Showing posts with label chemotherapy side effects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chemotherapy side effects. Show all posts
End of Treatment Bubble
It has now been three weeks since Hugo took his last dose of chemotherapy. So what does life on the other side look like?
In many ways it doesn't look very different to life on treatment. There has been medication every day, (although not the yucky chemotherapy or steroid type), the nurse has been twice and the physio has visited Hugo at school. We have all had colds and the worry that Hugo's will develop into something more serious has been there, just like it has been for over 3 years.
Getting my Spark Back
In just a few days Hugo will finish his treatment. A thousand thoughts and feelings have been racing around in my head over the last few weeks. Many of them positive, but some feel negative and selfish. It's difficult to make sense of them all, hard to put them into any kind of order. It feels a little overwhelming, this strange mix of emotions. I am excited, I am so very excited, but I am so many other things too.
The Big Questions
After three years of treatment, I suspect many people are a bit lost with Hugo's illness and treatment. Here are some of the questions I have been asked and a few others that I thought people might want answers to.
Day in the Life - Side Effects
During the early phases of treatment Hugo suffered with many of the side effects synonymous with cancer. His hair fell out, he was sick, tired and pale. He lost weight, his light dimmed and he looked ill. Now, in this final maintenance phase, the side effects are often less obvious, but very much still there.
What happens next?
During our last appointment at GOSH, our oncology nurse specialist answered the all important question - 'what happens when treatment ends?' I've asked many questions relating to this along the way. Always hesitantly, not wanting to look too far ahead, not wanting to assume we will make it that far. One day at a time, that was always the way to deal with this, but sometimes the practical side of me would come out and I needed to know, I needed a glimpse into the next stage of our lives. Now we are here, now it was time to get the full story.
Day in the Life - Medication
I often get asked if Hugo is still on chemotherapy. Has he finished, or is he due another cycle? Treatment for blood cancers can differ from other cancer treatment plans. It is often long, in some cases life long, and I think this can be difficult to comprehend - I know it was for us when we were told his treatment would last for over 3 years. Hopefully this explains a little more about the medication, chemo and otherwise, that Hugo takes for his type of leukaemia (acute lymphoblastic leukaemia).
Bring it on 2018!
So, we have reached 2018, the year Hugo will finish treatment. It feels significant. The countdown can well and truly begin.
I remember, just after Hugo was diagnosed, reading that treatment for his type of leukaemia would last just over 3 years. I thought it must be a mistake, a bizarre typo. How could life continue with any semblance of normality for that period of time. How could anyone manage 3 years of chemotherapy, let alone a child, my child.
Things I Have Learnt
It has now been 2 years since Hugo was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. 24 months of our strange, new, cancer filled life. The learning curve has been steep and I'm pretty sure it's not done yet. Here are a few of the things I have learnt.
Halfway
We have now passed the halfway point of treatment. Hugo is currently on month 20, with 18 more to go. We are on the downhill slope towards the end of treatment. That light at the end of the tunnel is getting ever so slightly brighter.
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