APRIL Rads Anyone?

bette.. i asked them what it was for and they said the same thing.. about bringing the radiation closer to the skin. Hoping that doesn't mean more sunburn for my poor tender skin. How nice that your DH cooks for you and takes you to rads. It must really feel nice to be cared for and spoiled.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... I am dragging today.  #8 down, 17 to go.  Woke up in the middle of the night and my right arm and hand were a tad bit swollen, the same side where the lymph nodes are radiated. Saw rad onc. this morning... sure wish I could call him "Dr. Love"... and he says it's barely swollen and that it's too early for rads to be giving me a swollen hand/arm.

I get the bolus too. The way they explained it to me is that it tricks the machine into thinking that the bolus is your skin so the radiation beams hit your skin higher up, instead of deeper.  Does that make sense?

I need a nap, and a burger.

Sue

Ativan is my friend ... I try not to take it every night though.  When I do take it I only wake up a couple of times and only have a couple of hot flashes. If I don't take it, like last nite, I'm up every hour with the sweats!  I asked my onc. about getting dependent on it, and he said right now if that's what I need to get some sleep at night that it's ok.  I sure hope that some day I can sleep without any help!

I can identify with the Activan...when I hurt my back I was on Vicoden. I was in so much pain I had to take it. But as the pain got a little better I cut back on the drug. Then I noticed I was getting sick to my stomach. I didn't put things together for a couple days, but I finally noticed when I took my normal dose I was fine, but when I didn't I felt sick. It scared me. I did not want to get addicted and have to deal with that after the back got better enough that I could take a drug that wasn't as strong or that wasn't addictive. I took myself off them cold turkey, phoned the doc, and told them to give me something else. I was in more pain for a while, but was able to offset it with some Lidoderm patches enough. It's a fine line, you have to take the drugs to get some benefit/relief, but you don't want to trade one problem for another. We each have to make the decision that is best for us at the time.

shan- the only thing I would be worried about with using anything the doc says not to take is if it will effect the rads in any way. You certainly don't want to chance the rads not zapping what it needs to...the reason you are getting the rads to begin with. Please be careful about that. 

I haven't gotten the bolus, so that is news to me.

I did ask one of the techs today (and lainey the cute guy is only a tech lol), what would happen when they do the boosts. I know it is still 2 1/2 weeks off yet, but after reading some of the posts, started thinking about the next step. Will I get drawn on again and have to worry about the clothes? How do they concentrate the rads to just a smaller section? So the tech said it depends that she'd have to refer to my chart and see what they have planned. She said sometimes they use a "cone" and draw on you and tape over it to keep the marks on, and sometimes they just adjust the field on the machine they have been using. So I still don't know, but with almost being halfway done (yeah!) at least talking about the end of rads is promising

Have to swap out laundry and start dinner, eating a little late tonight the hub got carried away talking at work lol, but he fed me (and the kids) at a restaurant last night, so can't complain. And the kids are with their dad tonight so it is pretty quiet around here right now. Fell asleep in the chair in my sunroom ready when I got home from rads today though for about 45 min. Still tired.

Hope everyone has a good night!

You ladies take Dr Love; I'll take Tom!!!

Just a big HI to all.  Many hugs.

20/13

Nah, forget the brothers, nothing like the real thing.  Unless of course we clone him.  Hmmmmmmmmm

Okay, okay - I'm going to bed.

Hi everyone,

Today was my first treatment and it took about an hour for the techs to get me in just the right position, draw all over my chest and take lots of films with that overhead machine that also does the zapping.  The worst part today was laying there so long with my arms up above my head -- they felt like they would never move again -- LOL!  There were 2 female techs working with me and they were very pleasant and professional.  The radiation clinic has men's and women's dressing rooms and a nice little sitting area in each.  Once I got on the table and they started moving that machine around to take the pictures, I just closed my eyes, listened to the music and tried to forget how much I wanted to move my arms.  The actual treatment just took a few minutes and was weird, but totally painless.  I thought about all of you today while I was on that table and I was/am so thankful you are here.

Bette -- you have a very sweet and romantic husband! 

Take care.

Bonnie 

Hi there,

 I finished yesterday and cried most of the way home.  I had two weeks out of the six I did when I felt "weepy" for no discernible reason, although I think having any kind of cancer is a good-enough reason to feel "weepy".  All the rest of the time I put one foot in front of the other and went forward, just as I had the first time I battled this disease.  Granted, a local "chest wall" recurrence is a reason to be upset, as I was, but it wasn't a reason to feel like crying.  I'd not done that before.  I think the length of treatment, dealing with the "burn", and the before or after of additional chemo caused enough stress for me to feel "weepy".  I'm sure you have your own reasons.  I don't think you should concern yourself.  Admit the feelings, cry if you want to, and go on.  The end comes and it's followed by the rest of your life.

