Interesting...

With or without the treatment Mum has had recently for her cancer and before she was diagnosed...Mum has taken paracetamol and codeine combined. The amount taken varies from a small amount to the maximum allowed.

Recently, I assume as the treatment kills and reduces the size of the tumour and Mum also has the side effect of what looks like sunburn in the same area, she has needed them more than ever.

Occasionally, in recent weeks from what Mum has said they have not worked. We toyed with the idea of asking for another pain killer to work alongside or instead of Mum's normal medication but today so far Mum has not requested or seems to be missing them.

We had been told by various medical people(from our Carer, District Nurse, Dr's and Oncologist)it is better to take painkillers regularly(say Morning, Noon, Teatime and Bedtime)even if not in pain to build up a kind of resistance for when it does come on.

Mum not asking for pain relief, is this because the treatment is starting to wind down and will not improve any more and so Mum's body is no longer reacting to the changes which could cause pain?

Is it because the treatment has done such a great job, what was causing the pain has been halted in in its tracks?

Was this the reason for Mum's pain all along and we did not know it?

Working on the premise as it stands...

Radio Therapy can and does for many, kill cancer. It can reduce a tumour greatly but the other important thing is that it can stop the supply of blood from feeding it and therefore starving it of nutrition and I hope that also means cancer cells cannot be carried into the bloodstream.

As far as I know and from what we have been told" It does not appear to have spread" especially going by the scans that were taken approx 5 weeks ago.

Now, obviously if/when they do a follow up which may include another scan for all we know the situation may've changed.

Tomorrow, Mum may ask for her painkillers again but today she is pain free, that has to be good.