2 down … 28 to go!

I had my first two radiation treatments this week, and thankfully get the weekend off before I get fully into the swing.  I will have a total of 30 treatments, where I go 5 days a week (Monday – Friday) for 6 weeks.  The timing is interesting, as my final radiation treatment will actually fall on my birthday.

My radiology oncologist informed me that of the three simulations that were done, he had treatment plans prepared for all three of them.  My heart sits back a bit from my ribcage, so that is a good thing.  Amazingly, all three positions provided about the same protection (negligible differences) for my heart and lung.  So then the focus went to how much of the breast can be treated in each of the different positions.  In the end, the supine position (on my back) is the best position for treatment … with normal breathing throughout the treatment.

The treatment itself is very short in duration.  I believe I’m radiated for 2-4 minutes tops.  The longest part of the process is getting into the proper position, ensuring I’m aligned with the laser beams properly.  (This is where those tattoo’s they gave me come in.)  The machine moves around me, even moving under the table, to get to the other side of me for proper angles.  I feel kind-of like I’m on an alien planet or something.  I have to turn my head to face toward the right, to ensure my chin is not in the path of the radiation beams.  Since my head is facing right, I watched the radiation machine as it was making the noise like when you get an x-ray at the doctor’s office.  There are ‘fingers’ (for lack of a better word) that constantly move while the radiation dose is being given.  When I asked, I was told it was part of the programming for my treatment … and part of that ‘blocking’ that occurs is the heart block to protect my heart from the radiation.  There is a small sliver of my lung and heart that will receive a small dose of radiation, but I was assured that it is very little – and is well within the accepted margins.  So … both times, so far, as the technicians leave the room – before the machine starts the treatment, I say a prayer “I’m in your hands Lord, please keep me safe”.  I fully trust that God is keeping me safe.

Following treatment, before I go back to my office at work, I apply vitamin E oil (a tip from a fellow breast cancer survivor — thanks MaryJo!) and then Miaderm radiation relief lotion (thanks for telling me about this Jo!).  Thanks to another friend, I have enough of this to make it through my 6 weeks of treatment … and she even threw in one tube with Lidocaine in it that I’m saving for the last week, when I think I’ll need it most.  (Thanks so much, Pauline!)

I’ve been told that I’ll start noticing a difference in the skin after the first couple of weeks, and then at about week 3, the fatigue will start coming on.  This fatigue will remain throughout the duration of the treatment extending for 2-3 weeks beyond when it’s finished.  After then, I’ll start to regain my strength again.

That’s all I have to report for now.