Getting Ill When Recovering from Cancer

(To read my cancer story from the beginning start here – April / May 2018 – You Have Cancer)

So here we are in June 2019 apart from the weight loss, mild lymphoedema and getting tired easily I’d had a pretty uneventful 1st half of the year, until I suddenly felt unwell.

Whilst having treatment for cancer you’re given a little red card that tells you how important it is to monitor certain things, temperature especially, and on that card it tells you to immediately ring the hospital when your temperature gets above 38.5

From the 1st day I was discharged from hospital my mum had bought me one of those fancy thermometers like the nurses use, which started of green when OK, went to amber when getting a mild temperature and goes red when you have a high temperature.

I was feeling lousy, checked my temperature, was just over 38 (amber) so went to bed.

I was getting more and more sweaty, was aching all over, was hot but cold at the same time, checked my temperature again and was now over 39 and in the red.

I didn’t really know what to do, it seemed stupid to go all the way over to Coventry if it was just a slight cold or similar, but remembering what it said on my red card wondered whether I should.

In the end I posted on the MacMillan Forum to see if the red card advice still applied 8 months post treatment – Reporting when you feel lousy, was pleased to get some replies with the general consensus that the red card advice only really applied whilst having Chemotherapy as the drugs can effect your white blood cells.

Feeling a bit more reassured there was no real need to go to hospital or contact them, I just stayed in bed for a couple of days dosed up on lemsips and paracetamols and read a good book 🙂

A couple of days later I was back on my feet, wondering what all the worry was about.

I was back up to over 10 1/2 stone by now, was eating pretty much everything I was before, apart from bread and I had also cut right down on meat by choice.

Not only was my appetite back and my portion sizes were back to normal, I was now hooked on my fortisips (6 a day) and by the end of July 2019 was back over 11 stone.

My cancer story continues here – Be Careful With the Suntan Lotion

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