Treatment Aftermath

I'm just not the kind of person who should try to have a blog. There's always something different I want to be doing instead of updating my blog.

While a lot of time has passed since the last posting, I can sum it up pretty succinctly: I made it through 28 radiation sessions and 4 more chemo sessions with relatively few and minor side effects.

There. That's been my life from July 2 through August 9.

Brena arrived on July 15 with the single purpose of feeding me. I didn't have much appetite and even less energy to cook for myself, so her mission was to tempt me with wonderful tasty, healthy foods. And then clean up the kitchen after. Oh, and tend the garden and general housekeeping. Plus grocery shopping. She's flying back home this afternoon, and it's going to be strange and weird and lonely when she leaves. We've had a wonderful time together, and it's been a great gift to me. I know I wouldn't have made it through these times so well without her. 

Radiation was at 1:00 every day Monday - Friday. In the beginning they gave me 3 almost invisible tattoo dots on my breastbone and one in each armpit. I had to remove my clothing from my top half and put on a hospital gown, then lie on the table on my back with my hands holding on to 2 conveniently-placed handles above my head. The LINAC machine came complete with a perfectly straight laser light and the nurses would move me around as necessary to make the light line up with the 3 tattoos. Once I was in position they left the room and the radiation procedure began. I couldn't feel a thing, and soon became so comfortable with the process that sometimes I'd doze off for the 15 minutes. I always pictured the Goddess of the Universe sort of waving her hands over me, filling me with healing waves of energy. [Okay, I know there might be some of you out there who think that's strange, but I'll get through this my own way.]

As will come as no surprise to most of you, I immediately set about making my own hospital gown, modified to provide better "coverage" yet still allow the nurses to line up the dots. I made it out of some fabulously bright and happy fabric that Sherri donated to the cause. The nurses and even the doc said I could make a fortune by making and selling such gowns. Yeah, I've heard that a million times and no one seems to understand that I would never want to turn my hobby into a business, plus I'm much too old to spend all day every day hunched over a sewing machine. I am thinking about selling the pattern, however.

Back to radiation treatment. There was a very long list of side effects in the literature they gave me before treatment started, so I was prepared for things to be bad. Plus I'd been warned that adding in 4 more chemo treatments while doing radiation would be very hard on my body.

Well, I sailed through the whole thing with only the most minor side effects, other than fatigue. Oh. My. God. I've never slept so much over such an extended period. I'd usually sleep about 10 hours a night plus a 2-hour nap in the afternoons, and maybe slip in a morning nap on the weekends. But while I was awake I felt pretty well. A few times I ran into people I hadn't seen in a while who didn't know about my diagnosis and treatment, and they'd always say how great I looked. (Lose 20 pounds and everyone thinks you look good!) They were always shocked when they learned what was going on. In other words, I'd feel just fine until I hit the wall, and then I had about 4 minutes to make it to bed or I'd be asleep on my feet.

And then suddenly it was all over. My final chemo was on Monday, August 5, and the final radiation was on Friday, August 9. I still sleep as much, but each day I feel a little stronger, with a little bit more energy between naps.

Now we wait. I'll periodically have CT scans to check to see if the cancer returns. I'm optimistic and confident that it won't. The entire experience has gone better than I was warned it would. Actually, I feel like I've been encased in a bubble of miracles, from fantastic doctors and nurses to not losing my hair to not even missing much work to having a wonderfully supportive boss to the unending love and support from my friends and family.

So I'm signing off for now -- hopefully for good.

Sending my love to all of you who have held me in your thoughts and prayers and good wishes and love --

Marcee