Yesterday was busy with hospital appointments, chief among them being seeing my oncologist and a radiotherapist to talk about the next phase of treatment.

Part of my treatment will be to take Tamoxifen for five years.  In this day and age where we have the 'right to know' the poor man had to tell me every possible known side effect and what the risk was.  A couple of times he said 'vanishingly small' - which kind of made me smile as medical 'vanishing smallness' is bigger than nuclear industry 'vanishing smallness'.  On the basis that the risks he was alluding to were less than the risk of being run over by a passing motorist, I wasn't troubled; at the same time I was glad I have an above average knowledge of common risks to help me make sense of what I was being told.

Then off to meet the radiotherapist, who it transpires lives near Hunterston and knows lots of people who work there (on balance of probability she will know someone I've met at some point).  She was suitably amused - and I think pleased - to have a patient who understood and was interested in the radiotherapy.  The doses involved are very large, but sophisticated equipment means they are also very targeted.  I had to smile when she was explaining why you can't use some skin products because they contain metals and we simultaneously said 'scatter' as the effect on the radiation.

So, two good consultations that were helpful and informative as well as tapping into parts of my life experience.  As I say all too often, nothing is wasted.  I don't think my past experiences were somehow preparing the way for this, rather I think that these are the things I notice and connect with because of my past experience.  Let's face it, had I not told the radiotherapist  about my past she probably wouldn't have talked in semi-technical language.  And if my oncologist knew I was a former risk assessor he'd probably be terrified to quote any figures!!