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Cancer-schmancer
Cancer-schmancer Member Posts: 19
edited June 2014 in Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After

Hello everyone. I am a newbie who has been lurking for a month. I had a lumpectomy for a stage 1 tumor in February. I have been to the planning session for rads and will have my simulation on Monday.



My colleagues at work came up with a funny idea and I am seriously considering it. In order to lighten things up, I am going to wear a different disguise every day when I go in for rads. I'm talking about Groucho Marx glasses, animal noses and funny headbands with bobbly things on them.



My question is whether or not I will be allowed to wear anything on my head during treatments.



Thanks!

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  • lostinmo
    lostinmo Member Posts: 922
    edited March 2013

    That sounds like fun, I know I wasn't allowed to wear anything on my head. No head scarf, not even my glasses. Which caused me to laugh at them when they asked if I could see something on the screen. Well no you made me take my glasses off. But you could wear them in and out of the place.

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  • Cancer-schmancer
    Cancer-schmancer Member Posts: 19
    edited March 2013

    It sounds like I won't be able to do this since I can't put things on my head. We came up with another idea today. I am going to draw pictures or write messages on my torso, but not in the radiation area of course. Now I have to come up with some clever ideas for that.

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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited March 2013

    I would do these:

    http://www.danoah.com/2013/01/best-short-jokes-ever.html

    http://alistofthebest.com/knock-knock_jokes/80

    http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1536&bih=770&q=funny+stick+people+drawings&oq=funny+stick+people+drawings&gs_l=img.3..0i24.1521.6816.0.7483.27.14.0.13.13.0.113.1071.12j2.14.0...0.0...1ac.1.6.img.Jfov3nwfMds

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  • new_direction
    new_direction Member Posts: 449
    edited March 2013

    Laughingthis made me smile. I wish I had had that kind of excess energy.
    dont worry about not being able to draw in the breast/chest area. They will do it for you!

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  • lostinmo
    lostinmo Member Posts: 922
    edited March 2013

    yes you will look like a roadmap Laughing

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  • Cancer-schmancer
    Cancer-schmancer Member Posts: 19
    edited March 2013

    Thanks for the great ideas Special K!

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  • dltnhm
    dltnhm Member Posts: 873
    edited March 2013

    Hi there Cancer-schmancer,

    I completed my rads in September. For the last 10 days of treatments, I had "something" under my robe for each appointment.

    It started when I had 10 treatments left ... I grabbed an orange post-it note and drew a large "10" on it and stuck it to my chest.

    My techs (Elise and Nicole) always walked in with me, got a warm blanket, and one would always be on one side of the 'table' facing me and the other next to me. And we also had a student, Rachel with us most days. So Nicole was facing me and Elise was slightly behind me to my right when I took off my robe and Nicole started laughing hysterically. I looked at Elise and could tell she was horrified wondering what was Nicole thinking laughing at my breasts ... then she saw the post-it and lost it too! They said they had never had anyone do anything like this before. Nicole took the post-it note and put it on the wall.

    So I counted down the treatments with little number figures in different ways ... I had four different 9's (one was a set of hands with nine fingers sticking up) ... my 8's included an 8 ball picture ... my 7's included a '7-Up logo' ... my sixes had a dice with the 6 side up ... on 5 day, besides my cartoon 5's, I brought them each a pack of 5 gum (cobalt flavor) ... 4's were little cartoon guys - two on my ears like earrings and the other under the robe ... on 3 day besides the 3's, I brought them a photograph of "My Three Sons" (an actual photograph of my sons - written on the back "Your vocation impacts them more than you will ever know!" ... 2 I had a pic of the 2 domino and a 2 of hearts card and a cartoon 2, and then there was 1

    1 day was also my last day ... if that makes sense .... so I took a bunch of those round hole enforcers in with me along with my cartoon '0' but I had these tucked away so that they would be handy for me as soon as the rad machine went off ...

