I’ll have my 10th radiation treatment today. I learned earlier this week that the last five treatments are what’s called boosts. I’m not sure if I’m getting what’s described near the end of this page, or if it’s more like what’s described here. All I know for sure is that it will be once a day, and in a different room with a different machine and a different tech.
Speaking of techs, my current crew are great. They’re always upbeat and we end up laughing a lot as they get me all set up. Every day, I have to tell them my full name, my birthday and what's getting radiation. So I mix up the order, yesterday I used my full name (which sparked a discussion about maiden names as middle names), one time I told them my birthday and added in that it's still the day after Groundhog's Day, silly stuff like that. And every day I tell them that I did my darndest to wash off the Sharpie marks they draw on the tattoos (it’s true, I really do try) and every day they just laugh and draw them on again.
They told me after my second or third treatment that they really like having me at the end of the day because I’m upbeat. They get a lot of patients who are angry, and that’s hard for them. Personally, I’m cheering on the radiation because the whole point of these treatments is to kill any stray cancer cells in my breast.
Of course, the radiation is also killing good cells. That’s the downside for sure, well that and any damage to my heart, lungs or ribs that may occur. My skin is pinker now, no surprise there, and my nipple is sore. I tried to go without a bra one night last week (I have worn a bra 24x7 since the biopsy because it’s been too uncomfortable otherwise and I'm getting really tired of that). After an hour, I gave up because the chafing from my soft cotton t shirt was too much.
I’m getting slightly pink on my back. That also doesn’t surprise me. I’m pretty thin, especially on my torso, so I’m guessing the radiation is just passing on through. It’s not horrible, just stings like the most mild of sunburns.
And my left pectoral is getting tight. That too is pretty normal. When I saw the occupational specialist earlier this week for a lymphedema check, I mentioned it to her. She pointed out that all the cells are getting damaged which is why the pectoral gets tight.
Yesterday the fatigue hit pretty hard. I did a good challenging run yesterday morning, so I’d have been tired anyway. But this was different, it’s more like I ran out of gas. For someone like me who’s an energizer bunny, this is disconcerting even if it’s expected. I’m working from home today but not putting in my best work, that’s for sure.
I’ve also got compression sleeves on order. There’s a good chance I’ll need to go to the Philippines later this year and for flights over four hours, compression sleeves are recommended. They weren’t cheap (I went for patterns, not granny-style beige), but hopefully I’m easy on them and they last a long time.
Speaking of techs, my current crew are great. They’re always upbeat and we end up laughing a lot as they get me all set up. Every day, I have to tell them my full name, my birthday and what's getting radiation. So I mix up the order, yesterday I used my full name (which sparked a discussion about maiden names as middle names), one time I told them my birthday and added in that it's still the day after Groundhog's Day, silly stuff like that. And every day I tell them that I did my darndest to wash off the Sharpie marks they draw on the tattoos (it’s true, I really do try) and every day they just laugh and draw them on again.
They told me after my second or third treatment that they really like having me at the end of the day because I’m upbeat. They get a lot of patients who are angry, and that’s hard for them. Personally, I’m cheering on the radiation because the whole point of these treatments is to kill any stray cancer cells in my breast.
Of course, the radiation is also killing good cells. That’s the downside for sure, well that and any damage to my heart, lungs or ribs that may occur. My skin is pinker now, no surprise there, and my nipple is sore. I tried to go without a bra one night last week (I have worn a bra 24x7 since the biopsy because it’s been too uncomfortable otherwise and I'm getting really tired of that). After an hour, I gave up because the chafing from my soft cotton t shirt was too much.
I’m getting slightly pink on my back. That also doesn’t surprise me. I’m pretty thin, especially on my torso, so I’m guessing the radiation is just passing on through. It’s not horrible, just stings like the most mild of sunburns.
And my left pectoral is getting tight. That too is pretty normal. When I saw the occupational specialist earlier this week for a lymphedema check, I mentioned it to her. She pointed out that all the cells are getting damaged which is why the pectoral gets tight.
Yesterday the fatigue hit pretty hard. I did a good challenging run yesterday morning, so I’d have been tired anyway. But this was different, it’s more like I ran out of gas. For someone like me who’s an energizer bunny, this is disconcerting even if it’s expected. I’m working from home today but not putting in my best work, that’s for sure.
I’ve also got compression sleeves on order. There’s a good chance I’ll need to go to the Philippines later this year and for flights over four hours, compression sleeves are recommended. They weren’t cheap (I went for patterns, not granny-style beige), but hopefully I’m easy on them and they last a long time.
3 comments:
I can't remember where I saw it, but there are arm sleeves for lymphedema that look like tattoos. I'd be all over that. You're doing great. Hang in there, friend.
The tattoo sleeves sound super cool!
I’m not surprised your a favorite patient. You’ve always been a giver like that. Sending you extra energy and good vibes.
You're getting there!
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