The first post treatment check-up
19th of October – It was 1 month to the day since Viv’s last dose of radiation. For most of us the month had flown by, just like the last 12 months had been somewhat of a blur since we all arrived here to start our new lives on the sunny Algarve. For Viv however the last 4 weeks had been a drawn out anxious period of time, full of uncertainty but at the same time a sense of relief that the treatment had finished. He had been able to fully immerse himself back into work, sample his first beer in 3 months and finally chew food rather than drink it. There was one important question that still remained to be answered though – was the cancer gone? Today Viv would find out.
Generally Viv doesn’t get nervous, his confidence is a big part of his personality and it’s something that sticks in the mind of whoever meets him. Understandably, today warranted nerves and they were firmly with Viv.
Viv and Avril made their way to Faro hospital like they had done so many times during the treatment period, this time however they were hoping and praying for positive news. On arrival Viv met with his specialist Dr Caba who wasted no time in sticking a camera up his nose and down his throat to assess whether the 35 sessions of radiation had been enough to kill off the cancerous cells. It was not long before the doctor retracted his camera, placed it on the desk and raised his head to make eye contact with Viv. Viv then simply watched as a huge smile developed across the face of Dr Caba, something that Viv will never forget. Due to the doctors limited English it was still unclear what exactly the diagnosis was, despite Avril’s best efforts in Portuguese. Another specialist was called in to help translate and eventually Viv heard those magic words – the cancer was gone. To the naked eye Dr Caba could see nothing cancerous left in Viv’s throat and he was absolutely convinced everything was gone. Viv had done it, with the help of the doctors, specialists, Avril and his never say die attitude he had overcome adversity.
Due to Viv’s throat still being fairly swollen and inflamed Dr Caba stressed that there would need to be another check-up in early December to determine for certain that the big C was nowhere to be seen. But for now Viv was on cloud nine.
On leaving the hospital Viv and Avril headed straight over to the radiotherapy clinic to give Dr Oscar the good news. It was something that the doctor, who had been by Viv’s side on this journey from the very beginning, appreciated very much, usually never hearing from patients again once they are referred. It was an emotional time for all.
So it seems the battle has been won, it just goes to show that with the help and support of loved ones and friends and with a overwhelming desire to never give up and carry on enjoying life you can beat this. At no stage did Viv feel sorry for himself or blame anyone, he accepted what he had and made a choice – to live.
2 weeks after treatment completion.
The daily trips to the hospital for a dose of radiation were now over for Viv. The 26th of September marked the last treatment session and Viv was now hoping to look forward to the healing process.
On Friday the 29th of September Viv left the still sunny Algarve for the rather more chilly Hungarian capital Budapest on a long arranged business trip. Although still very soon after the treatment completion, the specialist supported this trip as long as Viv maintained his routine of medication and care. The doctor stressed the importance of normality, if it was something that Viv usually did then keep doing it. Viv was very much looking forward to the break, different surrounding and a sense of getting his life back into the normal swing of things. It would also be a welcome break for his wife Avril who up until this point had been nursing Viv 24/7 since the start of his treatment.
As a member of Viv’s staff for a number of years now I have been fortunate enough to join him on a few of the Budapest trips and it is something that I always enjoy very much. One of the most enjoyable factors is the Hungarian cuisine, not only is their traditional food very good but they also specialise in foods from other countries such as Korea, Japan and China. No one loves this food more than Viv so on a normal visit we would frequent these places at least once and it is always a fabulous way to end a hard day. This time however it would obviously be very different, of course Viv being Viv he didn’t want us guys to be deprived of this wonderful food so he chose to sit there sipping on soup while the rest of us devoured Korean pork, sushi and Peking duck. The temptation for Viv must have been overwhelming, much like the temptation he has to clip us round the ear when we’re late for work, not that we ever are of course.
It was certainly a test though and on occasion it was difficult to get soups without solids in them which caused Viv quite a bit of pain, especially on his tongue.
Viv avoids the sun in Budapest. It is hell on the sensitive skin around his neck and as a result he generally keeps it covered up and away from the harmful rays.
Note the obligatory bottle of water which Viv swears has a lot to do with his continued recovery.
Mentally however the trip was very beneficial for Viv. He was able to meet up with friends and colleague’s and get stuck into some constructive work. As usual on these trips though the days were long and quite strenuous and physically this took it’s toll on Viv. In his mind he might think he’s ready to step out for Wales in a 6 nations rugby final against Ireland (which to be honest he usually is, not Ireland though, maybe Scotland) but even by his own admission he pushed himself a little too far. The combination of meetings, eating and lack of necessary rest during the day reminded Viv that you just can’t rush these things and he also has a new found appreciation for his tongue and the role it plays it his everyday life.
Viv then had to endure the 8 hour trip home, all the while feeling drained and sore, a reminder that you simply can’t try and speed up the healing process, your body will do this in it’s own time, something that Viv was now very aware of.
Despite slightly over exerting himself during the trip Viv had noticed a vast improvement since the treatment finished 2 weeks previous. He was now able to drink water and eat soup with relative comfort but the simple fact that these were generally the only 2 things he could consume were starting to make him, irritable, short tempered and I stress these are his words not mine, generally a pain in the butt. But he knew this was something that for now he would just have to accept and live with. The result of this diet has meant that Viv has continued to shed the pounds, now down to 73 kilos he is in desperate need of a new wardrobe, something which I’ve been stressing to him for years.
Above anything else now Viv knows he has to be patient. It will come. In his efforts to speed up his recovery he feels it has pushed his progress back a week and he won’t be making the same mistake twice.
His first check up since the completion of the treatment will take place on the 18th of October and Viv has no idea what to expect but one thing is for sure – he will be taking it one step at a time.