15th April, Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton Branch, Surrey, England It’s like the first day in a new job I’m at the Royal Marsden in Surrey today. It’s a shining example of what the NHS could be if we started shooting political activists. I expected to use the one in Chelsea, but while everyone’s on COVID […]
Tag: Chemotherapy
Has anyone spoken to you about sex?
12th May 2020, Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey, England. Well, this is awkward I’m on day one of the chemo, and I have radiotherapy booked in later too. It’s dead posh here, they even give you an electric blanket for your arm! “Has anyone spoken to you about sex Mr Little?” I thought it was […]
This chemo stuff is tough..
18th May 2020, Royal Marsden Hospital, Surrey, England Chemo. What a club to be a member of. It’s week two of the chemotherapy treatment… and the rules have changed at the Royal Marsden, as mask wearing is now mandated for all. Jo and the kids shaved my head yesterday, I clearly didn’t look menacing enough, […]
Thank fuck that’s over.
2nd June 2020, Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey Is it the beginning of the end? Or the end of the beginning? My chemo is complete, and I have 5 radiotherapy sessions left in the “adjuvant therapy” phase. I’ve had enough of the 160 mile round trips every day, and I’m glad they’re almost over. After […]
9 months cancer free.
Home, 24th October 2020. I’m not sure I’ll ever really believe it It’s been almost a year since I started my penile cancer treatment, and 9 months since new disease was discovered. After taking out the sentinel nodes in my left groin, two or three cells were positive. Other than that, I’ve been cancer free. […]
Momentum.
5th November 2020, Home. When things move, they move quickly I think it was about ten days ago, maybe two weeks since I last wrote. Back then, I knew the tide was really turning on my recovery. I could just feel it. I still had swelling in my bollocks and my penis in the mornings, […]
There will be changes.
It’s ok to sit down to wee. You may as well know now, there’s going to be some changes round here. At least, for a while anyway. You might just have to get used to being one of those guys that sits down to pee. Practical things like having a circumcised penis is owning your […]
Chemotherapy. Eurgh.
It’s for the best. I was worried about chemotherapy. In fact, I probably worried about it more than anything else. When most people think about cancer, they always think about chemo. We’ve all heard the stories, and might even know someone that’s had chemo. The effects on your quality of life, the way you might […]
Hair, teeth and nails.
My groin is smooth and shiny. Radiotherapy made my whole groin area completely bald. There was not a pubic hair to be found, and it kept me hair free for what seemed like an eternity! So just how long does it take for your hair to grow back after radiotherapy Well… it’s not that I’ve […]
Nerve damage.
Thighs like wood. I have had five operations, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. I have been admitted to hospital with Sepsis, and I’ve had plenty of scans too. That means a lot of needles for tests and thinners over the past few months. I’ve had plenty of cannulas too. Every time something is given intravenously, or for […]