Saturday, March 3, 2012

Radiation Week 3

Monday Feb. 27th - uneventful driving today, thank goodness. Treatment went as normal, it was very cold today, until I left I felt like my skin was burning like crazy!! My shirt was irritating as well as the seat belt. I have used the Aquaphor lotion that they gave me, but its so thick that it is kind of painful to rub on myself. I got to have breakfast with my friend Rachel again, and it was a great start to the week.

Tuesday Feb. 28th - not much new today, drive was fine saw my first deer today so thankful I haven't come across any and all I saw today was their little fluffy tails as they were already across the road, the sun also seems to be coming up a lot sooner. Not much burning today after my appt. so that is good. I'm having some crazy trouble swallowing though. The radiation therapist was telling me a little about the machine today, and how it has adjustable settings she told me my settings were 6,10 and 15. Not sure what that all means, but it was interesting when she was telling me.

Wednesday Feb. 29th - Its leap day, and it was beautiful and 69 degrees! Normal treatment today. I tend to just try and relax as I lie there on the table, but its still so hard. Today after treatment I went up to the day surgery floor where I had my mastectomy, as I got in the elevator I could feel my heart beating faster. I was going up to visit a friend from our Goshen church who's sister had just been taken back to have a bi-lat.  mastectomy. Just a hug and a note of encouragement was all the longer I really stayed, but I felt like I needed to go. I was reading a little of her story tonight on caring bridge and all those emotions are still so fresh, all I could do was cry as I read. I don't know if I'll ever get to a place where I can read or talk about this journey and it not be emotional.

Thursday Mar. 1st - What a turn around from yesterday I think maybe I was too happy about the sun and warmth because today I'm very down. My appt. took quite a while today. I had to have films taken as per my usual Thursday treatment and see the doc. They had to adjust my markings today, they said its pretty common because a lot of people are pretty tense in the beginning and once they relax their tissues relaxes so the markings they use to line me up everyday had to be changed, just by 5mm though, but because of that I had to lay there extra long... do you know what a mind that has been tainted by cancer does when its laying in a quite treatment room along for too long? Yep, it starts to think, and a thinking mind in that situation is never good. After I was done I met with Dr. Doctor and he said I'm nice and medium-rare now so they won't use the bolus on me anymore to enhance the radiation. I swear he talks to me like I'm an idiot sometimes telling me today all the things I'm experiencing are from the radiation, DUH as if I didn't know that! I am having some issues with feeling weak and jello like, so he suggested I take a Wii class... yep I said Wii like Nintendo gaming system Wii, they actually have someone at the cancer center who will teach me how to use one of the Wii games so that I can rebuild some of the muscle strength. So that will be Monday and sometime in the next week or so I'll have an appt. for them to make a "device" as he called it for them to be able to give me my 5 boost treatments after the first 28 treatments are finished. Apparently its some kind of form they have to make that I will be fitted to so they can position me for the boost treatments to my scarred area. Today has been a long day so far I hope tomorrow is better.

Friday March 2nd - Yeah its Friday, I started off the day with this quote "Hip Hip Hooray Celebrating the Dr. Suess way 1/2 way through radiation today!" I'm officially half way done today 17 treatments down 16 to go! Still having kind of a down day today, but I get to see lots of family members this weekend. My treatment went fine today, and I was able too get through it a little faster without the bolus since they didn't have to come in and move it half way through the treatment. Tuesday of next week I will go in and have the new device made for the boost at the end of my first 28 treatments. (on a side note since I don't usually do Saturday post, today is Saturday and I began my first menstrual cycle since chemo ended. It worries me a little because of the increased hormone production knowing that my cancer was estrogen positive. Sorry if that is TMI for any men reading this)

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