20th March Last day for Radiation. End of treatment

Burnt Black

20th of March should have been a day of celebration, achievement and triumph. And yet after my last radio therapy visit it was none of the above. I could hardly talk. I could hardly swallow. I was in pain. My throat was raw. My visit to Dr Lum was for pain management. Got some powerful pain relief tablets called OxyContin, some opiate based substance.The thing with radiation is, the effects are not immediate but its a slow release of side effects. The symptoms can go on for days and up to 2 weeks. So I see no respite from misery, at least for a while. The skin around my neck is black, yes black and now its starting to peel. This is another source of irritation. The only solace I get is that I don't have to make the morning journey to the radiology center. Thank God its all over !

Now the rehabilitation program needs to be planned. Nothing can move forward until I start to eat well. At the moment it is still liquid meal replacement stuff. Still no taste. So I am looking forward to the day I get back some taste and start to eat solids again.

        Hopefully the skin grows back again.