Cancer - no longer the bogeyman?

Medical issues, doctors, dentists, opticians and hospitals in Hua Hin and Thailand.
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dtaai-maai
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Re: Cancer - no longer the bogeyman?

Post by dtaai-maai »

Vital Spark wrote: Wed Aug 15, 2018 6:05 am DM: How does the radiotherapy affect you physically? Does it make you feel sick or tired?
Hi VS, it's difficult to answer your question in a way that will help your sister, as the side effects undoubtedly vary according to the treatment area.

The actual process is completely painless. Below are a couple of photos from the net that I meant to post earlier. To ensure that the rays were focused accurately every time, they made a very tightly fitting mould exactly like that shown. Once I was on the table, the whole thing was over and done with in 5 minutes.

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The effects take a while to kick in. The first thing that struck me about your post is that your sister is having 15 treatments, whereas mine involved 35. I posted after 17, and things got worse from there. Mostly pain, tiredness and inability to eat. The pain, of course, is from an inflamed throat. I take co-codamol (which causes constipation!). I doubt pain and eating will be a problem for your sis.

The surface area gets sore and tender, similar to sunburn. I haven't found that too much of a problem, though it varies.

I've just finished my course of treatment, and my next review is on 15 Sept., though I have assorted other appointments in the meantime with nutritionists, speech therapists, etc. I'm reliably informed that things will continue to bubble away for a while before I get back to normal.

I've lost 10 kgs so far (no bad thing in itself), despite being being on a high calory diet and assorted supplements. I simply can't get much down. I dream of roast lamb, mint sauce and roast tatties.

The photo below is me and my grandson, who was getting (and giving himself) a round of applause after ringing the bell.
Photo from Phil Underwood.jpg
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I had a lovely surprise this morning when I opened my door to find two district nurses beaming at me. Night Crawlers, here I come...
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Re: Cancer - no longer the bogeyman?

Post by Vital Spark »

DM: Thank you hugely for your informative and interesting reply. BTW You look great!

My sister's lymphoma is just a little lump on her inner thigh - far away from a lot of important bits. She's going for her first session of radiotherapy on Monday and the wonderful NHS feel that they can kill off the nasties there in 15 sessions. It's a far less invasive process than what you've been going through, and will hopefully not effect her normal life too much.

You've obviously gone through quite a tough time with your treatment because of the location of the cancer, but you're in the best hands.

We'll definintely have to meet up for a beer or two when we get settled.

VSx
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Re: Cancer - no longer the bogeyman?

Post by Takiap »

Sorry people, I don't mean to hijack this thread, but do any of you know if radiation treatment and chemotherapy are available at any of the hospitals in Hua-Hin?
Alternatively, would it be possible to receive such treatment in Bangkok while still living in Hua-Hin?



BTW, best of luck to you and hope you are recovering nicely.

:cheers:
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Re: Cancer - no longer the bogeyman?

Post by dtaai-maai »

Hi Takiap,

When I had lymphoma back in 2010(ish), I was treated by a haematologist (Dr Narumol, I think) at Ratchaburi Hospital (at that time apparently the nearest haematologist to HH), where I received chemotherapy. I've no idea about radiotherapy (I'm guessing Bangkok).

If you google 'Bangkok radiotherapy', you'll find quite a bit of information, particularly about Wattanosoth Hospital and Siriraj Kospital (where I stayed for a couple of weeks at the start of treatment).

I'm doing okay at the moment, not quite the dulcit tones I had before the radiotherapy, but I still have a voice!

All the best :cheers:
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Re: Cancer - no longer the bogeyman?

Post by Takiap »

Hi DM

Nice to hear that you are doing alright. :D

Also, thanks for the reply. I was actually asking on behalf of another Austrian guy I know who needs to undergo such treatment, and was sort of hoping he could have it done here in Hua-Hin.

He was diagnosed with a bladder tumor at Bangkok Hospital, and the tumor was unfortunately cancerous. They removed it, but apparently they can only go as far as the muscle, and a follow up test showed that the cancer has already penetrated the muscle lining.

He was then told that his bladder would have to come out, so he went back to Austria, but doctors over there came to the same conclusion, but are not willing to do the procedure due to another major operation he has recently had, so the only alternative he has now is radiation therapy and chemo.

