Monday 4.28.2008

Radiation Treatment #3

After the usual sleep broken with the hots throughout the night, I was awakened at 0700 by Tisha from work, telling me that the person covering me this morning would like to stay until 1:00. Ok, thanks. We dozed off again, then I got up at 0800.

I got ready for the day, and as I was having breakfast, the phone rang. It was the Radiation Center, Ken the technician, reminding me that my appointment was at 0830 this morning. No, I said, you changed it to 10:10. (Now I'm second guessing myself, as I was having a time remembering which day had been changed.) No, he says, it was 8:30. Ok, I said, and apologized, and told him I thought he had written on my card the times, and I had transcribed them into my planner incorrectly. So what do we do now?? He said just come on in, and they'll put me in when there's a space. Ok, I'll be there soon. (It was almost time to leave for my 10:10 appointment.) Daniel asks about the phone call, and I get the card from my planner. Monday, 4/28, 10:10. Perhaps Ken didn't enter it into his computer correctly....

So when I get there, I change, and Ken comes right out to take me back to the treatment room. I hand him the card; he looks at it and says, yeah, and hands it back to me. No apology or explanation from him, just a shrug of his shoulder. Interesting...

Another woman was in there today, she introduced herself as Lynn or Kim or something, another technician. Ken was off doing something in the room, and I asked Lynn if my axillary incision woundbed was in the radiation field. She said probably, but when they turn the lights on (the green laser lights), she'd be happy to mark it for me so I could see. Cool--thanks. She and Ken positioned me on the table and aligned the lasers with my tattoos, and Lynn/Kim placed several dots around my left breast/chest marking the perimeter of the field. I thanked her, and they both went back behind the wall. Ok, here we go, Ken said. Hold still....

I tell you I'm trying to look around and notice what's in that room, but they go so fast, and I can't see much laying on my back looking at the ceiling. What I haven't mentioned, is that in the ceiling over the table there are 4 ceiling panels that are flourescent lights, and they are covered with a photo-type mural of a field of flowers. So they are illuminated from the back. That's kind of neat.

The machine parts move around and into position, and I hear the machine click to turn on. About 3 seconds later, I hear a high-pitched tone, and I'm guessing thats the radiation. I count slowly, and I get to 14 or 15 when the tone stops. The machine clicks off, then moves to the second position. Ken comes out and slips a metal plate over the part of the machine that's on my left. I turn my head a little to look at it, and ask him what that is. He tells me to hold still, that it bends the angle of the radiation. He goes back behind the wall. I hear the machine click to turn on again, then the high-pitched tone. Again, I slowly count to 14 or 15, it stops, and clicks off. Ken comes out as the machine goes back to it's "park" position. He lowers the table and helps me off. Ok, he says, remember tomorrow is doctor/nurse day. Yes, I said, and my appointment is at 0830. Yep, he says. Ok, thanks, I say, See you tomorrow. And I'm on my way back down the hall. The whole process takes less than 8 minutes. In fact, when I get my clothes out of the locker they haven't cooled off yet. I change and am on my way back home.

At home, I take my shirt off and ask Daniel to take a picture of my chest with the dots on it. Why? he says. So we have the radiation field documented, I reply. Oh, he says, and takes the picture. That picture, and lots of others, are at the other site, www.kathyjeanpics.blogspot.com. (that site is listed as an adult site, because of the bare breast thing...) I change into my work clothes, and get the rest of my things ready to go to Jackson to work for a few hours. I find a parking spot way in the back of the lot again. I walk the block to the front of the lot and the shuttle arrives, so I ride the rest of the way over to the hospital.

I get a bit of a report from Dawn, and she leaves. The call lights are going crazy, and I do my best to take care of the patient's needs. Most are simple, like needing supplies or pain medicine, and a couple I had to refer to their other nurses. Then I helped someone breast feed, successfully I might add.

In the meantime, I've had just little pokes of nausea. Hm. Interesting. Not much, just a little, now and then. I'm going to ignore it, but I'm wondering if it's really something to do with that radiation. And my breast is a little full and tender, especially in the wound bed where the tumor was removed. This could be an interesting 30 treatments....

I left work after Christine came in to cover me so that I could keep my dental cleaning appointment. That worked out well.

My teeth are beautiful, no new problems, and are all polished up. They knew that I am being treated for breast cancer, as I had called and asked if it was ok with radiation, and also, my brother Jim goes there, too. It seems that he had been there not too long after he had shaved his head, and he told them why. Debbie, our hygienist, and Dr. Hess, were both very concerned about my well-being, and hope for the best. The only thing different was that my gums bled just a little, but both Debbie and the doctor said that that was normal after chemotherapy, and should be healed by my next cleaning, scheduled for October. Ok--I like being ok.

I got home, Daniel was umpiring a game. Whew--it's cold out this afternoon, so I decided to have something hot in the oven for him when he got home. I rummaged around and found chicken, stuffing, and winter squash, and he was a happy man when he got home. It was yummy.

He didn't stay up long, and I got to working on the blog. It's now time for bed.

Diane called with some recommendations for some exercises/movements to do with my arm; she is a physical therapist and also a masseuse. I have done the movements that I can do myself, and will continue to massage the axillary wound bed. Thank you, Diane, for your suggestions and encouragement.

And thank you all for reading, for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. Hugs.