Monday 5.19.2008

Radiation Treatment #18

I got up and went over to the radiation center this morning. I changed into the gown and put my clothes away. Lisa called me back, then stepped into the "control room", and I went on in to the treatment room. I thought Ron would have been in there, but he wasn't. I climbed onto the table, and Lisa came in to get me positioned. She spoke to Ron, who was in the control room, and he called out numbers for her to line me up with. I lifted my head to see where the lights were on my chest, and you know Lisa said "You can't do that". I told her I wanted to see, and she told me that moving my head changes the position of my body. Ok, I'll try to hold still... And then I took a big breath. Lisa turned around and looked at me. "I'm sorry, I had to breathe." She came back to the table and made a small nudge before going into the control room. Hum, click, zzzz. It seems that I could feel the breast tissue warming from the inside. Click, the machine changes positions, Lisa comes out and slides the plate on--I didn't dare even speak, let alone blink--and goes back to the control room. click, hum, zzzzzz, click. Done. She comes back and lets the table down, offers me her arm to sit up, then to de-table. (is that a word?) See you tomorrow...

I went into the change room--whoa!!! the entire radiation field was very pink, and the nipple is a little prickly. Hm, hope that settles down soon. I get my clothes back on and head home.

I enjoy a cup of coffee and visit with Daniel; I show him how pink it is. He asks me if I've put anything on it--I tell him I will after I see Ike today.

I go to the therapy place, and Ike calls me back after a few minutes. She has me put on a gown and I lay on that table. It's "progress note" day, and she has me put my hands under my head and lower my elbows down to the table. Of course, the left one doesn't go, and she measures that angle. It's better than the initial measurement. She has me put my arms straight to my side, then raise them forward and over my head, as far back as possible. Again, restricted on the left, and she measures that angle. Better again. Then she has me pull my knees up and lay them over to the right side, and with my left arm out to the side, how far can I sweep it upwards like a snow angel. Not too far. But better than before. So overall, the hands on that she is doing is helping, but I'm not done yet. And I can't see her forever. She said that next visit she would show me soom things to do for myself. Ok.

Ike proceeds to do the massage technique on my abdomen. She remarks about the pink skin, saying again when the skin is feeling burnt she can't do it anymore. The soreness is still in the woundbed, not the skin, that I can tell. She moves on to the arm and works with the cording. Then she has me turn onto my stomach, and she says that my shoulder/scapula area look swollen, and she moves the fluid out from there. Too soon, our time is up. It amazes me that when she's done, I feel so much better. And I didn't know I wasn't feeling good.

On the way home I'm noticing a little nausea. I wait a bit before eating. I have to change and eat and get down to Jackson to work this afternoon. I call Joyce to see how things are going, and let her know that I'll be down soon. Ok, she says, to both topics.

I do manage to eat, along with a couple of tylenol and a couple of motrin. I change and head to Jackson to work. About 10 minutes on the highway, my phone rings, and it's Joyce, telling me they've had enough discharges for me to stay home. Ok. I pull off at the exit just ahead and turn around, go back home. I'm feeling just a bit punky anyway.

At home, I change clothes, and went out on the balcony in the sun and read for oh, maybe 30 minutes or so. I got really drowsy, so I went in and laid on the bed. I must have dozed off, because it was later than I thought it should be...

Daniel had left for his baseball game, and I'm not sure how I was feeling. I decided that I needed to go exercise, and I did. I jogged mostly the whole way around. I did walk a block in the middle, but jogged the last block instead of walking. Whew. I made it in, cooled off, and showered. Funny, I laid down again and took a small nap. Got up, had a bite to eat, did some computer stuff.

Daniel came home before dark. We visited, he turned on the television, then drifted off to bed before long. I wrote here, and I'm off, too.

Tomorrow is radiation, Doctor visit, and work.

Thank you for reading, for the phone calls and emails, and comments. It's so important to know that you are out there, supporting us. Hugs to you all.