Anyway, he's decided to get treatment in Austria, and has the first session on Friday.

:cheers:
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Re: Cancer - no longer the bogeyman?

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MODS: I'm posting this here rather than starting a new thread. Feel free to move it if appropriate.

Just over 3 years after the radiotherapy referred to above I still hadn't my voice back to where it was pre-cancer. I was no longer able to sing a note, sadly - I was no Pavarotti, but I've always enjoyed belting out a good tune in a musical, music hall or even, God forbid, a church! - but I could speak well enough to start treading the boards again if I was careful about which part I took on.

Anyway, in November I had a the occasional bout of breathlessness, which culminated with me struggling for breath so much one afternoon (Sunday 21st) that I was on the verge of panic. I dialled 111, the NHS helpline, rather than 999, but the lovely lady on 111 could obviously hear that I was in trouble and sent an ambulance. They got here fairly quickly, which was a releif as I'd read some horror stories about response times due to Covid, gave me oxygen, did assorted tests and whisked me off to the nearest A&E, about 8 miles away (in Worksop). As far as I recall, they gave me anti-inflammatories and adrenalin to open my airways and transferred me to Doncaster, where the ENT specialists who'd treated my cancer are based.

They kept me in overnight and kicked me out after lunch on Monday. One thing we never got round to discussing, God only knows why not, was the cause and the follow-up. I slept like a baby* on Monday night, most unusual for me, and got on with things. on Tuesday afternoon I felt it all starting up again and phoned my GP's surgery. Spoke with a doctor (my own GP was off duty) who prescribed a ventolin inhaler and arranged a phone call from my own GP on Wednesday. My GP contacted the ENT team at Doncaster and told me to get my arse to A&E sharpish. I grabbed a few bits and pieces and did as I was told.

Sorry, this is turning into a saga... but in for a penny...! :laugh:

After loads of intrusive tests, shoving cameras down my throat, etc. they told me that I was in serious trouble. The tumour in my throat had been at the top of the larynx/trachea (the windpipe) where it sits next to the oesophogus (the food pipe) - hence the occasional choking fit when something 'goes down the wrong way', an inherent design flaw if ever there was one! The soft tissue scarring caused by the radiotherapy had shifted causing the airways to constrict to such an extent that I was effectively breathing through a tiny slot (hence the struggle for breath), which could close completely at any time. Not an optimal outcome... :laugh:

The only solution, I was told (and by now it's late evening), was an emergency tracheostomy. I've had a few reminders of my mortality during my life (amoebic dysentery at 30, 2 heart attacks at 40, a DVT at 49, lymphoma at 52, throat cancer at 61, type 2 diabetes), but this was a belter. I'm quite vain and self-centred (well, not much point in sugarcoating things at this stage, is there? :laugh:) and my voice has always been a focal part of who I am. Immediate images sprang to mind of emergency tracheostomies in films using a biro tube (I've even performed one on stage! :roll: ), Bond villains holding a cigarette to their trachy tube (or is that just my imagination?), and the sound of a Dalek croaking "Exterminate"...

Given the absence of appealing alternatives, I signed the consent forms** and was admitted to ward S12 of Doncaster Royal Infirmary, may God bless her and all who sail in her. In spit of the doom and gloom-ridden consent forms, I survived the surgery and was wheeled back to my private room :naughty: :rasta:, breathing easily but unable to talk until they changed my tube a few days later.

We're up to Thursday 25th November. I'm knackered now, so I'll continue this later...

*Why do we use that expression? Most babies I know wake up at all hours demanding attention... :roll:
** Consent forms: you have to love these things. Anaesthetists and surgeons have to cover their backs and be seen to have informed the patient of all the possible ways in which the procedure could go wrong, but starting off by saying "We're going to cut you open, and here's a list of all the ways the operation could go wrong and kill you" doesn't really inspire confidence... :laugh:
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Re: Cancer - no longer the bogeyman?

Post by sateeb »

Good to see you treading the Forum boards once again. Best wishes my trusty sparring partner.
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Re: Cancer - no longer the bogeyman?

Post by lindosfan1 »

Good to see you back DM, stay safe and enjoy Christmas.
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Re: Cancer - no longer the bogeyman?

