A Much Needed Get-a-Way
We are back from vacation.
I think in the past I might have said I “needed” a vacation. But this time, our family really did NEED a get-a-way from cancer treatments and restaurant openings.
We were gone 8 days in Eastern Washington and Idaho. Most of the time we were in an area we had never visited before and it was fun exploring new places!
It took us a few days to settle into vacation mode. But we did eventually and enjoyed time as a family and Tom and I even got a little time to talk as the kids played in the lake or watched movies in the car.
Thoughts on blogging, neuropathy and my hair
I’ve gone back and forth about how much I want to write on the blog now that I’m not constantly going to the Dr. At first I thought I’d just post occasionally as appointments come and go, but as the days go on, I realize more and more that I’m fighting just as much now as ever. The fight is just more emotional than physical. I wasn’t ready for that.
Before this journey, I just thought when treatment was over, you were super excited, very relieved and that you celebrated and moved on with your life until the cancer came back (if it ever did).
I was wrong.
Even though I have been following a few blogs of ladies on this journey a little ahead of me and had heard their stores of active treatment ending, I still wasn’t ready for it.
34 Radiation Treatments in Pictures
Not sure why I did it, but I took a picture each day of radiation. It’s kind of like a souvenir…something to help me remember my time there – the good and bad. It’s fun to look back at the photos as you can tell what was on my mind each day. 34 days in the same place, doing the same thing gets old really fast. This helped me look for new things each day as I tried to make the best of it!
Day 1
Ready or not, here we go!!
Day 2
Our two younger girls meeting the technicians and getting to see the machine
Day 3
Wearing my ChefWife shirt today 🙂
Day 4
Here we go again…
Day 5
All lined up and ready to go!
Day 6
Relaxing by the fountain as I had some extra time between a Dr. appointment and radiation
Day 7
The gown waiting room
Day 8
Part of my view during radiation
Day 9
Our oldest getting to see the machine and meet the technicians
Day 10
I brought some hats in for Carol, who is starting to lose her hair. This one is too warm for summer, so I kept it and took a picture
Day 11
New gowns that are a little longer. How nice for this 6′ 1″ radiation patient! 🙂
Day 12
These gowns look like a tent on me!
Day 13
Taking the girls with me today!
Day 14
Day 14 – Figured out I could tie the gown behind me so it doesn’t feel like I’m wearing a tent! Hooray!
Day 15
Dr. day! Time to weigh myself!
Day 16
My locker
Day 17
My home away from home
Day 18
The Radiation Oncology building
Day 19
Scanning my card to check in
Day 20
Getting close to the end of treatment!!
Day 21
My sweet technicians who entertain me and zap me every day – Cory and Arlene
Day 22
Forgot my parking pass today and had to park in the garage over at the hospital
Day 23
Kids are with me again. They are looking for the hermit crab in the tank who changes shells a lot!
Day 24
They called me early today and I’m done already!! (My appointments are at 10:30 each day.)
Day 25
Giving Carol her Chemo Care bag. I enjoyed getting to chat with her each day as we were waiting for treatment.
Day 26
No one told me I would get souvenirs! Woohoo! Last day of treatment to this field. Tomorrow I start on a new machine and don’t need the snorkel!
Day 27
The Spa Treatment room – new machine and new view each day
Day 28
One of the dressing rooms
Day 29
Very emotional today
Day 30
My parking pass that allows me to park in the Valet lot which is close to the radiation oncology building
Day 31
The machine used for the final 8 days of treatment where we are targeting my two scars
Day 32
Today I brought lunch for the staff. 🙂
Day 33
Day 33 – Trying something new with my hair. Can you tell?
Day 34
THE LAST DAY!! Mixed emotions about today.
Skin Care During Radiation
5 creams, 1 deodorant and 1 bandage
That pretty much sums up my skin care during radiation.
As I’ve said in previous posts, I’m very thankful that I came out of radiation with really very minor skin irritations. Yes, my skin was uncomfortable and looked/looks horrible. But by the end of treatment, the skin was all still intact and the burn didn’t stop me from doing anything. (Although I did not take the girls swimming in a pool during radiation and will stay away from chlorinated pools for a while.)
