A week of Radioactivity: Day One

So, today I check in to hospital for my first (and hopefully last) dose of Radioactive Iodine treatment. It is pretty much as straight forward as it sounds. I go in to hospital, take some radioactive iodine capsule, and sit in my own capsule (well, a lead lined room) for a few days while the radiation hopefully kills off any of the bad stuff that may still be kicking around inside me. It comes after two weeks of not taking any pills and of being on a low iodine diet, which basically means I can’t eat fish. Oh no. The not taking pills was a bit of a concern, after jokes that ‘I need those to live’, I did actually wonder what not taking them would be like, and it proved to be fairly uneventful. I just got a bit more tired a bit easier, and had the odd headache here and there. Other than that I was fairly fit and healthy, and in fact, got more work done than I seem to have done the entire term previous.
But now, alas, I am sat here, with not much to do for the next couple of days, other than see how far in to the 3 series of Heroes I can get, with maybe a light smattering of Star Trek thrown in here and there. It wasn’t simple getting started though, oh no.

After being told that they wanted me here for about half past nine in the morning, we left Trowbridge in the pre-dawn light of around ten to 8, wary of the rush hour traffic. Traffic that only really hit once we reached the outskirts of Bristol. However, we still got here at around half 9, on time it would seem. But then, nothing in a hospital is ever on time, is it? A short wait in the main reception led to a long wait upstairs, with thoughts of ‘is this where we are supposed to be?’ rattling around my, and my mums head. After around an hour, we asked, only to find that we were there that long because nobody knew that we were there. Because we didn’t think to tell the nursing staff, after telling two different receptions, that we were. Obviously it was our fault. A quick blood test later (only jabbed me twice this time, wahay) and we went off to yet another ward, this one though, was where we were actually supposed to be. Once there, we waited in the Day Room (complete with X-Box, big TV and pool table) until further notice. During which my blood pressure and weight were taken, and I was treated to a lovely cheese sandwich. After being there, again, around an hour, I was told I could move into my quarters and begin to get settled.

After not expecting much, it was a nice surprise. Although the typically uncomfortable hospital bed, complete with itchy sheets and plastic pillows was in tow. At least I had a window though. After being told the ropes by one of the nurses, mum left for work, and I was left to my own devices. I figured it wouldn’t be long until the radiologists came and shot me up, so didn’t want to get too settled, instead just sitting around reading Kevin Smith’s suddenly enthralling diary ‘My Boring Ass Life’, which seems to have gotten really interesting after a few months of what appears to be a fairly boring routine. Should have guessed it from the title really. Time passed and nobody came in to see me, apart from nurses asking what I want for my tea, (I had a rather nice pizza and chips, unlikely for a hospital I know, special treatment, clearly). I wondered again if they’d just forgotten about me, but at around 5 o clock, the radiologist came with a very securely protected dose of my radiation. We went over what is going to happen, both while I’m here and further on down the line, before she gave me my pill, which involved opening several lead lined boxes, unscrewing a pot, fixing a pill in a tube before passing it to me to knock down my throat and wash down with plenty of water, and then she made a dash for the door, leaving me to glow in peace.

So there we are, as I write this, I am radioactive. I don’t think that I am glowing, and I can’t see through the walls just yet, but then, they said that wouldn’t happen (damn!). Indeed I don’t really know if I’m feeling any side effects yet, other than feeling tired and thirsty, which is what they said would happen. And they are usually right about things like that aren’t they? In my radioactive state so far, I’ve watched two episodes of the first series of Heroes, read some more Kevin Smith and pissed a lot, which they encourage. Flushing it through quickly, see? The time now is 20:16. I’m not really sure what I’ll do now. Maybe crack out some more Heroes. Watch that Russell Howard’s Good News, if that is on tonight, and go to bed. Doesn’t sound too bad does it? I’ll write another one of these tomorrow to see if there are any changes, but it will probably be more of the same. Not that I mind too much right now. Let’s just hope they don’t go for the tactics they had over in Bath and wake me up at 6 in the bloody morning asking if I want a brew!

Oh, and I saw the Leeds line up (thank you Emma!) and other than Blink headlining (expected) and Modest Mouse being there (odd, but hopefully they’ll be at Glasto too) it doesn’t look too inspired, so I can’t say I mind too much about missing it. That is, as long as Blink have a UK tour in the pipeline in the near future!