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Tag Archives: radiation therapy

Krakatoa East of Cranky

09 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by thelastcancerblog in radiation, side effects of radiation

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breast cancer, radiation therapy, side effects of radiation

Just when I thought I had found the perfect metaphor to describe the “area in question” as the Red Planet, it has become an entirely different force in the solar system – the volcano. If you have ever had shingles (which I have, and I hope you haven’t) you can imagine the heat, redness and itchiness that has resulted from 22 blasts of radiation. You arenvolcano2‘t allowed to ice it which I think would make it feel better, but you can use this ointment called calendula and mix it with hydrocortisone to help the itching  – which it doesn’t. The side effect that no one talks about is how cranky you can get from the redness, heat and itchiness. And like everything else, it gets a lot worse at night. So, I’m cranky and tired, and sore and itchy, and I could blow at any moment.  However, one week from tomorrow, I plan to erupt with joy after my last radiation treatment. Until then, be happy you live outside of the blast zone.

volcano1

The Red Planet

05 Sunday Jul 2015

Posted by thelastcancerblog in radiation, side effects of radiation

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radiation, radiation therapy, side effects of radiation

It was a beautiful holiday weekend here in the Northeast, and I hope many of you got out to the park, the beach, or a pool.  If so, I hope you wore your sunscreen.  If not, then you just might have an idea of how the Red Planet Boob is feeling right about now – after four weeks of radiation. planetmars I did get to a park, the beach and a
pool but I safely hid in the shade or under an umbrella. Regardless, the “Planet” is still hot, red and itchy, and tomorrow I have to go back to the Master Blaster once again. So far the fatigue hasn’t been too terrible. I get tired around 4:00 each day – but who doesn’t??

Of course, every once in awhile, without warning, you get this sharp, hot poker of a pain in the planetary area – like you’ve been shot with a pellet gun, just to remind me of how much fun this all is!

I have one more normal week of treatment, and then a week of something called “The Boost” – which is radiation that is targeted directly at the site of where the tumor was. As you can imagine, this whole thing has been a real blast and I’m thrilled that in two more weeks I’ll be able to put another part of this treatment into the history books. Unfortunately, I still have to continue the Herceptin – and this coming Tuesday is my tenth infusion (with 7 or 8 more to go.)

Frankly, I think I’ve develoredbreast2ped a little PTSD about going back into the Infusion room.  I know that the smell of rubbing alcohol makes my stomach turn and I am more than a little anxious about going back to the chemo chair even though it’s really not as bad as anything else I’ve been through.  I reckon, like chemo and radiation, the effect on the human psychy is cumulative.  Perhaps it would be fitting to take a shot of 12-year-old Redbreast whisky to calm my jangled nerves.

Bedside Manner, Anyone?

10 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by Mama Shama in radiation, side effects of radiation

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radiation therapy, side effects of radiation