    So I revealed my dancing cartoon 1's under my robe as always and right after the machine clicked off I put the hole enforcers all over my stomach and my big "ZERO" picture!

    That day I also brought doughnuts and Lifesavers for our little corner of the world ... but also packaged individual sets of Lifesavers up for my rads team, my rads nurse, and my special check-in gal!

    We had a lot of fun with it! Nicole put all of the numbers, logos, the photo, etc. on the wall each day so there was quite a collection by my last day - which she actually had to miss because she was getting married that Saturday (Imagine that!) We took photos of the wall and photos with each other and they presented me with a graduation certificate Smile.

    Have a great time with whatever you do to celebrate your treatments!

    Diana

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  • Cancer-schmancer
    Cancer-schmancer Member Posts: 19
    edited March 2013

    I love these ideas! Thank you. We have been having fun so far. On the first day, I used sparkly stickers that said "f cancer." ( just the letter, not the word). Yesterday it said "it's spring" and I had puffy sparkly flower stickers all over me. Today it said "March madness" with a basketball sticker. My husband drew brackets on my stomach. One side had cancer beating things like a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy. On the other side, I was beating surgery, chemo and radiation. In the final "game," I beat cancer. If anyone out there has any ideas, send them my way. Thanks and God bless all of us.

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  • dltnhm
    dltnhm Member Posts: 873
    edited March 2013

    Love what you have done thus far!! The brackets are hilarious and positive reinforcement.



    Bet your techs look forward to your rads sessions. And I could tell before you started that it would be a great thing for you!!



    Hugs!

    Diana

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  • Megroy23
    Megroy23 Member Posts: 32
    edited March 2013

    I start six weeks of rads tomorrow, not nervous but enjoying these posts big time! Cancer schmancer...did u use sharpies? What? My chemo haze has finally lifted and my husband and ten year old son would love to help w silly stuff!

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  • Cancer-schmancer
    Cancer-schmancer Member Posts: 19
    edited March 2013

    Thanks Diana! Meg, I just responded to your private message. Don't use Sharpies. I used those on my brackets last Thursday and I still haven't gotten them all washed off. Haha! I live in Indiana and we just had a huge snowstorm tonight. All the schools are closed. My picture tomorrow will be of a snowman with spring flowers all around him. Good luck Meg, and let me know what you end up doing. I'm going to have a hard time coming up with 30 more ideas.

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  • QueenKong
    QueenKong Member Posts: 154
    edited March 2013

    You all are crazy! Thank you for the laugh. I'm not going to draw all over myself as between what they are drawing and the stickers and the extra tattoos; my body is inked up enough. I'm happy journaling every day. I'm wearing cute undies and socks everyday. Those seem to cheer me up. 

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  • Cancer-schmancer
    Cancer-schmancer Member Posts: 19
    edited March 2013

    Hi Queen. Whatever makes you happy is best. You are right about all the markings. I barely have enough shirts to cover the high stickers.

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  • Cancer-schmancer
    Cancer-schmancer Member Posts: 19
    edited April 2013

    Hello everyone,

    It has been awhile since I posted here, so I thought I'd update with some of the sayings I have used:

    Kickin' Cancer's A**

    Does this radiation make my butt look big?

    Cancer, you're fired.

    Toasting the Ta Ta

    Oh oh, we're halfway there

    I have a great sense of tumor.

    Eat. Pray. Radiate.

    Super Girl.

    50 shades of pink.

    I'm ready for SPF 1000

    Saving Second Base

    Radiation - all the cool kids are doing it.

    Today I go in for treatment 17/33. My skin is not burning, but I have a pretty pesky rash that itches like crazy, especially at night. I'm not getting much sleep because of it.

    Hang in there everyone. We can do this!

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  • RMlulu
    RMlulu Member Posts: 1,989
    edited April 2013

    LOL I luv ya Cancer-schmancer!



