Chemo sucks!
Coming down with unbelievable fatigue these past weeks means I've had little energy or enthusiasm for anything other than waking, eating and sleeping. Nor does it help that getting out and about is an effort without Jas at my side, while at times my brain has become so fogged I've lost my way in even the most undemanding conversations. And as for writing, that’s certainly in the too-hard-basket for now. So having discussed things with my oncologist, including the far more worrying issue of my now skinny legs no longer willing to carry my weight for any length of time, it was decided a fourteen day break from the daily chemo drug regime might be in order to regain a little strength and with that, a quality of life.
So halfway into my ‘vacation’ where are we at right now? Well, my mood has lifted, my concentration has improved, the nausea has subsided and the burning sensation in my fingertips (temporary nerve damage) has eased, meaning I can once again open containers and do up zips. Small things but such a relief.
Meanwhile the latest blood tests appear to show the unwanted tumour in my pancreas is no bigger or smaller than when we started out. So it’s still inoperable. Not good. On the other hand, and with the surgeon’s latest opinion that to all intents and purposes I’m now ‘terminal’ written up on my medical records at last I have legal access to cannabis oil.
A Class B drug in NZ, only patients with less than twelve months to live can be prescribed it and while it remains a contentious issue only one doctor here in Auckland (as far as I know) is willing to come out and do that. Even so, two weeks ago when we went for a consultation I had to sign a document acknowledging a lack of solid evidence that cannabis oil can cure or treat anything at all. Nor is the oil from Canadian company Tilray Ltd, imported into NZ and held under lock and key, funded by the government. Rather, each 25ml bottle will be adding NZ$560 (some GBP290) every three to four weeks to our credit card. But with reducing the size/aggressiveness of cancer tumours on the list of things cannabis oil might have the capability of doing, well hey I’m more than willing to give it a go. And running it alongside my chemo regime, the hope it might also help reduce some of those otherwise debilitating side effects seems a win-win all round to me.
So halfway into my ‘vacation’ where are we at right now? Well, my mood has lifted, my concentration has improved, the nausea has subsided and the burning sensation in my fingertips (temporary nerve damage) has eased, meaning I can once again open containers and do up zips. Small things but such a relief.
Meanwhile the latest blood tests appear to show the unwanted tumour in my pancreas is no bigger or smaller than when we started out. So it’s still inoperable. Not good. On the other hand, and with the surgeon’s latest opinion that to all intents and purposes I’m now ‘terminal’ written up on my medical records at last I have legal access to cannabis oil.
A Class B drug in NZ, only patients with less than twelve months to live can be prescribed it and while it remains a contentious issue only one doctor here in Auckland (as far as I know) is willing to come out and do that. Even so, two weeks ago when we went for a consultation I had to sign a document acknowledging a lack of solid evidence that cannabis oil can cure or treat anything at all. Nor is the oil from Canadian company Tilray Ltd, imported into NZ and held under lock and key, funded by the government. Rather, each 25ml bottle will be adding NZ$560 (some GBP290) every three to four weeks to our credit card. But with reducing the size/aggressiveness of cancer tumours on the list of things cannabis oil might have the capability of doing, well hey I’m more than willing to give it a go. And running it alongside my chemo regime, the hope it might also help reduce some of those otherwise debilitating side effects seems a win-win all round to me.
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