I attended St.Jame's Hospital in Leeds this morning to see the Radiotherapy Consultant and after examination and discussion, I signed my consent for a course of one month of daily radiotherapy sessions to commence around the end of May or ASAP thereafter. I was told that the neck dissection operation to remove neck cancer that I had a couple of months ago, revealed that the hard nodule of cancer lodged there (and which the operation removed) was very aggressive and had leaked and started to burst, thereby making a course of radiotherapy 'essential' to remove any further cancer still remaining and decrease the chances of cancer returning (as this cancer type is prone to). The monthly course of radiotherapy will require a facial moulding to make up a special facial mask with a CT Scanner inserted to locate the relevant areas to penetrate with deep radiation. This time, the deep radiotherapy will cover one half of my face, my full cheekbone, all one side of my neck and penetrating until it reaches my throat.
The treatment will be administered daily over 4 weeks and it will take several months afterwards before sensations of normality return. Side effects which are GUARANTEED to occur include constant tiredness, sore skin, unable to digest only soft /liquid food intake, a loss of taste, constant dry mouth, mouth ulcers and loss of future beard area.
Apart from the guaranteed side effects listed above, there is a POSSIBILITY that I won't be able to sing again and a PROBABILITY that I won't be able to sing as well as previous. It's a good job that I have already pre-recorded new songs to post daily up until April 2021. As for not being able to have a full beard again, if I am unable to have any kind of beard and I am left with a clean-shaven scarred face and neck, I can always do a 'phantom of the opera' and ask them to let me have the full face mould (or is it secretly a death mask) they will use when I get my daily dose of radiotherapy?
So, I better get up to my allotment and get some sun and fresh air benefit as much as I can before I start this next treatment process, as most of June and July this year will be taken up travelling back and forth to hospital daily to receive radiotherapy, and resting up at home when I return, by the sound of it. But let me warn you all loud and clear, If I am unable to sing again, I intend to replace my recorded song on Facebook daily by the loud ringing of a two-hundred year Dutch church bell I have for three minutes daily. I will call my chiming musical instrument 'The Bell of Peace, Freedom and Justice', and will ring it for three minutes every day until I die or until every country in the world enjoys 'Peace, Freedom and Justice'; or whichever comes first!
Have a nice day, everyone.
Love and peace Bill xxx