Last Friday was a very different experience. I was off to The London Radiotherapy Clinic at Guys Hospital, London Bridge to get all set up for my upcoming radiotherapy treatments. After meeting Professor Mikhaeel on the Tuesday I didn’t realise things would happen so quickly, they actually wanted me the next day and I just had to get a few office days in, so I re-scheduled until the Friday. It’s really amazing to be able to ask for different appointment dates. Try that on the NHS! lol

I was greeted by Kelly the senior radiographer whom I originally spoke to on the phone. A yank I could easily tell by the accent, as it turns out. I asked that question where are you from and the standard answer from the US. Now to dig deeper, where exactly? Michigan. Lot’s in common her partner is here in London and she is heading home this summer for the first time in years and will be visiting Montreal! My home town yay! Great person, I liked her straight away, really went into so much detail and answered a million of my questions. Every time you have one of these briefings you have to sign a form to say you have understood and agree to it all. It’s like meeting with lawyers haha!

The next step is to get me a mask made so it secures me in the exact spot so I can’t move while they do a CT scan and for all of my treatment sessions. Sound interesting? NOT! I meet Erin a lovely Scottish lass who talks me through the process of getting the mask made and inserts a lovely canula so I can be injected with the marker for the CT scan.

The mask moulding process starts with me lying on the CT scan table and its begins with a flat sheet of plastic with hard ridged edges with pin/snaps to lock it down to the table. Hannibal Lecter comes to mind already right? lol They then submerse this into hot water and when they are ready it takes 3 technicians to place it over my head and shoulders, snap it down quickly, and can I just say, it’s totally claustrophobic, with a small hole where your mouth is to breathe. At this point it’s warm, not hot but I have all these hands pressing down on my face and shoulders, moulding it to me. It cools down quickly when it is has it goes rigid again. It felt like a lifetime, and here is me frantically thinking of being on a beach somewhere instead of the situation I am in right now 😉 Suddenly the mask comes off, phew!

Next step is getting ready for the CT scan and the bloody mask has to go on again, only its cold now so even more rigid and tight when it is snapped into place. I get the marker injected through the canula and we are off for a ride throught the CT scanner. I was pre-warned by Erin that I would get a metalllic taste in my mouth and I would get a warm feeling through my body and feel like I have just wee’d myself, she was spot on! (And I didn’t in case you wondered lol) This process takes about 10 minutes tops but I had an itch at the back of my head and fuck me nothing I could do about it. Breathe Mark breathe! The best is to close your eyes, that’s my advice. Once this is over I am asked to stay for another 10 minutes before they remove my canula, as there is always a risk to an allergic reaction to the marker which can cause anaphylactic shock, oh dear lol! While I waiting in the reception area I discovered that have they have the best snacks and biscuits 🙂 I’m on it!

Treatment will start on the 7th of August and end 30th of August and I will have to do 17 sessions in total with that lovely mask on 😉 Each session is booked at 15 minute intervals so I will be getting very used to my gimp mask lol.

Weekend was great, Nathan and Bentley were down with me and we had a super chilled and relaxed one. Got to love plenty of cuddles and sleeping in! Once again the great British summer was upon us so most of it was spent inside, other than taking Bentley for walks. We have the lovely Loraine and Rob over for dinner on Saturday night and it was lovely to catch up with them both, had not seen them in ages. We sure did laugh and I am grateful to both of them for their friendship and love.

Pithers Parlour was open again on Sunday and Denis was in and I had a little trim as well haha! Not much there but got to keep on top of it. Grow fucking hair grow! The rest of the day was spent watching Series 1 of Dexter, we are way behind on that one I know but we just discovered that show, episode after episode, totally the kind of show Nathan is into, and me too now that I have been converted 😉

Hitting it hard in the gym this week and back to work too. It’s amazing how out of shape I have become and how much less energy I have these days. It’s slowing coming back and soon time to hit the clean eating again. Enough of this feeling sorry for myself eating malarkey 😉 Need to shed the 6 kgs I have put on. Need to find myself again.

Great catch ups on FT with Karen and Ella. Great catch up with the work wife Debbie, Diane and so many others who drop by to see me. Jerry Marshall came over to my desk the other day to see how I was and was not aware of my illness. We discovered we both frequent the LOC! Small world. He was told he had 2 years to live and that was 10 years ago until he discovered their was a whole other world of healthcare out there. Your health is in your own hands, don’t just accept what you are told, get another opinion, explore and always believe there is another way.

I’ll leave you with this little video Bernie did for me at the gym after a very tough chest session! We must have looked like total idiots in there but who gives a fuck! LMAO

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