I'm still here

Had radiation treatment number 17 today which means I just passed the halfway mark to 30. 

All continues to go relatively well with treatments. I continue to have the lump in the throat feeling on and off, I continue with hot flashes, I continue to be tired, and I am starting to get a slight burn, but overall those are all minimal side effects to what I could get and to what others experience. My body, while initially giving me this disease, has responded well to the treatments and I have been very lucky in that way. So, no news for 10 days simply means, status quo and not much to report. 

I do have to say that radiation does take its toll on you, but in a different way from chemo. 

The driving back and forth for treatment every day can be tiring in itself, but it does give me the opportinuty to get all my swearing out, my kids say I yell alot at other cars when I drive and it's not summer in Syracuse unless there is construction and stupid drivers everywhere. I know, on the bright side, it isn't winter.

 Once at treatment, lying half naked on a table with my hands above my head exposed to the technicians coming and going and marking my body with sharpie's takes some getting use to. One time one of the male technicians was leaning over my bare naked right boob to mark the big X on my left chest, "oh hello technician, nice to meet you, why not rest your face on my breast while you work!" I feel, and am, very exposed in more ways than one.

I guess the only other big news for me is that I signed a contract with Syracuse University and I will be starting a new job there on October 16th as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner in student health services. I am very excited and have been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time. I think it is a perfect fit for me and SU has been great about waiting for me until I am done with all my treatment. It is a nice goal to be looking towards through all this.

It's back to school for the kids next week, so we are all busy trying to prepare for that this week and of course trying to fit in everything we didn't get to do this summer that we wanted to. 

I can't believe, but am happy, how quickly this summer went, it's not one I want to repeat and my list is very long for next summer! 

Radiation continues

Had radiation number seven today, not very exciting when you think I need to have about 30 total, but plugging away. The drive in and back isn't too bad, the staff are very prompt and I rarely have to wait, and the radiation process itself is painless so far. It is so amazing we have these machine that can rotate around us and zap us right where we need it. 

 

I have developed a side effect from radiation which is unusual for me as everything has been pretty good up to this point. It is called globus pharyngeus. That is a big word for feeling like there is a lump in my throat when I swallow. That can happen, due to irritation caused by radiation to the throat, anytime you are radiating near the throat. They are radiating my left clavicle area, down along the outer aspect of my left breast and along my armpit. I can still eat and drink, I just have to do it in smaller bites and slower. 

Here is the port incision. I was suppose to keep the steri-strips on it longer, but I was having a skin reaction to them and starting to develop blisters, so I took the strips off and now just have a 2x2 pad covering it held in place by the strap of my shirt, it looks good otherwise, just a little discomfort there.

I think I forgot to tell you that after I was bragging about still having my eyebrows and eyelashes a month ago, they left me after the 5th chemo. treatment. I was trying to put makeup on to make it look like I had something, but it was useless, so I now look like a full fledged cancer patient. I know I am always having fun trying to hide behind the colorful wigs, but this is it folks.

Deported from Chemotherapy

Dr. Kort and her team deported me today! 

I had a scheduled office visit with her in which she gave me some lidocaine at the port site, made a small incision, cauterized the vein, and pulled the port right out. She stitched me up with inside stitches, put a couple of steri strips on it, put a bandage over it, and I was deported forever from receiving chemo! 

She said the worst and most painful part was the shot of lido, but that didn't hurt that much. She had some students in with her, so that was a nice distraction and we were all just gabbing away. 

Here is the port that was in me, I am thinking a necklace, but maybe a bracelet. 

I showed it to the kids when I got home and they were grossed out and wouldn't let me take it out of the bag. I wasn't able to take a picture of the procedure due to the angle of it and I couldn't even get my head cocked down enough to see, so all I have to show you at this point is the bandage. My Mom came with me, but the nurse asked her if she was a "quesy" person and the nurse could tell from her delayed response that Mom wasn't coming into the room to take pictures of the procedure.

So, the lidocaine is wearing off and they is some pain at the site, more just stinging and pinching, nothing alittle motrin can't handle.

I was to have my 8th radiation treatment this morning also. They have been going well and no side effects to report yet, but this morning I got up on the table and stripped down all ready to go and the machine arms wouldn't move the way they are suppose to. They tried to fix it, but it was a no go for today. 

I'll be back at it Monday.

Radiation begins

So I had my first radiation treatment today. 29 more to go. I will have it every day, Monday - Friday, for 6 weeks. These first few are a bit longer at 20-30 minutes because they are still getting me placed and marked. Once they perfect that they say the treatments will just be about 10-15mins. 

Last week they fitted me with my very own foam mold like this one. It helps keep me in the exact location better, I hope they let me take it home when we are done, it's so comfy.

So this is similar to the machine they use. I am lying flat on my mold, with my arms above my head and the machine moves all around me, my job is to lie flat, don't move, and breath normally. Seems easy enough and definitely not my strong points as far as lying flat and not moving, but this will give me a good opportunity to get better at it. They said I did good today, yeah me! 

"X: marks one of my spots here. I have two more on each side of my torso, as I mentioned last blog, they are just drawn on with a sharpie and good thing cause they moved this one alittle bit today.

So as far as the experience, there was a lot of machine noises, staff yelling out numbers and coordinates, lights going on and off, and me just lying still practicing mindfully lying there and breathing normal.

I won't bore you with every radiation treatment, but do stay tuned, I get my port out next Friday, that should be interesting!