enough, has the shakes a bit and nodding head. I wonder what legate is a symptom of. Today I must make more of an effort too remember the name of the ray machine
14.58 The lady that was here when I arrived had just come from one of the changing rooms. About 20 minutes for her treatment then.
I was called in to changing room 1 and was now aware of the drill.
I handed my appointment card to the attendant.and took my shirt and shoes off
and left them in the changing room rather than wore them to the scanner.
Mask fitted and sequence commenced. Music is played during procedure.
I wondered if was an in house tape / chip loop. @ line of one of the songs
I am radioactive, ……..It’s a new day…
Very pertinent I thought….
I am not sure that the staff understand or are that bothered,
Seems that there is one x-ray machine/gun and three changing rooms for its customers.
The waiting area for Saturne has six seats for them to wait on.
I am writing this in the taxi . We are returning to Air s/l Adour via the payage. I wonder if the firm gets a discount. Well worth using ? Reasons ?
15,40
TFIF
24/12
I have been having a rough time of late, what with one thing or another.
The good news is that, so far, things have been better than expected.
I don’t know if I will be able to say the same thing in a month’s time
I have been prescribed a regime of drugs and 60 mg prednisone on a Thursday and Friday morning with breakfast is one of them
I have taken prednisone for many years in varying doses and am well aware of its upsides and downsides, but, my knowledge of it does not extend as to how its effects might manifest themselves with other drugs or of any contraindications.
I would ask the doctor who guidance I was placed under, I was supposed to see him earlier this week, unfortunately, for me he was on holiday and I was scheduled to see another doctor. I arrived with oh at the appointed time only to be told that there was no appointment booked for me. The appointment was rescheduled for the next day (see above) We we’re hustled out of the doctors office so quickly that the opportunity for any ‘consultation’ was out of the question. OH was well pi55ed off. I am getting used to it.
So, what can I do?
I can resort to the net
With high doses of corticosteroids, live or live-attenuated vaccines should be delayed
until several months after corticosteroid treatment has stopped.