Back on track

Once again, it’s been a while since I added to the blog. Having just re-read my latest contribution, I think that the delay has ben quite ominous ☹ However, things are so much better😊.

With a good set of test results in hand, I restarted the chemotherapy. As expected, I was very tired for the first two weeks and slowly recovered my energy during the following two weeks. Once again, my lab results were satisfactory, so I started the fourth cycle of chemotherapy, and once again the energy drained away. I am now in the recovery stage and feeling quite good. The loss of energy is a common effect of the therapy, so there is not a lot to do about it. Fortunately, I have not been affected by nausea, vomiting etc. One fairly uncommon side effect is a general loss of hair. While my head is shaved for the electro-treatment, I have no other signs of hair loss.

The results from the MR-scan were very positive. There are no signs of tumour activity in or around the operation site. Similarly, there are no signs of tumour activity anywhere else within my brain. Just for interest, I have included two images from the MR-scan. The left-hand image was recorded in September and shows the tumour as a fuzzy white disc in the bottom left section of the picture. The same area in the right-hand image shows that the hole left after the operation is filled with cerebral fluid. No fuzzy white discs can be seen, so for the time being things are looking good.

I have another two rounds of chemotherapy in the current treatment strategy. These will be completed just in time for the Summer holidays! After completion of the chemotherapy, I will continue with the electromagnetic field therapy (Optune) for as long as possible, hopefully for another 18 months. While it is cumbersome to have a set of electrodes stuck to my head, and also a burden for Bitte who has to replace them every two or three days, the results will make it worth-while. Various activities are possible even with the Optune electrodes in place.