All the cells in the tissue that was removed from the last surgery were healthy, so that's good.
I had all my preliminary appointments to get me ready for radiation in the last couple of weeks.
I got my little tattoos, two tiny black freckles, one right in the middle of my sternum and one over on the far side of my breast. The actual radiation treatments started yesterday.
The whole process is pretty simple. I change into a robe and wait in the special waiting room for the radiology dept. Then I go into a room with all kinds of machines and radiation warning signs and lie down on a table. I pull one arm out of the gown and raise it above my head. A red laser light shines down on me and the nice people move me around a little bit until I'm lined up just right. Then a big machine points at my boob from one side, makes some noise for a few seconds, moves to the other side. makes some more noise, and then I'm done. I don't feel anything happening but I guess it is because the nice people make sure they leave the room before the machine does its thing.
All pretty simple though I do have to go every weekday for 6 weeks. So no travel for me over Spring Break. Side effects I should expect are just skin reddening like a sunburn and fatigue. I've been given some special cream and told to apply it 4 times a day to help with the burning.
("Rub lotion on my breast 4 times a day doctor? If you insist.")
I'm also supposed to keep up with regular exercise to combat the fatigue but I shouldn't try to lose any weight. (hallelujah!) And I'm not supposed to wear a bra or go swimming/hot tubbing.
A funny story about that. I met another radiation patient this morning as I was coming into the center. We were sharing what kind of cancer we had and she asked me if I'd had to have a double mastectomy. I told her no, that I was really lucky and just had a lumpectomy but I wondered why she would ask that. Later when I caught a glimpse of how flat chested I look in my t-shirt with no bra, I realized she had asked that because I look like I've had a double mastectomy. Awesome.
Anyway, after 2 treatments, I'm a little sore and a little itchy but nothing major. Energy level is fine. (Hey I'm finally blogging, right?)
The best thing about finally starting radiation is that we can begin planning our done-with-cancer-treatment trip to Hawaii! So if you need me in the first half of May - that's where you'll find me.