    You are too much fun! Never take yourself too seriously...ha. Luv the attitude:)))

    I'm 21/33 today...there only 2 older men in rad center with me. I joke about the teething ring they hold when they get their ...zaps... We race to see who gets in first/out first. One graduated yesterday we were hootin and hi-fiven ...he was so proud if his degree! Wonder why we all are getting our manhood/womanhood zapped...humbling...

    I'm gonna use one of you sayings today:)). Keep them laughing!

    (((Hugs)))

    Cindy

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  • proudtospin
    proudtospin Member Posts: 5,972
    edited April 2013

    Cancer smasher, you have a great attitude

    suggestion on the itchies, I got that too but they gave me some samples of cream that worked well....green and white packets !  you have what is called radiation dermatitise or some such thing

    you are all most done!

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  • Fritoz
    Fritoz Member Posts: 19
    edited April 2013

    These are some awesome ideas!! Diane I loved your countdown idea so much that I decided to do something similar! I wrote a little post it not and put it on my chest so when I took off my robe the crew would see it, like you mentioned. I started at the 10 day countdown and each day had a phrase with the # in it. Here is what I've got so far:

    10- Love me 10-der

    9- It's a good thing I ate my argi-9 (a nonessential amino acid that plays an important part in wound healing)

    8- Breast Cancer 8-n't getting me down

    7- Make 7-up yours

    6- Radiation is makin me 6 (it was that day too!)

    5- Gimme a "kickin breast cancer in the butt 5" (and I held my hand up for a high five)

    4- Jump 4 Joy (and I plan to jump when they read it) This one is for tomorrow



    I have to work on my phrase for three left for Monday. Any ideas?

    Thank you again Diane for the inspiration. :D Everyone in this thread is so creative! I love it!

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  • tweetybird
    tweetybird Member Posts: 815
    edited April 2013

    I love it. I wish I thought of this when I was going thru rads.

    The place that I wen thru decorated and dressed up for each holiday. Halloween and Christmas were great. They gave out Halloween candy to each person as they left. My Rad Oncologist Doctor dressed up for Christmas with a red turtle neck, black slacks, and a elf hat, and looked just like the elf dentist on Rudolf!!!

    My husband's cousin went thru rads for colon cancer. Each day his wife "left a different note" for the tech's on the area that they would be nucking. I'm sure he gave them more of a laugh than his wife!!!!

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  • Fritoz
    Fritoz Member Posts: 19
    edited April 2013

    Last three:

    No F3AR

    2 good 2 be true

    Its a 1derful life!

    Wednesday is my last day! Hurray!

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  • RMlulu
    RMlulu Member Posts: 1,989
    edited April 2013

    Fritoz - luv luv your sense of tumor! Too much fun! Congrats because tomorrow is a 1-fearful day :))) you will be done yippee!!! Your fried c out of here toast.

    Today is 24/33 think I may use your countdown ...

    I'm so happy for you! Yippee zap zap you rocked rads (((hugs)))

    Cindy

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  • GreenCowgirl
    GreenCowgirl Member Posts: 237
    edited April 2013

    Hi ladies i love all of your cute quirky ideas!  I had rads in 2010 and made myself some t-shirts with these kind of kick cansers ass quotes.  A fav was one with a bucking horse and Buck Cancer underneath(but they all know what i really meant-inset F!  I had a pink superman logo and the printing Radiation girl.  These were just for me, but others got a kick out

    of it.  I had the iron on logos made by people on ebay or etsy, then put them on my own super soft white tshirts.  Wish i knew more about rads now, the Docs are not that forthcoming about long term effects.  For example, i year post rads i was still having tingling/swelling in my armpit and they acted all mystified by it.   call BS, now that i know it is very common.  Get through this anyway you can.  I used a real aloe vera plant and applied it right after rad treatment and again after showering and my skin had a very good outcome, best they had ever seen_but of course noone would credit my aloe vera usage.  gaaawwwww.

    Nancy

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