0 Comments
My lifetime friend Eliot Crowe, who now lives in the USA, contacted me a couple of months ago to see if the idea of a 'meal train' would help Kerry and I through our battle against cancer. We have now gone 'live' with the website... Calling friends of Dave Symes !!! To help Dave out while he's undergoing radiotherapy, would you make his family a meal? Please read on.... As Dave recovers from his recent surgery and prepares to start radiotherapy on 6th October I’ve been thinking a lot about how I can help. When someone is going through a challenging time, a common thing out here in the USA (where I live) is to organize a “meal train”. A meal train is where friends and family all agree to prepare and deliv...er a single meal. The result is that someone – in this case Dave - can get dinner provided over a period of one or two months, allowing Dave, Kerry, and the kids to focus more of their effort on beating Dave’s cancer. My wife and I received a 30-day meal train when our child was born, and it made a huge difference for us. I talked to Dave about this idea, and being so strongly community-minded he was excited to give the meal train a go so I offered to coordinate it. So I am asking that you sign up to provide a meal for Dave and his family, and here’s how you do it: 1. Go to the website linked below 2. Select the date that you will provide a meal, and click “TAKE” 3. Enter your name, email address, and phone number 4. Enter the meal you plan to make (optional), and then click “SIGN UP” 5. Mark the date in your calendar, and when the day comes around you’ll drop off your meal at Dave’s house I’m targeting a minimum 6-week meal train – please sign up now (it only takes a minute), and feel free to sign up for more than one date if you like. Thanks! http://www.takethemameal.com/meals.php?t=MKTL8191 Well today the 24th of September I headed up to Poole (following blood being taken at Royal Manor Health Centre), to have my radiotherapy mask fitted. I really didn’t know what to expect. How could you? My MacMillan book given to me in hospital last month had some drawn pictures but nothing too specific. On arrival one of the cancer nurses met us and took us to a room where the mask would be fitted. In the corner was the mask seen in the photos. I assumed this was the general mould that was placed over your face so that the real mould could be fassioned on top of it. Oh how wrong I was! The nurse spent a time with us asking how we were and going through some medical questions. We also talked about this blog and discussed what a good idea it was to keep a blog/diary. She expected that the national neck/head cancer support group called HANDS might be interested in promoting it on their website, which was good.
The doctor came in who specialised in making these masks. He explained that they used a flat mould that was heated to a certain temperature where the plastic type substance would become malleable. Whilst I was held in one position, guided by a laser in the ceiling, they would pull the malleable substance down over my face until it cooled and set. The whole procedure would take just a few minutes. After the procedure I was taken to another room where I was put back into the mask (the eyes are pressed in so that you cannot see anything), and dots/marks are drawn over the mask. I was taken out of the mask and 'hooked up' to a machine that then pumped a coloured dye into my veins. I was placed back into the constrictive mask and placed into a CRT scanner. Several minutes later I was removed and my first mask experience was over! I have to say that this procedure isn’t for the faint hearted and certainly isn’t for anyone who suffers with any form of claustrophobia. People with any such conditions can be sedated if needed. I can only describe it as that feeling you get is someone holds you under a duvet and you feel trapped. But it is a means to an end and I have to keep in mind the reasons for going through this. On every visit now (Starting 6th October for 6 weeks), I will be strapped into my mask and the work done today will allow for pinpoint accuracy of the radiation beams. The mask serves to hold me in the exact position, protecting surrounding ‘healthy’ cells, should I move slightly during the procedure. I found it all a bit upsetting and not a very nice experience to endure. I think that the previous week of not being able to eat/drink/speak and 3 ops in 9 weeks are finally taking their toll on me emotionally. Unfortunately this video of me having the mask fitted has been removed by request of the hospital.
Last Monday the 15th September I went in for my third operation in 9 weeks. I have to say that the week leading up to this I had felt really low and was really apprehensive. The operation was to have 3 healthy wisdom teeth removed as well as two normal molars at the back on the right hand side. The surgery was preventative and to stop me having long term oral problems from the radiation therapy. The dentist spent time explaining what would be the bad consequences of not having the surgery done. These included weaknesses of the teeth and jaw that could lead to further complications like infections. For the first time I was in Poole Hospital on day surgery so at least I got to wake up in a different ward. I was soon sent home and the whole procedure was a success. I was slightly swollen but not nearly as bad as I had anticipated. The next day, my mouth became plagued with ulcers, under my tongue, along my lips and several on the back of my throat. The ulcers were extremely painful and left me unable to eat/drink or talk properly. Kerry definitely enjoyed the not talking part. By Friday I was really low and phoned the doctor. He called me back and offered to prescribe some mouth lotions to help with the ulcers. They finally started to improve and by Tuesday I had eaten my first ‘non soft’ food. Despite two major operations in the last two months the ulcers were far more painful and discomforting. During the week we had a call from the hospital with two important dates. My mask fitting would be the following Wednesday (24th Sept) and my radiation therapy would start on the 6th October for 6 weeks of weekdays until the 14th November. On Tuesday 9th September 2014, exactly 2 months after I had my first operation to have my tumour removed, I attended Poole Hospital to get my second set of biopsy results. It was a mixed bag of news. Some of which was great news, some of which has left me deflated.
|
Archives
June 2018
Author42 year old man whose life changed over night Categories |