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.
Since then, I’ve had 5 scans and I definitely grow in confidence with each one! I try to just take things a step at a time though, I’ll never be 100% confident.
Chemo is rough on your mouth
The big news this week was about teeth though. Due to COVID, I haven’t been able to get a dental appointment, and the chemo has taken a serious toll.
All my fillings fell out through chemotherapy, and that’s resulted in 11 appointments, and a £3000 bill. Merry Christmas to me (mostly the insurance company), but still – 11 appointments!
I really enjoyed telling a new audience about my penile cancer journey over the last year though. I’m in danger of becoming a penis fanatic! Wait, no – I’m going to need a different name for that.
Things really are returning to normal though
As my pubic hair grows back with a vengeance, the scrotal swelling is reducing nicely at the same time. To such an extent that I only ever really see it in the morning. More and more, things really are returning to normal.
*It’s not a direct correlation though. I made an effort to cut out foods which are really inflammatory to me, I’ve given up drinking alcohol too.
Certain smells just remind me of surgical discomfort. Probably the most middle class thing I’ve ever said (aside from when I shouted “WHY AREN’T THERE ANY POMEGRANATE SEEDS?” in the Bishop’s Stortford Waitrose). It turns out that Baylis and Harding’s Unicorn hand wash does nothing but remind me of extensive groin surgery. Could be worse I guess.
So, until the start of the new year I’m a free man from any other scans or such medical intrusion! There’s a tangerine sized pocket of fluid in my pelvis, but it’s not worth the surgery to remove it. It was left by the robotic surgery, but could simply go away on its own given time.
My unstinting dedication to medical research
The professor was in excellent spirits today. He was really happy with the progress I’ve made, and that I seem to have avoided permanent lymphedema!
Considering the amount of surgery it’s endured, my body has adapted to the changes really well. Finding new pathways to push the lymph around has taken months though, it certainly doesn’t happen overnight!
Just like Donald Trump would, I’m going to take full credit for a new medical breakthrough. At least, I may have contributed to the discovery of a new therapy for post surgical scrotal swelling… You may recall that I had real success with Dexamethasone, it was a game changer for me.
The professor is going to share my ideas with his colleagues anyway, and we can see where it leads. If nothing else, it’s worth a trial! See what I did there? Clever.
He reminded me that it’s exactly 11 months since we met, and began this incredible journey of penile cancer treatment. It’s fair to say that the professor, and his team have been absolutely incredible.
You haven’t heard the last of me yet though, I’m taking my knob on the road. knob.blog that is…
J
I’m going to keep writing about my journey, until the very last scan – but I’ve put together a few notes about everything I’ve learnt too. From diagnosis to recovery.