Bette-Can you send Tom down to New Jersey!?!?  Lucky woman you!

I can't believe I'm already down 2 weeks at tomorrow, the days go by so fast.

Shan-You have a way with words... your "varment"?? LOL!

My tan is coming along nicely...feeling  a little sunburny today.

Elaine-You go girl, I so wish I could do the same!  But guess what...I think my hairs are starting to fill in between the bald spots, or maybe I am seeing things!?!.  I'll take a pic next week and compare to the last one I took.

Well I finally slept for a straight 5 hours last nite... with no hot flashes to wake me up!  Thanks ativan? or thanks to the freezing cold hair coming thru my open window that woke me up at 4:15am!

Good day all!

hey all, I started radiation on the 22nd and have to say that I hate it. My skin is fine and and people there are great but I hate it. I have to drive an hour and a half to the nearest radiation center. They are in between regular doctors right now so their schedule varies by day. I had radiation Wed. thru Sun. had two days off and then they called on Tues night and informed me that they didnt have a doctor for the next week so would I mind going to the other center which of course is an hour and a half the other direction. I said sure no problem, same distance but if I have to drive the other way could I get a morning appointment instead and they said NO the other center was treating their own patients in the morning and I couldnt be seen til 5 pm. I had one yesterday, one today and suppose to have one tomorrow and Sat. but who knows.

I saw some people posted about their tatoo, I have four. North, south, east and west of my left chest area. I get zapped four times each session, two without the bolus and two with. I was expecting my appointments to last at most ten minutes, I spend at least 25 minutes each day with my arm over my head and being poked and prodded. 

They promised that the new doctor is suppose to be here next monday but I am not holding my breath. Sorry about bitching I am just very frustrated with the whole system.  

Tx # 2 is in about an hour and my arms, shoulders and neck are still sore from yesterday!  I have a fusion in my neck at C4-6 with titanium hardware, and a sore neck kept me awake half the night last night.  Guess it's time to "suck it up" and get through this with as little complaining as possible.  Any suggestions for a bra replacement when one has very uneven boobs?  Mine aren't going to match until I have a small implant placed in the "real" one after rads.  I can line them up with a bra, but now I'm thinking of wearing a cotton cami under layers of clothes to disguise my chest when I go to work.  Any other ideas?

Hope everyone is having a good day and looking forward to a great weekend with no treatments.

Bonnie

I'm going to chime in with 17 down 16 to go. I've gotten to the 1/2 way point.

I hope the next 50% goes by as quickly.

Debbie

Bette- It sounds like your Tom is very special man...lifting the spirits is something that is so important when life seems to drag us down. Hope the weekend helps with the break for your arms...

I haven't gotten anything in the way of flowers for no reason in quite a long time....it's too bad things change as time goes on, I think daily life just gets in the way...

sdavis- so sorry to hear you have to travle so far. I can't imagine having to drive for over an hour every single day. Everything we are dealing with on a daily basis is certaily enough to have to deal with. Hope they get a regular doc in place.

I guess I have been very lucky, after the initial three days when they did all the mapping, once the actual treatments started, my appts go pretty quick. They get backed up a little sometimes, but I've never waited more than 20 minutes and my appt is over quickly. I get Xrays once a week, and I see my doc once a week. The rays are pretty quick, doesn't seem like I am there more than 5-10 minutes. Sometimes I have to wait a little when I see my doc, but she doesn't usually keep me waiting long either. Tomorrow must be my doc day as I haven't seen her at all this week yet. So tomorrow may be a little longer, doc and rays.

Saw the cute guy today : )  He called me back to get changed, and called me Beth on the PA system. All the other people call me Elizabeth. So went I went back I kidded with him and told him he needs to work on the rest of the crew as they all call me Elizabeth. He laughed and said he's only met me once and he got it. He's there again tomorrow, so I am sure I'll hear Beth, but will be interesting to see what happens when he goes back to his usual facility (covering for vacations I guess).

Lainey- it cool for guys to have shaved heads...I say you put on a bball jersey and no one will even notice : )  Though of course it is probably NOT appropriate attire for work...dang!

Energy seems to be getting a little tougher every day. By the time I finish work and do rads, hit the grocery store for soemthing for dinner and get that cooked, I look at the other stuff needing to be done and get discouraged as I really am feeling like just vegging at that point. but of course we all need clean underwear (hubby bought tshirts the other night lol)...so I keep going....will be glad when I feel better, has been so long since I have felt that way. Don't ya just wish we could get one of the CLICK remotes and fast forward just a bit? lol

One more day and I am 50% done...yeah!   Have a good night ladies!