I had a few seconds treatment daily for 4 weeks, not including weekends. It took longer to undress/dress than the treatment session . How long would your 'zaps' be for and what's the problem if they get rid of the cancer? How likely is radiation to 'cause' spread to the lymph glands, ask your Surgeon or Radiographer, not Dr Google or some such.
Unfortunately CLKD, asking my consultant was fruitless - I was given lies on this. When I questioned the amount of radiation, he explained we're surrounded by radiation in our daily lives and it's not much more. Absolute b*llocks. The amount of radiation used in external beam therapy is 5-8000 times that of an XRay! He mentioned briefly one side effect without going into it in more detail.. I do not like being lied to or patronised and I will not be pushed or pressurised into a treatment based on this.
The side effects? Urinary and bowel incontinence are common though these may clear after a while. (In few cases not). Both bladder and bowel will be unable to hold the same capacity and MacMillan provide special cards so when you're out and you have to go, you can show them in shops to use a toilet urgently. The bladder can need to be emptied every 30 minutes and when you have to go, you HAVE to go....or feel a warm trickle down your leg. There's even a charity set up to help those suffering from the effects of pelvic radiation. Needless to say, this would be life changing for me. I'm very active, I travel widely both UK and overseas and I am also highly reluctant to inflict this on my body without a desperate need to do so.
This radiation isn't for the cancer - the lymph node isn't cancerous. This is preventative - as was the suggestion of chemo. The fact I'm being persuaded to put up with life changing side effects for a 'might' is one thing, the fact I have been given scant, incomplete and incorrect information is another thing and doesn't fill me with confidence at all.
'Dr Google or some such' provides excellent resources (look at this forum!!!!). I am not some teenage girl spending my time on magazine sites, but instead casting a wide net that includes Univadis (via a medical friend's login); PubMed; Cochrane Library; as well as a wide number of natural resources. Although in general I find the NHS sites somewhat biased and tend to avoid these (a lot of the info is written by Datapharm, who are a conglomeration of pharmaceutical companies), I found the Macmillan site refreshingly honest and supported by case studies. On cancer forums I have found people who have undergone the radiation and are struggling with the side effects.
Help in this has come from unusual places. I posted on Facebook and one of my friends (a Dr in physics working in research in Zurich) has sent me some research material from her colleague's PhD. Another works closely with a leading doctor in a UK Alternative Cancer Charity (whose patrons include royals, as well as leading medics) and last night I ended up with a two page email from the founder. It was reassuring in that much of what she suggested I am already doing, there were a few extra protocols I can include. Some old friends have popped up with their own stories.
Should the node need removing, there are also other options - laparoscopy (key whole surgery). This is also a fall back if it does show signs of becoming cancerous. Again this wasn't mentioned by my consultant.
Had I not investigated, questioned or challenged the medical profession, by now I'd have undergone a 5 hour operation with a colostomy. Instead I am having treatment for a tumour which is showing amazing results. Whilst the consultant believes that meditation may be helping the treatment along, I am more convinced of it being the nutritional protocols - which have been as carefully investigated and researched as the conventional options.
I have promised my partner that I'll keep an open mind over the weekend (I'm off camping with 100 others so will be distracted anyway), but on Monday it's likely I'll be emailing the consultant to withdraw my consent for the external radiation. It may be right for some, it may indeed be essential for some. It's not right for me.
GG x