Posted 3/7/2016 1:32 AM (GMT 0)
You'll find that you are never alone, at least while going through treatments, radiation treatments were tolerable because the group that sat outside waiting their turn would discuss anything and everything they'd been through. Like them, I'm an open book when it comes to Cancer, have no problem discussing it with anyone.
You aren't alone, there are plenty of us that are willing to help if it be an explanation of a procedure to just another set of ears to let you vent your worries on. Don't let it eat at you quietly, if you have a question, ask, if you need to talk to someone on the phone, send an email and i'll give out my phone. I've been fighting mine for over two years, and my prostate cancer has been advanced, and virulent and resistant to treatments. Still hasn't beaten me yet, although the chemo really did put me through the ringer, the treatments themselves weren't bad, took a day or two before the side effects of the treatment to show up for me. Then it was a two week period of working through various side effects, then feel better for a week before another infusion. Radiation for me was a cakewalk, I never felt bad during the treatments, other than some inflammation after the treatments. Toward the end of radiation it was getting painful and each treatment made it worse, but was easily tolerable. Disliked the plug though, every treatment day, we would all commiserate the plug. Luckily, chemo didn't use "the plug". I had a port installed and that simplified the infusions.
Just because one treatment doesn't work, don't worry, there is always another treatment to try, or at least that is what it seems like. Been through hormone therapy with Lupron, 10 weeks of radiation, then 6 months of chemo every 3 weeks. Now i'm on xtandi and seeing if it reduces my psa's. Even with a virulent form of cancer, my psa is only at 42 now, lowest I ever saw it go was 2.6, and I've got mets in liver, bones, and entire lymph system. Chemo has beaten it out of the lymph system and shrunk some of the spots in the bones, but didn't eradicate it in the liver, which was heavily involved during the last PET Scan. Now i'm a daily pill popper with monthly reviews by the oncologist. Also get a monthly Xgeva shot, and a port clean and flush monthly. We'll be watching PSA's for a while then will go for another CT scan to verify if progression has been halted any.