Hello, Stranger!

[ducks as everyone reading this throws rotten tomatoes]

Okay, that's over.

Yes, yes, I know it's been quite sometime since I've posted. Quite frankly, not much has happened cancer-wise. Today was my 15th radiation treatment, and I have 18 more to go. I've been very busy at work (in a good way), and by the time I get home I haven't felt much like blogging.

I do like the routine of radiation. I get up in the morning, get ready, then head off to the hospital around 8:15. I take the same route (there's really only one way to get there), drive up to the 3rd floor of the parking garage (because there are more empty spaces up there) and park my car. I walk down the stairs, across the drive, and into the big revolving door. Head to Elevator B, Floor B, check in, then head for the changing room. I have to put on a hospital gown on top, but I get to keep everything else on. I grab my book (which I usually don't have time to read) and put everything else in the locker.

Then, if they're running early, the radiation techs are waiting for me and I head straight into Room 3. Otherwise, I'll sit in the waiting room for 5-10 minutes. Recently, I've been talking to another patient, but for awhile I was by myself in the morning. When I get into Room 3, I lie on the radiation table and then the leveling begins. It usually takes between 3-5 minutes for them to line up my body on the table using the tattoos and lasers. Once I'm where I belong, they leave the room and the zapping begins. That part lasts about another 5 minutes. Every other day I have a wet towel that they put on my skin that increases the dose to the area.

Then I leave, put my clothes back on, head up to the 1st floor and get a coffee. I put my parking ticket in a machine, along with a voucher I get for radiation, and then I'm on my merry way. I keep track of the parking tickets and write the day on them so I know how many treatments I've finished. They're all lined up on my desk at work:

So far, my skin is in pretty good shape. It's a little pink. It was worse last week, but I found that one of the creams I was using (recommended by the radiation clinic) was irritating my skin. It was pretty thick and goopy, so I think it wasn't letting my skin breath. I switched to something lighter, and my skin was visibly lighter about an hour after I put it on!

Today they marked my skin for the "scar boosts" that they'll be doing at the tail end of the treatment. It involves 5 doses to the area around the incision. In order to plan for it, I got sharpie markings all over my chest. It looks like a kindergartner went a little crazy on my foob (faux boob).

Anyway, I'll be getting to sleep. It's a big day tomorrow!