My radiation started last Monday and I've had 7 sessions so far. I have been feeling fine and have seen minimal reaction so far. I fully expect my skin to turn burned red but that's not supposed to be until week 3.
For those curious about what radiation is like, it's really a piece of cake and runs like an assembly line. I sign in each morning, head to the change room, change into a hospital gown and wait to be called. Once called, I head into the treatment room where I lie down on a metal table and the therapists align my body using the sharpie marks they drew on me last week with lasers pointing down from the ceiling. Once my body is aligned, they step out of the room and this large thing metal thing moves into four positions and emits radiation. The radiation is given in doses of about 5 to 20 seconds long, depending on the location.
I'm not sure if I mentioned this in my previous post but I saw my breast surgeon last week and he mentioned that after my Tamoxifen (5 years) I would be on some other drug indefinitely. What? My oncologist never mentioned this but then again... he's very "need to know". He said that because I am so young, that they will want me to continue on some kind of drug to reduce my chance of recurrence. I guess I'll ask my oncologist about it at my next visit.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Up Next... Radiation!
First I'd like to say that I had a great time in Toronto visiting with my family and friends recently. I missed everyone so much, especially my dad who I hadn't seen in almost a year.
This week, I had a medical appointment every day except Wednesday. Cripes!
I had a CT scan on Monday and my oncologist said that everything is clear but I still have a small nodule on my lung showing up. He said that it is not cancer and it is an old scar that's probably been there a long time. I have no idea what it could be from but I won't be losing sleep over it.
On Tuesday, I had another CT so they could plan where to do the radiation. They only irradiate above the chest wall so they put a bunch of sharpie pen marks on my chest to mark the area. I layed down and put my right arm up so I had my hand on my head. Then they used a kind of form pillow that my head was on, to shape a custom form molded to my head and arm. This would be used for my upcoming radiation sessions to hold my head and arm in place.
Thursday I had my usual oncology and Herceptin appointment and it was business as usual. Strangely my white blood cell counts were low although I haven't had chemo in a while. The nurse said that not getting enough sleep can cause low white blood cells. Why don't they tell you this stuff while on Chemo? My platelets are also just above the normal range lower limit. Strange. Anyway, it's interesting to see what's going on in your body while it recovers.
Friday, I had the radiation simulation where they took X-rays of me to do the final planning. they put new sharpie marks on me (Oh Joy!) and sent me on my way. Let's just say I won't be wearing V-neck shirts anytime soon. They didn't offer me permanent tatoos, I guess these sharpie marks stay on OK. What's gross though is that they stay on for 6 weeks. I have 28 radiation sessions ahead of me, every day Monday to Friday. My radiation starts on Monday and it seems to be a very efficient process, taking no more than 15 minutes. I have been told that the radiation is done from four different directions but is only supposed to last seconds at a time each. I am a little nervous about it but given that others have gone through it without issue before, I know I will be fine.
So... stay tuned and I will update you next week after I get radiation!
Have a wonderful weekend.
This week, I had a medical appointment every day except Wednesday. Cripes!
I had a CT scan on Monday and my oncologist said that everything is clear but I still have a small nodule on my lung showing up. He said that it is not cancer and it is an old scar that's probably been there a long time. I have no idea what it could be from but I won't be losing sleep over it.
On Tuesday, I had another CT so they could plan where to do the radiation. They only irradiate above the chest wall so they put a bunch of sharpie pen marks on my chest to mark the area. I layed down and put my right arm up so I had my hand on my head. Then they used a kind of form pillow that my head was on, to shape a custom form molded to my head and arm. This would be used for my upcoming radiation sessions to hold my head and arm in place.
Thursday I had my usual oncology and Herceptin appointment and it was business as usual. Strangely my white blood cell counts were low although I haven't had chemo in a while. The nurse said that not getting enough sleep can cause low white blood cells. Why don't they tell you this stuff while on Chemo? My platelets are also just above the normal range lower limit. Strange. Anyway, it's interesting to see what's going on in your body while it recovers.
Friday, I had the radiation simulation where they took X-rays of me to do the final planning. they put new sharpie marks on me (Oh Joy!) and sent me on my way. Let's just say I won't be wearing V-neck shirts anytime soon. They didn't offer me permanent tatoos, I guess these sharpie marks stay on OK. What's gross though is that they stay on for 6 weeks. I have 28 radiation sessions ahead of me, every day Monday to Friday. My radiation starts on Monday and it seems to be a very efficient process, taking no more than 15 minutes. I have been told that the radiation is done from four different directions but is only supposed to last seconds at a time each. I am a little nervous about it but given that others have gone through it without issue before, I know I will be fine.
So... stay tuned and I will update you next week after I get radiation!
Have a wonderful weekend.
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