adjuvant therapy and the discovery of other new words!

A few weeks ago, I'd never heard of the word 'adjuvant'.

Now I have - the google definition is:- "applied after initial treatment for cancer, especially to suppress secondary tumour formation."

Up until today, I had assumed that adjuvant therapy was either radiotherapy, or chemotherapy. But today I discovered that there is a specific type of radiotherapy known as brachytherapy. This is what my surgeon Marielle has recommended for me. Apparently, the cancer was confined to the uterine body, but was drilling its way through the myometrial muscle and was quite close to blood vessel supply. Because of this, the recommended course of action is Brachytherapy - which is explained as localised radioactive material being placed near the affected area. This is going to happen on 4 different occasions (6 minutes or so) over an 11 day period in January - so we're assuming that my body will have recovered from the surgery and can then tolerate some blasting.

The doctor laughed today when we were discussing the process....he was patiently describing how I would be gently laid on a couch, and the radioactive material would be inserted at the top of the vagina (google-eyed emoji needed here)...... and then I interrupted him and said "and the staff all wearing their lead vests run out of the room and shut the door before the machine is switched on....."

Anyway - that's basically it. The area left behind now the uterus has been removed will be well and truly zapped......I have been talking on a Facebook group called Hysterectomy Sisters UK - and no-one has replied saying that they have had this treatment. It will be done at the Chelsea Marsden - the machinery isn't available at Sutton yet. This machine is known as an HDR micronSelectron which does tend to make me feel as if I should be featuring in a Star Trek movie.........

Teacher insert - 'brachy' = short          'therapy' = curing or healing  (Ancient greek)

Enough of the adjuvant therapy proposed!

After a pretty long wait seeing the two consultants and their teams, I was collected and taken back to the corridor above the piano so that I could perform my walking challenge (you'll remember this from previous blogs). Peter was with me this time - NOT helpful - and managed to record me marching up and down the 10 metre stretch. Obs before and after were all fine, and I felt quite a sense of fulfilment at the completion of the task....... I'm hoping to enter the Marsden March in early March - either 5 or 15 miles (probably 5), so if anyone wants to join me, I'd love the company!

Comments

  1. RetiredlayaboutDecember 11, 2018 at 2:53 PM

    I love that word 'adjuvant'!
    Well done on the marching!!
    Were you silently humming a suitable marching song? I know I would have... ..I did it after my hip surgery on my many rehab walks..... Careful though, you may walk farther than you'd planned 😁 x

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