So, on Friday I was halfway through my radiation. Yippee!!!
The physical changes are becoming very very obvious, if I wear a shirt with even a scoop neck you can see. The interesting part is just how precise the radiation is, I have a rhombus on my chest that clearly shows where the radiation is being applied. I haven't described the process much but I realized yesterday when I went to get a massage and the therapist asked if I had any redness on my back from the radiation going through my body that I should.
Because of the dose of radiation I receive if the beam was focused above me like what you expect with an X-ray not only would I end up with a high dose to any remaining cancer but my heart and lungs would also be damaged. The radiation is instead given in a focused beam at two angles on either side of my breast. For the first dose the source is at about 2:00 and the window is very narrow. For the second dose the source is rotated to about 8:00 and a wedge is placed over the source to focus the radiation upward to just my breast. The treatment is basically 30 seconds for the first angle and 1 minute for the second angle. The second dose is longer since the cancer was located on the outside of my left breast. The hardest part of all of this is how isolated and alone you can sometimes feel--you're placed on a table, everybody leaves the room and you get to watch a machine rotate around you. It can be a little impersonal. They play music for you which is nice. Unfortunately the last patient of the day likes country music and for the first week no one changed out the CD before I came so I had to listen to the same Carrie Underwood song for a week, I finally put my foot down and said enough of that song.
As for the being tired part, it's started. About 2:00 I get a little tired and if I don't sit down and take a cat nap then at about 5:00 or so I start to feel like I have the flu--achy joints etc. so then I really do sit down and take it easy. Tiger Lily is starting to have to take over a few things which stinks for her but we both agreed that we are a team and for the next 6 weeks or so she gets to be the team captain. I am blessed to have some sisters that have volunteered to bring me meals for the next few weeks which means I won't have to eat mac and cheese or microwave popcorn for every meal. I think when this is all over I'll sign Tiger Lily up for cooking classes....
The really good news is that my house is finally on the market! It's not finished but close enough to get it out there. We're working on cleaning out the garage today. The pictures are up on the internet, http://www.homesbyaudrey.com/index.html, click on "our properties" and you'll see it. Trust me, you won't recognize parts of the house! Now that it's finally cleared out it's pretty easy to keep clean.
Hope everyone had a good weekend--Monday is Tiger Lily's birthday and I have several surprises in store for her!
ciao
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1 comment:
I feel like the first half went quickly, I hope it was the same for you. My hope is that the second half will go even quicker so you can get through the tiredness and get back to some sense of normalcy.
If you need a nap, take one. If you need Tiger Lily to get somewhere and you just don't have the energy that day, give a call, I know how to drive and it would be my pleasure.
Take care, see ya soon. By the way, which Carrie Underwood song did you have the opportunity to listen to every morning for a week?
E
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