Post by joelle »

Take it easy, wishing you all the best DM
and hope you have a good peaceful Christmas celebration 🎄⛄
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Re: Cancer - no longer the bogeyman?

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Hopefully you're on the mend!! Best wishes.
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Re: Cancer - no longer the bogeyman?

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Here we go again! The rollercoaster epic saga of D-M's health problems. I won't bore you with all the gory details (and they are pretty gory), but I've just had another month in hospital. Scans and tests after the tracheostomy showed that the tumour from 2018 was back with a vengeance, and the only way to get rid of it was by removing a large percentage of the inner workings of my throat, including my voice box.

This op on 1st Feb (which took 10 hours and left me in intensive care for 4 days) was called a total laryngopharyngectomy, bilateral selective neck dissection + radial forearm flap. Make of that what you will, I'll leave you to google it if you're interested, but I wouldn't recommend looking at the pics unless you have a really strong stomach! :laugh:

I came home on Tuesday, to much weeping and wailing from the hospital staff, of course. Joking aside, it's all rather difficult. Although I no longer look like an unfinished Frankenstein's monster, I have a leaky neck wound (due to the radiotherapy 3 years ago apparently), which is taking a long time to heal, a very sore arm where they removed a large flap of skin as a graft to replace and reconstruct what they took out with the tumour, I'm still on nil-by-mouth and pumpimng my 'feed' directly into my stomach, and of course I can't speak at all. Hopefully in a few months when everything has healed they'll be able to insert a speaking valve - don't ask me for details, but it goes between the aesophagus and he trachea and involves another op... :roll:

All of this has had all sorts of side effects, among other things affecting my kidney function and meaning that I'm on insulin injections rather than metformin tablets for my type 2 diabetes, for the time being at least.

Lots of story's to tell about that month in Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire Hospital, but I really can't be arsed at the moment. Sincere thanks for the messages of support passed on from the forum, it made a big difference I can assure you.
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Re: Cancer - no longer the bogeyman?

Post by Bamboo Grove »

You've been through a lot. Hopefully all is getting better now.
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Re: Cancer - no longer the bogeyman?

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dtaai-maai wrote: Fri Mar 04, 2022 1:14 pm Here we go again! The rollercoaster epic saga of D-M's health problems. I won't bore you with all the gory details (and they are pretty gory), but I've just had another month in hospital. Scans and tests after the tracheostomy showed that the tumour from 2018 was back with a vengeance, and the only way to get rid of it was by removing a large percentage of the inner workings of my throat, including my voice box.

This op on 1st Feb (which took 10 hours and left me in intensive care for 4 days) was called a total laryngopharyngectomy, bilateral selective neck dissection + radial forearm flap. Make of that what you will, I'll leave you to google it if you're interested, but I wouldn't recommend looking at the pics unless you have a really strong stomach! :laugh:

I came home on Tuesday, to much weeping and wailing from the hospital staff, of course. Joking aside, it's all rather difficult. Although I no longer look like an unfinished Frankenstein's monster, I have a leaky neck wound (due to the radiotherapy 3 years ago apparently), which is taking a long time to heal, a very sore arm where they removed a large flap of skin as a graft to replace and reconstruct what they took out with the tumour, I'm still on nil-by-mouth and pumpimng my 'feed' directly into my stomach, and of course I can't speak at all. Hopefully in a few months when everything has healed they'll be able to insert a speaking valve - don't ask me for details, but it goes between the aesophagus and he trachea and involves another op... :roll:

All of this has had all sorts of side effects, among other things affecting my kidney function and meaning that I'm on insulin injections rather than metformin tablets for my type 2 diabetes, for the time being at least.

Lots of story's to tell about that month in Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire Hospital, but I really can't be arsed at the moment. Sincere thanks for the messages of support passed on from the forum, it made a big difference I can assure you.
Hoping you find strength with each new day
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Re: Cancer - no longer the bogeyman?

Post by PeteC »

It's good to have you back DM. Take care of yourself, and I think it's time to get a pretty nurse in there at home with you to cheer you up a bit! :cheers:
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Re: Cancer - no longer the bogeyman?

Post by Dannie Boy »

Wishing you all the best D-M - glad to have you back on the Forum shouting loud and clear
:cheers:
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