8/7/13

8/7/13

Ok, a year+ ago I had a headache from hell start, which turned out to be caused by a cancerous tumor in my tongue. This in turn sent me down the unknown path, the journey that so many people have travelled before me, my own mother being one of them.

6 months ago, I finished my treatment of Radical Chemoradiation therapy and it hurt, but it was all worth it as the follow up CT and MRI scans showed no sign of the T4 tumour in the base of my tongue (Way-bloody-hay! Whoop Whoop!) and all the oncology staff have been impressed with the way I have coped and how well I have come out the other side. I blame my great recovery on; my beautiful wife, my fabulous family and a certain group of guys that I have seen almost weekly throughout this journey, the same guys that put their own cranial fur beneath the clippers/razors to raise money to help in finding a cure for this terrible disease. Had it not been for their insistence in visiting me and their, not caring about what state they find me in but caring enough to find me anyway attitude, I'm not sure I would be where I am now. Thank you "Thursday Club", long may it go on and our friendship and love continue.

I have had 6 weekly check ups since the end of my treatment the next of which is tomorrow and as always my nerves are on edge. Maybe more so this time around as I have finally be able to stop taking the pain medication - Codeine for which I started on last year for the headache, along with many other pain meds and have now been using in the mornings to get my complete oral cavity working, as to use the term "tender" would be a vast understatement, but tender, sensitive and down right painful it has still been because of the treatment and as the need to eat, drink, swallow and speak is quite the necessity I found that the use of codeine has been invaluable in aiding me to do so. However, as with all drugs, and my own "addictive" nature the come down really has been quite horrific, everything from the shits to sitting quietly in the corner shaking and my emotions have gone from being nasty, to those whom I love most (sorry Mum) to being the most scared, tearful of little boys, sat on the corner of my own bed weeping.

Worried? Yes. Whether it's because my body is no longer numb or is it because it's back, I don't know, but everyday I feel something different and I wonder "did the treatment miss a bit?", "Is it growing again?" and now I can feel a new lump in my throat. But then that's just because I am no longer numb, Right? Then I do the "stupid" thing of going on line to find out the chances of recurrence for tongue cancer and scare the crap out of myself, why did I do that? then again if I believe all I read I'm not the only cancer patient to do this, to feel like this. Only time will tell. Others say " you have to live for today", but I want to live tomorrow too, my kids are too young, as is my beautiful wife and I have to see them all grow up, I have to be there for them and to grow old with them, for fucks sake I'm only 40, once upon a time that was when life starts.

Oh well, take each day as it comes and today is another wonderfully sunny day and I must go and cut my grass. Thanks blog, typing it down on you does really help me. Maybe I'll do it again sooner.

 This is me Steve Royal. Still on the roller coaster.

Have a week.