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!
How great to hear from you - yes, I laughed when reading about your experience with the technicians. Can't wait for my breast MRI this fall, so I can have both dangling for over an hour while hidden techs behind a thick glass discuss. (Wait... that was sarcasm. Obviously, as these fake ones don't "dangle" anyway)
ReplyDeleteToday I had that fun ultrasound to make sure there is no cancer growing on my ovaries. You know the kind - it involves a probe. And the wrong part of my anatomy was exposed to the door, in a room obviously designed by a man. Sigh!
Hang in there Sherie! xoY.