head__exorcist_lWhere to begin? I wasn’t even going to tell this story but in the interest of full disclosure, here goes. I will try to keep it simple.
Yesterday was my first radiation treatment. The treatment itself was a non-event. I was under the Great Breast Zamboni for less than five minutes. I left there, confidently being told – numerous times, that I shouldn’t expect to see or feel anything.
Who me? Not have a side effect? OK. I’m in.
But last night before bed, I noticed that “the site” (a.k.a. my boob) was tender, swollen and there was already a red rash that isn’t supposed to appear until week three or four.  It was late. I was tired. So off I went to sleep, hoping it would all be fine by morning. Unhappily, I had a tough night, not able to find a position that was comfortable.
When I got up this morning, it was still sore and red, and based on the fact that I was told I shouldn’t feel anything, I was concerned. How was I going to make it through the next six weeks, and what if there was some reason why I couldn’t tolerate the treatment, which would leave me susceptible to a local recurrence somewhere down the road.
Upon returning to the hospital for my second treatment, I thought it best to check in with the radiology oncologist to see if what was going on was normal. Much to my chagrin, this doctor who I’ve seen only once before, came in to the room and already seemed frustrated.
I told him my story, and he examined “the site.” At one point, he barely touched me, and I nearly jumped off the table. But what he said next was a shocker.
He told me that he had never seen anyone have a reaction after just ONE treatment. 30 years and thousands of patients and not one patient had ever presented with pain, swelling or redness this quickly. I told him I was just really lucky and he was lucky, too, because now he would never have to tell that to another patient. “I guess you’ve seen it now,” I said.
I asked him what I should do, and barely looking up from the notes he’d been scribbling the whole time, he said I should take two Advil and continue the treatment. He then suggested that, perhaps, I should have a talk with the breast center’s counselor/therapist because I was “obviously very emotional.” If my head could have spun around like Linda Blair, it would have!!  Was he saying that somehow this reaction was “in my head”? It must be if he’d never seen it, right? Isn’t it great when doctors have such little compassion or bedside manner that if you don’t neatly fit into their medical box, you must be crazy?
Luckily, Dr. Z, my oncologist, was only a phone call and an office away and he came right over to the radiology office to see me. Although he also had not seen this before, he assured me that he was taking it seriously, and that I had every right to be upset. Isn’t that, for the most part, all we want to hear?
So off I went for Treatment Number Two, and I’m hoping to God I have a better night. The swelling and redness have abated and it’s only mildly sore. Of course, I found several articles online written by reputable clinicians that speak to some patients experiencing reactions within hours of radiotherapy. I’m going with the idea that I had some strange initial response and it will be smooth sailing from here on. The last thing I want to do is abandon ship, but frankly, I’m getting pretty close to a medical mutiny.
Unfortunately, Doctor Personality and I have not gotten off to a good start. It’s going to be a long six weeks.

The Master Blaster

08 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by Mama Shama in radiation

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radiation therapy

The Master Blaster

The Master Blaster

Today was the last of three radiation prep sessions where I got to meet the real master blaster, The Varian VitalBeam!  It felt like it was twice the size of the machine they used during my first two prep days, which one of my pals named “The Breast Zamboni”. This felt more like meeting the Mother Alien after thinking that the baby monster was bad enough. The whole thing feels a little scary, especially when the technicians yell, “This won’t hurt a bit!” as they run from the room.  Tomorrow is DAY ONE of 35.  Let the countdown begin.alien23

Tit for Tat

28 Thursday May 2015

Posted by Mama Shama in radiation

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

radiation, radiation therapy

Chemo schedule

137 day chemotherapy schedule

I am sure that many of you know that I’m a bit of an organizational freak so you won’t be surprised that I created a special bulletin board to track my chemotherapy, allowing me to check off days as they went by. I arbitrarily chose the end of this week (137 days in total) to end the countdown.

Well, wouldn’t you know it but today is the day I received my radiation therapy schedule – exactly in time to remove the first set of calendars and replace them with new ones.  Synchronicity?  I think so. OCD? That, too.

New Radiation Schedule

New Radiation Schedule

All I know is that 53 days from today, I will be D.U.N. (done) with radiation.  My treatment officially begins on June 9th and continues every Monday through Friday until July 24th. And you know I will be marking off the days until then.

Today, I went in for the first of three planning sessions.  This was the one where they placed three tats on my boob. It wasn’t bad at all.  The women technicians (Brittany and Jessica) who did the measuring and will administer the treatment were very nice. We will be seeing a lot of each other.

The Big Bad Machine

The Big Bad Machine

Brittany & Jessica - my new breast friends

Brittany & Jessica – my new breast friends

The room was freezing and the machine is rather ominous. I need to come up with a name for it. (Suggestions?)

They say that the actual treatment takes less than 10 minutes and the effect are cumulative so you don’t start to get red, dry and itchy for a few weeks. The most common side effect is fatigue. Let’s just hope I don’t discover all the uncommon side effects.  With my luck, I’ll probably glow in the dark.

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