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.
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Mo, this is all fascinating reading, all the more so as I may be going down this road in the future. I think of you often, especially of your courage in doing most of this stuff on your own, and wonder at how some cancer patients are totally without support AND working. I say that I think of you often, and it is just about every day, because that is how often I wear one of your caps or wig. Now that we are having a heat wave in Toronto, I go bald as much as possible. I still don't grocery shop bald, as I don't want to get stared at, but also because super markets are cold!
ReplyDeleteI'm into my 60 hour clear liquid diet, in countdown for surgery Thursday. It's funny how often I go to the fridge and have to remind myself that it is off limits for me now. Drinking lots of apple juice, green tea, and eating jello. I'll open a can of broth later and see if I can see through it. That seems to be the test of whether or not it is appropriate.
Stay strong throughout your radiation, and keep blogging - you get me through some of my bad days. XX
Hey Mo, We've had an exciting morning - a half hour ago Miriam said that she smelled an electrical smell. There was a strong smell in the house and we all ran around sniffing plugs, toasters and such. Then we went outside and saw black smoke coming from Michelle's back yard. Apparently their propane tank exploded, and luckily they were all inside when it happened. The police arrived first, followed by three fire trucks. The blazing deck was quickly put out, and I can hear the trucks packing up to leave now. All is well, but I guess there will be work taking place at their house for the next little while. Never a dull moment on Columbine. XX
ReplyDeleteAnne,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting your comments. Comments make me happy as I don't have much family/friends close by and they make me feel closer to "home". Michelle posted pictures of the deck on Facebook. Good think Nicky is visitig down here!