Vicky Phelan has shared an update on her health with her followers, after a week of being “very, very sick.”
The cervical health check campaigner is currently in the US undergoing clinical cancer trials in the hopes it will prolong her life. Speaking today on social media, Vicky revealed why she has been absent over the past number of days.
She said; “The reality of participating on a clinical trial. It has been over a week since I last posted an update. There’s a very good reason for the delay. I have been very, very sick. I became very ill, very suddenly on Saturday evening and it escalated very quickly into being unable to bring down a raging temperature.”
Continuing, Vicky shared that she has great people around her, who helped her during this difficult time; “Luckily for me, a great friend @supersurgiesarah had called to see how I was on Saturday and knew from my voice that I wasn’t well and offered to come out and stay with me on Saturday night. Thank God she did because I got rapidly worse after she arrived and she ended up taking me to the hospital where they admitted me.”
“I am so very thankful to Sarah for being with me on Saturday and for not having to go through this alone. I spent three nights in hospital until they figured out what infection was causing the spiking temperatures which kept coming.”
Vicky has previously shared some of the unpleasant side affects the trial has had on her body, and that this is yet another effecting her at the moment; “Once again, it is a side effect of the main drug that caused me to be so ill.”
The mother-of-two continued; “The drug, M7824, can cause inflammation in any part of the body. I developed Bell’s Palsy (inflammation of the facial nerves) last week and then this week, the inflammation went to my sinuses which were all extensively inflamed and which led to me getting so sick on Saturday.”
“I am home now recovering and on an antibiotic to treat the sinus infection which is slowly improving. I still have to go back in to hospital tomorrow for my treatment because I was too sick on Tuesday to have it. While I dread the thought of having treatment tomorrow, the ONLY thing keeping me going is the knowledge that this is my LAST dose of treatment before I go home next month and I will have almost three weeks to recover from any reactions to tomorrow’s treatment round.”
In brighter news Vicky has said that she is coming back to Ireland for a holiday in around months time, so she is hopeful these effects will subside so she can spend time with her family.
Finally, she spoke about how hard this past week has been on her, especially being away from her family; “This is the reality of taking part in a clinical trial. It has been a very, very low week for me and has made me think long and hard about whether I will continue on this in the long run.”
“I need to start seeing better results soon in order to make all of this hardship worth it. I am looking forward to a break from it all for a month and to spending time with my kids and my family and friends. Big decisions can wait until I come back.”
We are wishing Vicky a speedy recovery and that she will be home with her family very soon.
