The First Weekend

It’s Sunday and so far I’ve had four treatments and now I have a weekend off. The NHS does not do weekends.

The treatments are simple enough and take only about ten minutes each day. You don’t even have to undress and wear one of those hideous hospital gowns but just bare the bit to be treated, in my case my pelvic area. It’s been several decades since young women were so keen to pull my trousers down.

It takes a little time to get you lined up correctly on the treatment table and the machine properly positioned above you. The machine emits three laser beams which have to be lined up exactly on the permanent marks on your body. Even then they take a couple of pictures before treating you just to make sure that the set up is exactly as it was on the day the CT scan was done and the markers put on your body. I have the most photographed pelvis since Elvis.

Once everything is right the staff withdraw and you get zapped from above, below and from each side with each zap lasting about ten seconds and then it’s all over for that day.

I have only one complaint and I’m aware how petty it may sound but on three of my four treatments I have been kept hanging around for half an hour beyond my appointment time. I’m an old-fashioned soul and to me an appointment is an appointment and it’s sloppy and lacking in respect when punctuality is treated with such a casual attitude.

So I’ve rushed my lunch to be there on time and then I’m sitting there suffering indigestion as a result. This is the only experience I have of the Christie that reminds me of what the NHS is like.

Now having got that off my chest I can say I am still feeling good. OK, I am going to the bathroom more often especially during the night but that is because I am drinking much more. And one good bit of news which came from a conversation with a readiographer is that tea, coffee and alcohol are perfectly all right as long as I ensure I drink plenty of water as well. That bit of news cheered me up no end as a month or six weeks with water as my main drink would have been a real trial. So every time I pass a tap I drink a couple of glasses of water and when I return to my bed from the toilet during the night I take a good swig of bottled water as I have learned that it’s best to keep my system moving and not to let my bladder run on empty.

I have heard nothing from Stephen and I am worried about him. I suppose I should ring him but I don’t want to push into his life at what must be a difficult time for him and Yvonne so I hope he’ll ring me when he has any news.