{"id":148,"date":"2020-10-14T21:05:09","date_gmt":"2020-10-14T20:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.knob.blog\/?p=148"},"modified":"2020-12-08T23:05:43","modified_gmt":"2020-12-08T23:05:43","slug":"thank-fuck-thats-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.knob.blog\/penile-cancer-journal\/thank-fuck-thats-over\/","title":{"rendered":"Thank fuck that’s over."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

2nd June 2020, Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it the beginning of the end? Or the end of the beginning?<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After months of this mad cancer journey, it feels like I\u2019m reaching the end of the battle royale.  I have had 5 major operations, the first to remove a 2 inch tumour from the head of my very weary penis. Later that evening, a \u201cradical circumcision<\/a>\u201d (thanks prof), and a 3 and a half inch tumour removed from my groin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three operations took care of inguinal lymph node clearances both sides of my groin, and one side of my pelvis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The day before I was due to have surgery, I contracted sepsis<\/a>, and was hospitalised for three days. I can honestly say that I have never felt so close to death as when I was at St Georges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During my Chemotherapy treatment<\/a>, I received Cisplatin amongst a cocktail of wonderful drugs, and met some incredible people. Then, I had six weeks of radiation treatment in the middle of a global pandemic to kill off any lingering cells…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Nobody ever let me ring a bell though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m a changed man<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s new?  Well, I\u2019m a man of colour now.  Or, at least – I have a black cock.  I should say, dark maroon – not full Senegalese.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s quite a side effect of the radiotherapy mind.  \u201cYou may get a bit of permanent skin discolouration\u201d  A bit?  I’ll need to start ticking the “rather not say” box on official documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talking of side effects, the swellings (edema\/oedema)  are the bane of my life.  I\u2019ve had a swollen ankle and puffy patches in my thighs. One day, my balls could be as big as an outstretched hand<\/a>, the next all thick and leathery. Much to my surprise, some mornings I would be greeted with a cock like a coke can.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s the hope that kills you. Everything could be going great, then my penis would completely disappear, buried in a mass of leathery scrotum.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lymphatic science is not a particularly well understood area.  But, I feel like I have learned all kinds of things, which I need to share. Living with the swelling and inflammation has been the toughest thing for me, and I think other people could really use some help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I start to get the sensation back in my legs and my nerve endings start to repair themselves<\/a>, my balls have started to sweat again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isn’t that remarkable?  7 months without sweaty bollocks, then the familiar, warm, mushroomy fragrance of masculinity returned.  The fun zone is healing, and that can only be a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday, it will all be over! Then, I’m back to the professor in three months after a CT scan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"hide_page_title":"","_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,17,8,21,19],"class_list":["post-148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-penile-cancer-journal","tag-chemotherapy","tag-penile-cancer-surgery","tag-penile-cancer-treatment","tag-radiotherapy","tag-recovery","tag-surveillance"],"yoast_head":"\nThank fuck that's over. ><\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Completing cancer treatment is a huge event. It's a huge relief when it's over too, and the recovery can begin. 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