A strange story as i waited for a streetcar12/31/2022 ![]() I was lucky and suffered very little side effects, my skin was sore for around a week and I was a little more tired than usual. Gradually after a few weeks of treatment your skin becomes irritated, a bit like sun burn. It’s a completely painless treatment and you feel nothing while under the machine. Each radiotherapy session is very quick and I was often in and out in ten minutes. ![]() I had expected there to be only one machine in the hospital, knowing that they cost several million pounds each, so I was shocked to find out there were around 12 machines in The Beatson. Radiotherapy was very different to chemo in that you go every week day for several weeks. The time passed really quickly during chemo infusions and I enjoyed getting to know the staff. There was even a bubbly volunteer who came round with a trolley of hot drinks, snacks and sandwiches to keep us well fed while we waited. I was given heat packs to ease the strange feeling of the cold medication going in to my drip and blankets to keep warm. Nothing was ever too much for the staff, they always did their best to keep you comfortable and happy. In the end I hardly even opened my laptop, I spent most of the time chatting to the other five patients in the room and the lovely friendly nurses. When I arrived to begin my chemo I came armed with my laptop, a book and my phone to keep me entertained while I had my infusion which took about 4 hours. At every appointment I was given lots of information and the oncologists and nurses took their time to explain my treatment plan carefully, happily answering a long list of questions.Ĭhemotherapy was the most difficult part of my treatment due to the severe side-effects but the nurses were there every step of the way with support and advice. During my treatment at the Beatson I received four rounds of chemotherapy and nineteen radiotherapy sessions. I needn’t have been scared as I was about to be given cutting edge medical care by fantastic doctors and nurses. I remember feeling totally overwhelmed and the reality of what lay ahead of me really hit home. ![]() The waiting room was full of ladies in wigs, head scarves or rocking cropped cuts. It was also the first time I had come face to face with the reality of fighting cancer. With 50% more people surviving cancer than 10 years ago the advances are staggering. Having been diagnosed with Breast Cancer in May 2016 it was this first time I was fully made aware of the sheer quantity of people being treated for cancer in this amazing hospital. Walking into The Beatson for the first time was a scary experience.
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