If I would have known the week that was facing me I am not sure I would have risen from my bed.
For the last 4 weeks I have been having increasingly stronger dizzy spells and my breathing has become significantly more laboured even when undertaking fairly menial tasks. Imagine getting absolutely razzled and then running a 5k uphill. It's a bit like that, but without a finishers medal at the end.
I had a meeting with my Consultant, Mr. Mohan, to determine what may be causing these issues. This meeting normally takes 20-30 minutes but mine extended to 2.5hours.
I feel I need to get my monies worth from the NHS!!
Further examinations, more blood sucked out of my Picc Line, an ECG that showed a warm, caring and tickety boo heart, and an xray that showed an excellent set of lungs.
We know my haemoglobin count is low (typical of cancer treatment) but it appears to be stabilising, so no action needed for that at the moment
Further blood tests were needed and they would need to be sent off to a lab, but after the final chemo only treatment in Cycle 2.
I was told to use the emergency number if things got any worse, and do little else. Just rest.
The breathing and dizzyness did not get any worse.....until...
I walked to the blood clinic on Tuesday. By the time I booked myself in my breathing was laboured, and when I got to the nurse I was not just dizzy but giddy dizzy. The professionals stepped up and I was transferred to Floor 7. This is where you go when oopsies happen; when the cancer treatment is not working or when the side effects are causing more problems than is necessary.
Further observations and a CT scan needed. Yup, no problem, I said.
Who knew.
When you have a CT scan they inject a contrast into the blood stream so they can see all your blood vessels. The contrast is iodine.
It appears I am allergic to iodine (I did not know) and I went into anaphylactic shock. That was an experience I never want to try again. From about a minute after the injection went in I coughed again, again, and again and then sneezed so hard I thought my eyes were going to pop out. They pulled me out of the machine, and I was huffing and puffing. My lips were growing and it felt like I had a golf ball stuck in my throat. My neck was on fire and I was sweating.
Within seconds I was attached to machines, injected with all sorts of medication and surrounded by lots of medical staff all of whom were being directed by a lovely, handsome consultant. Whatever they were doing stopped the progress, but I was still swollen and the colour of a strawberry.
It took around 50 minutes for my heart and blood pressure to reduce and for the feeling in my throat to subside. My lips also reduced, but I did have a moment when I thought that people pay a lot for lip filler. I wonder how much iodine in my tea.....! No, I did not !!!
They wheeled me back to the cancer centre, by which time my Floor 7 Doctor had assessed that my thyroid was playing up. Another tablet to take, and they kept me in for a further 3 hours and wrote a prescription to collect the next morning. I felt fine.
Done job. Yes...ah, but no, and maybe because I think I am a superhero and have to do everything myself despite the numerous offers of help.
The next morning I insisted on collecting the prescription from BRI Boots myself and didn't make it. The whizzy dizzyness and breathlessness hit me like a brick wall after I walked the 5 minute route to the pharmacy, and I got wheeled back to Floor 7.
This time it all became a bit too much, and I had my first ever panic attack too just to add to the symptons. Again, my nurses were exemplary and comforting and eventually I calmed down. More tests to assess that it was not a late reaction to my new found love of iodine. Definitely the thyroid. The prescription started to work (fancy that), and I was again released and told to stop being a nob.
No I wasn't. I was released and told to take my tablets and turn up for the start of Cycle 3 (Immuno and chemo) the next day. My consultant would decide which treatment I will continue with but none of it would start until they extract more blood and discuss my case with an Endocrinologist.
My 'centre of attention button' is being well attended too at the moment.
So Cycle 3 has started, but no immunotherapy drugs, just chemo along with another prescription from the Endo consultant to bring my thyroid back to an acceptable level.
I am writing this and it is already working. My breathlessness has eased and the dizzyness is very mild.
Anyone up for a 10k walk?