Radiation Week 4

Episode LXI: Dancing through the fire

It's time to celebrate! I have made it over the halfway point. I am on the last half of my radiation cycle... and planning to get through the next 3 weeks with the same love and laughter...

I am over halfway complete with radiation!!!

My skin was still irritated and began to get itchy. I was in a mental drama of wanting desperately to scratch my chest, but knowing that any time I actually touched it I hurt. So, I kept my hands to myself. I did end up scratching at other parts of my body as a way to alleviate that desire. I know crazy!?!?

Skin is ranging from pink to brownish-pink...

My pain was still there and starting earlier in the week than last week. I was beginning to hurt sooner. Since the radiation was constantly accumulating the earlier pain kind of made sense... however, no one likes to hurt. I was making weird pain faces, adjusting my clothes, and being somewhat grumpy (on occasion).

In the process of all this radiation, my hair was growing back. It had a nice mange appearance at first and I had to try a product to help stimulate hair growth (Nutri-Ox, click here to learn about it on from my radiation tips page). It helped. My hair was growing faster within a week. And now I actually had hair...

See... I have some hair... some...

Next week I get to go back to the main office to get more scans. I am almost ready for my radiation booster series, where they will isolate my treatment to specific areas. My last 7 zaps will be based on those scans. I am finally at the point where I can begin to hear about the end!

4 weeks & 20 zaps down...

In my head...

I am at the turning point of my radiation treatment. While I am hurting in more ways than I expected, I am so close to the finish.

My pain has increased and it is challenging to press on to do outside-the-house activities, but it would take a lot to slow me down. General things that were not issues (seat belts, booth heights, purse straps, hugs, etc) have become more painful. Basically anything that touches you both expectedly or unexpectedly can create pain. However, I will always take hugs from my kids! Always!!!

I did venture out to my daughter's reading program and got to enjoy an amazing performance and walk in a parade with her. I cannot imagine not going. I am lucky to be going. I am lucky to be alive!

At my little girl's school program!

She is the cutest owl cowgirl ever!!

"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy;

they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."

- Marcel Proust

Episode Reference: Roar, Katy Perry song

(In honor of My Bean, she loves that song)

Comments

giving your 16 year old scissors

New Traditions Losing my hair - it's going to happen. When I did this in 2013, I waited to cut my hair once I was further in treatment. I didn't want to do that again. I didn't want to do it while I felt sore and bad. This time, I wanted to get rid of my hair before treatment. Since I will have now done this more than once, it can be considered a tradition: cancer haircuts by my kids . Last time I did this, the kids were 6 and 13. So, this time around my son (23) opted not to cut, but watched some. However, my 16 year old daughter leapt at the opportunity to cut my hair. Even though 10 years have gone by, she had to adhere to a few basic rules. Basic Rules: 1. Do not cut my ears. 2. Do not cut your own hair. 3. Do not cut anyone else's hair. These rules still hold up and are the general agreement we make before I put scissors in my kid's hands to chop on my hair! And the tradition isn't the same without going outside (weather permitting) and listening to our

happy birthday to me... almost

Let's rewind a bit and start a few days before my birthday... I had my first cancer treatment day on October 3rd - check it out if you haven't read that blog post yet. Let's just think of it as an early birthday gift since my birthday is October 7th. Great gift, right?!? If I have to hear "Happy Early" or "Late Birthday" from another medical person, I might have to smack someone. Especially, since I have spent most of the weeks leading up to and after my birthday at a medical appointment regarding cancer. Not really loving my birthday this year. Let's just say, on my birthday, I woke up with a special chemo-side-effect-surprise at 2am. That fun surprise I will share later... Rewind a Few Days... Update But first, let's go to October 4th, the day after my grueling 8 hours of immunotherapy and two chemotherapies on the 3rd. I woke up swollen, red faced, and fevering, as well as feeling pretty crummy. I didn't have time to dwell on it since I

my longest hardest day yet

Get ready boys and girls... today is a doozy. And a long post too! But before we begin on one of the toughest days I've ever done, let's recap. Mon: Irritating Onc day where I was not told about suspicious fluid around lung/heart in time to get a biopsy & I got contradicting info from his NP the week before. Tues: Spending the morning getting Immunotherapy and 2 Chemotherapies before going straight to the airport to fly to Houston and enduring long rental car lines and afternoon heavy traffic. A few more checks off this weeks list... a few more to go: Now back to my Wednesday... the Humpday I would like to forget! So, after 8 hours of cancer treatment, flying, and travel in congested Houston the day before, I didn't have much rest because we had to start Wednesday early. My husband and I decided to walk to the medical center since our hotel was close. However, it was not necessarily the easiest or closest walk - tons of traffic, intersections, and some strange indivi

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