August 8th

Pete's Points

Well you get some good news and bad whenever you see your doctor don't you. Today is a rest day for the Linear accelerator and hence for me as well. On Monday I had a meeting with my doctor and discovered some good news and some bad.

The good news is that I will probably survive the treatment. The bad news is that unlike my expectations - namely that the effects of the radio therapy will diminish the longer I am away from having more x rays bombarding my tissues, the effects are likely to get worse! Well at least for two weeks after the end of the treatment regime.

Terrific, that. Already having a skin whose colour seems to be reminiscent of a fully cooked lobster I am really looking forward to what further side effects this treatment will cause. At least the pain is manageable at present as is the inconvenience of waking up to the freezing temperatures that are still around where I live and the realisation, on a daily basis that the nice hot shower that one looks forward to as a way of helping to take the chill off the weary bones is no longer available. Why? Well have you ever tried to take a nice hot shower on skin that has been badly sunburned? If you have you will know that this is NOT a good idea. So, it's luke warm showers until the skin is restored - sigh!

Meanwhile I have also been to get advice about the voice. The outlook is not too horrible. I may be able to get some semblance of the voice back - over time. Meanwhile I have to practice different forms of breathing, holding my head and trying to produce sounds that are 'operatic' incorporating or at least emulating a tragic sobbing sound aligned with a voiceless comic mirth (to help the right kind of breathing). If I get this right then all I can say is Pagliacci eat your heart out!

Have to get to lunch so will write some more when I am back!