6 weeks after treatment
The euphoric feeling that Viv had felt on that sunny, late October day had slowly diminished and now the reality of the still very long road ahead was presenting itself in full unforgiving glory to a man who thought the hardest part was over.
For Viv nothing compared to that feeling, it was like a death row pardon. He felt free, more alive than ever and he wanted to get back to normal as quickly as possible. After all, that’s exactly how any of us would feel, time to put it behind us and live life to the max. Unfortunately it wouldn’t be that simple.
In his mind Viv was cured therefore he could get on with things as normal. Daily routines involving medication and rest didn’t seem that necessary now so were neglected. It only took 3 days of this behaviour before Viv collapsed in a crumpled heap, exhausted, drained and in pain. This journey was far from over, Viv now knew he had to maintain the discipline he had shown over the last 4 months until the very end.
Viv was still losing weight, his tongue was still very swollen his throat extremely sore and he still couldn’t eat solids. At meal times he would push food around in his mouth, with his finger, because of the pain in his gums. Things were far from being anywhere near normal. On a positive note however there had been significant improvement on the burns around his neck. They had healed very well, the only problem was that they were incredibly itchy which drove Viv crazy. He was like a bear with a headache, back ache, leg ache and throat ache all at the same time and was slightly less of a pleasure to work with, which I’m sure he won’t mind me saying.
In terms of food, Piri Piri was still firmly off the menu but Viv had progressed to stews and small amounts of meat and chicken doused in sauce. Also scrambled eggs and omelettes were a very welcome addition to his diet, his staff wouldn’t agree after experiencing first hand his reaction to all those eggs but he was actually eating substantial food now so everyone was happy. As far as alcohol was concerned Viv had been able to enjoy a beer but wine was still too much for his throat to take and the taste revolting!
Due to the radiation treatment on Viv’s neck he hasn’t had to shave for 4 months, except for around his top lip. So when Viv decided not to shave for a few days we would have Magnum P.I walking around the office, all that was missing was the Ferrari, which I’m told is on order.
The words from Dr Condon during Viv’s first post diagnosis check up kept echoing in his head ‘With this Radiation Therapy, you have been pushed to within an inch of your life, it’s going to take a long time before you get better’. Viv kept having to tell himself that just because he got the preliminary green light, it didn’t mean he could put his foot to the floor and go, far from it. Patience and time to heal were most important now.
Viv decided to take a well informed step in his healing process by halting the intake of painkillers, of which he had relied on for the last 4 months 24/7, literally overnight. Not surprisingly after 3 days he went into cold turkey. During the day he kept himself busy in the office and despite his temper being slightly shorter than normal he seemed okay. It was during the night however that caused the real problems. Unable to control his muscle spasms, particularly in his legs he would have to get up frequently in the night to walk around and this resulted in his wife Avril having to sleep in another room. Viv compared these muscle spasms to him looking like he was trying to kick a football, although being aware of Viv’s ability in that sport he probably looked more like a wrestler on ice skates. No offense Viv, but stick to rugby. As well as this, his head felt liked it was clamped in a vice, yet another reminder of just how hard it was going to be.
10 days passed without the use of the painkillers and things had started to settle slightly. Viv had called upon the good Dr Travino who prescribed him magnesium tablets to try and combat the spasms and try and help rebuild Viv’s muscles. The Doctor reminded Viv that after 4 months of little or no exercise he had to take steps to strengthen his body. Viv decided upon an alternative therapy called the Bowen Technique, which he will undergo for the next 7 weeks.
It is now nearly 1 month since the unforgettable visit to Dr Caba’s office. In early December extensive scans and tests on Viv’s throat and tongue will be carried out to determine if the unforgettable can be forgotten for good.
Viv has undertaken a course in the Bowen Technique in order to assist his body in the healing process. For those interested, here is a link to a story written on the Bowen Technique in a local magazine. For more information please visit www.bowtech.com.