〔末期ガンをサーフする３〕
先日、カルメン・マキさんが遊びに来てくれたとき、彼女も長年の花粉症に悩まされている人だったので、今年の症状の話になったのだが、彼女は早々とひどい症状に悩まされているという。
今年は出かける機会が少なかったので、花粉症について人と情報交換する機会が少なかったり、そもそも外で花粉を浴びる機会が少ないということもあって、症状が出にくいのかと思っていたのだが、花粉そのものは大量に飛んでいるらしい。
なぜか症状が出ない。
花粉症がなくなったとしか思えない。
私の場合、30年近く悩まされてきた覚えがある。
さまざまな対症療法や予防法をためしてきたが、どれも失敗に終わった。
それでもここ10年くらいは、アレグラという抗アレルギー薬が比較的体質にあっているようで(眠気も出ない)、初期症状のうちに飲むことで症状を軽微に抑えることができていて、助かっていた。
そのかわり、アレグラを手放せなかった。
ひどいときは日に2錠以上飲まないと抑えられなかったし、最悪のときはそれでも抑えきれないこともあった。
それなのに、今年はほぼ出ていない。
ガン末期の痛みに対処するために飲んでいる医療用麻薬のおかげだろうか。
そんな話は聞いたことがないけれど。
ほかに、いろいろな人から「これはガンにいい」といってさまざまな飲み物や薬が送られてきて、ひととおり試しているのだが、そのうちのどれかが効いているのかもしれない。
あまりにいろいろあるので、どれが効いているのかさっぱりわからないけど。
いずれにしても、花粉症もなく、ガン末期というわりには体力もあって、痛みのコントロールさえうまくできればさまざまなことが支障なくできていることはありがたい。
花粉症がないことが例年よりも快適なくらいだ。
私に会いに来てくれた友人たちはほぼ例外なく、
「思ったより元気で安心した」
という。
放射線治療中も体力を維持するための努力をつづけていたしね。
とにかく体重を落とさないことに留意して、カロリーの高いものとたんぱく質をがんばってとっていた。
脂濃いものが体質的に平気なのも幸いだった。
「グレタさんに怒られる」といいながら、ステーキや揚げ物などの脂濃いものや、アイスクリームなどの乳製品や菓子類をせっせと食べていた。
なにが身体にいいとか、健康的だとかより、まずは体重を落とさないこと。
おかげで昨日は東京から北陸の実家まで、500キロ近くをひとりで、ほぼトイレ休憩をのぞいてノンストップで、とくにいつも以上の疲れもなく運転できた。
体力があって、痛みがコントロールできれば、自分のやりたいことができる。
その結果がどう出るかはわからないが、いまこの瞬間が気分よく、充実して生きていられるという事実が、私にはなにより大切なことなのだ。
From the end of January to February, I felt a little itchy, and there were a few moments when I thought, "Huh?" and I took an anti-allergic drug (Allegra) that I had prepared beforehand. But to this day, I have hardly had any serious symptoms.
When Carmen Maki came to visit the other day, she was also suffering from hay fever for many years, so we talked about her symptoms this year, but she said she was suffering from severe symptoms soon.
I didn't have many opportunities to go out this year, so I didn't have many opportunities to exchange information with people about hay fever, and I didn't have many opportunities to be exposed to pollen in the first place, so I thought it was difficult for the symptoms to appear, but the pollen itself seems to be flying in large quantities.
For some reason, I don't have any symptoms.
I can only think that hay fever is gone.
For me, it's been almost 30 years.
We have tried various symptomatic treatments and preventive measures, but all have failed.
Even so, for the past 10 years or so, Allegra, an antiallergic drug, seems to be relatively in my constitution (not get sleepy), and I have been able to control the symptoms to a slight degree by taking it during the initial symptoms, and it has been very helpful.
Instead, he couldn't let go of Allegra.
In the worst case, I had to take more than two pills a day to control it, and in the worst case, I still couldn't control it.
However, it has hardly been released this year.
Maybe it's because of the medical drugs he takes to cope with the pain of terminal cancer.
I've never heard of such a story.
Other people have sent me various drinks and medicines saying "This is good for cancer." and I've tried them all, but one of them may be working.
There are so many that I have no idea which one is working.
In any case, she doesn't have hay fever, and despite being in the final stages of cancer, she has a lot of physical strength, so if she can control her pain well, I'm glad she can do many things without any problems.
The absence of hay fever is more comfortable than usual.
My friends who came to see me almost without exception,
"I am relieved that he is healthier than I thought."
he said.
I will continue my efforts to maintain my physical strength during radiation therapy.
I tried to eat high-calorie foods and protein, keeping in mind that I wouldn't lose weight.
It was also fortunate that fatty foods were not bad for him.
He said, "Greta gets mad at me." but he was busy eating fatty foods such as steaks and fried foods, and dairy products and sweets such as ice cream.
First of all, don't lose weight, rather than trying to figure out what's good for you or what's healthy.
Thanks to this, I was able to drive by myself from Tokyo to my parents' house in Hokuriku, which was about 500 kilometers away, almost nonstop, except for a rest room, and I didn't feel any more tired than usual.
If you have strength and can control the pain, you can do what you want.
I don't know how it will turn out, but the fact that this is the moment when I can feel good and live a fulfilling life is more important to me than anything else.
