1/2 Way Through Radiation!

Well, the first of the year has gone by way too fast. Kevin had a birthday the end of January & I had one yesterday. We're good for one more year.

Thank you all for the gifts and cards (and flowers) I'm as one of my girlfriend said...I'm now double nickels...ha ha

As far as my treatments....I'm 1/2 way through them. I met with Dr. Nanda my radiation doctor on Monday, January 30th, after which had what they call mapping and simulation done.

The nurses lay you on a long skinny table, hands up over my head, feet together. (they actually put a rubber band around my feet so they won't fall open. Which is natural when you relax. That would change the line up. Then they drew purple lines all over my stomach and tattooed the points permeantly. Yep I now have a tat. Unless I showed you where to look, you'd never find them. It's a dot, early the size of a freckle. This lines you up for the actual radiation treatments.

Wednesday, February 1st was my first treatment. It's a self check in. You scan your card with a UPC label on it. The girls in the back radiation room know your there. You go to a secluded waiting room where other patients like you wait to be called away from the main waiting lobby.

The first day as really weird and sad. I saw three children. One, 10yr old boy, no hair and a good disposition, Joking with the nurses. Second, was a boy (maybe 16-17) with cerebral palsy & mentally disabled & spoke spanish and had to have an interpreter. A 14yr old girl with a truckers ball cap, splotchy, sparse hair poking out here and there. In a wheel chair with IV fluids hanging from the support.

That's when it hit me with the wave of sadness. And question, why lord do the children endure this? Needless to say, I went to work unable to shake the sadness the rest of the day.

Anyways....back to the treatment.

You lie on a table. The nurses go through their routine of lining you up with the red beams from the machine. Rubber band your feet & leave the room.

The table moves up to greet the big radiation machine. It kicks on & I start counting. One....and two....and three and...until I reach 13-14. Then it rotates around to the back and radiates from below. Again I count... one..and ...two...and...three, until I reach about 10 or 11. And I'm done. The nurses scurry back in and undo me. The table lowers and I'm done until the next day when we do it all over again.

This is the routine each day.

So far I've had 10 treatments. I will have 20 all together. The doctors see the patients every Wednesday to see how they are handling it and refill meds etc.

He's telling me I will have 15 regular treatments and 5 boost treatments. After which we wait for 30 days and do a pet scan to see how it's worked.

We've discussed the what if's....but no need to tell you that. Because this is going to work!

If you remember the 1st 2 chemo's shrunk all the cancer cells in my back and the front huge one down to 4 cm's . But in 6 chemo's it only went down 1 cm. So Dr. Nanda (rad doc) says since my body got used to the chemo. It basically stopped working. And with the radiation was tricking by frying them (my term, not his) individually to a targeted area.

Good news is my hair has started to grow back. I have a crop of fuzz going. Can't wait to stop wearing scarfs, ball caps & wigs.

And even better news, I've dropped 13 pounds, since being off the steroids. YAY

Again, thank you for your continued prayers and good wishes.

I'm still going to beat this and the "bump" is going to get smaller and smaller.

Love to you all,

and.... Make it a great day!

Patsy