Skip to main content

Week 25: Radiation Cycle#3 Complete

So here is what I know/have come to know so far:

  • I have successfully completed the first 3 of 33 radiation treatments scheduled.
  • I have 30 minutes added to my daily moisturizing routine to account for the creams I need to apply to my skin to reduce the radiation effects..
  • While my radiation oncologist has told me that their equipment does not really have much scatter (a maximum of 2 millimetres), all the technicians leave the room when the beams go on.
  • I have breast tissue in my back, and by "I" I really mean you too. So if you hug yourself, tissue extends to where your hands can reach around under your arms and over the top of your shoulder, so that area needs to be irradiated too.
  • The lead "mats" you see at the dentist, used to protect the rest of you when you have x-rays, won't stop these rays.
  • In addition to the actual radiation treatment I have to have, I also have additional x-rays each week in addition to the 33 radiation treatments. In addition to the 33. In case you didn't get that the first time.
  • I have taken a liking to soft clothes and small pillows. Is it any wonder?

This week will be one month since my surgery and I can feel improvements every day. I have however this past week developed axillary web syndrome. What the heck is that? Well, apparently it occurs when you mess with the lymph nodes, which you do in a mastectomy or lymph node biopsy/removal, or even radiation. The lymphatic system gets confused and you see a "cord" running from the armpit sometimes through to the elbow and fingers. (Much like a vein that is pulled.) It is quite painful to extend my arm. I have maybe 1 cord and I am working with a physical therapist to get some relief. This doesn't always go away in one go, but will go and come and go and come before it eventually resolves in a few months.

For now, that is all that is going on. I am enjoying my very relaxing Thanksgiving weekend.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 20, Cycles 11,12 of 12: Not Happening

This week the oncologist felt that I had done enough chemo- I was not going to get Cycle 11 and Cycle 12.  I've talked before about the effects of the chemo on my fingers, but you know it is a sad situation when you knot your pyjama bottoms and then can't untie it to go to the bathroom. No more chemotherapy for me. Yay?  Yes, a bit of an anti-climax, but I still get to ring the "end-of-chemo" bell and get confetti thrown on me by my chemo nurses. My doctor also had in her hand the results of my post-chemotherapy MRI and it showed that there was a reduction in the tumour, it looked less dense than before and above all it looks like the volume of the tumour decreased by about 75%. Yay to that for sure! Considering I didn't feel that anything was changing I was very happy about the result. Next on my list: surgery. She said that although my blood counts are low in some areas, she felt that if I wanted to have surgery that day, I was well enough to do it. Me? We
8 comments
Read more

Talking with Lucas on climate change

This is my post for Blog Action Day . This is an annual event where bloggers everywhere in the world post about the same issue on the same day to spark discussion around an issue of global importance. This is part of a conversation I had with my 8-year old. Mama : Do you know what climate change means? Lucas : I think it means when it is like 90F and it is hot.   And the change? It's when in the daytime it might be 90F and sunny and hot, and then you go inside for dinner and then right after dinner and it might have dropped to 70F Well, yes it is that in a way.  That describes what is happening in your area, but when people use the term "climate change" they really mean something more global, like affecting climate around the world Have you heard of the team "global warming"? What global warming is that it is made up of CO2 (carbon dioxide) and when they burn stuff the smoke releases CO2 and it's like a blanket covering the earth and if it k
9 comments
Read more

Cancer by the numbers 2 of 4: That grocery bill

This is the second "Cancer by the Numbers" post, the first was about blood counts . We have been trying to eat organic fruits and vegetables as much as we can, to reduce the pesticide levels we injest. I will publish another post about cancer and food, but for now I thought I'd share the cost of organic vs not organic based on a quick poll of my local grocery (HEB).  We had cut out meat prior to my diagnosis of cancer (ever since reading The China Study ) so perhaps the decline in spending in meat is offset by the more pricey organic items! The graph below shows the increase, as a percentage of the non-organic price, that I pay for common items that I buy. While the actual dollar amounts may not be significant individually, I can tell you that I really feel it on my grocery bill when I buy blueberries! If you feel you want to buy organic, but want to spend the dollars on those items where it makes a difference, take a look at the  Environmental Working
5 comments
Read more