The End of Active Treatment
I’ve reached the end of active treatment…what a long 11 months it’s been.
I have been tried and tested in ways I never even imagined. God has been with me each step of the way and I’m so thankful to be on this side of treatment, feeling as good as I do.
Tomorrow, for the first time in 8 weeks, I won’t have to drive up to Valley Medical for radiation. Yay!!
My last day of radiation on Friday was bittersweet. I was so happy to be done AND with only minor skin irritations, but was sad to say goodbye to so many wonderful people I have met during my time there. (I’ll see them again in a month when I go back for my last checkup though.)
Fatigue and Relief
I’m happy to report that after all the creams I have tried, I have something that really helps my irritated skin. It’s called Mepilex and it’s a bandage that’s just sticky enough to stay on the skin, but doesn’t harm it.
I’m wearing 2 of them – one on my collar bone and one over the incision and skin under my foob (fake boob). The area under my foob is still being treated, but I’m hoping that it won’t get much worse from the last 3 treatments. It makes it so the seatbelt doesn’t hurt my collar bone as much when I’m driving and also so I can wear a bra most of the day. Lol – probably too much information for some of you…sorry! 🙂
Radiation Meltdown
This morning I briefly chatted with a women while waiting for radiation. She was there to support her 87 year old mother who was just starting radiation. This is her 3rd time brining someone into this office for radiation. Through the brief conversation she said her late daughter-in-law and late husband had both received treatment here.
Everyone who I meet in that room has a story to tell, and this one just brought a flood of emotions and thoughts this morning, mostly about my Mom. Tears were running down my face (well the side of my face since I was laying down) during radiation. I was trying not to sob as I thought that might be too much movement and I didn’t want them to have to come back in and realign me. The 16 seconds of my treatment today and the minute before and after where I have to lie perfectly still felt like an eternity. (Yes, this current treatment lasts only 16 seconds. I drive an hour a day for 16 seconds of treatment. Ugh!!)
I haven’t really thought about cancer that much this past 6 weeks, which is funny since my life revolves around radiation right now. This treatment hasn’t stopped me from doing anything, except maybe sleeping a few times. So it really has felt like a job. It’s only been the last few days it’s felt more like treatment and less like a job since my skin is really bothering me.
The Spa Treatment Room
Yesterday, I switched to a different treatment room, where they are just targeting the two scars from my mastectomy and reconstructive surgeries. I call it the room the Spa Treatment Room…little did I know for the past 6 weeks, that the room just next to me had a large screen TV with calming pictures on it and relaxing music playing in the background. WHAT????
This is a much different view than I’ve had for the past 6 weeks!
Of course, this morning I went in and Johnny Cash was playing and “Track 11” was flashing on the screen. So maybe it’s only the spa room some days. I guess I will wait and see. 🙂
Phrases Only a Cancer Patient Will Hear (or Say) . . .
Thanks to a very itchy radiation tan yesterday morning, I’ve been awake since about 4 am. I’ve been working on updating my blog a bit (new tag could in the sidebar, post with resources for cancer patients, etc.) I found this post draft that I wrote while going through chemo. I’m so glad to have my hair growing back, but these are pretty funny…
Phrases only a cancer patient will hear:
Mom, can I pull some of your hair out? It’s fun. read more…
Resources for Cancer Patients
As I’ve been sitting in the radiation waiting room each day, I’ve had the opportunity to chat with other women on a cancer journey. As we share stories and talk about our struggles, I’ve been reminded how much I’ve learned in the past 10 months.
Below is a list of resources I have found helpful this past year. I will add to the list as I find more. I also have a post full of great resources for family and friends of cancer patients if you are interested.
Misc. Resources:
Cleaning for a Reason – 4 free housecleaning appointments for Chemo patients (When you talk with the cleaning company to set up the appointments, make sure to get all the details about how many times they will come and for how long.)
Cancer Lifeline – classes, support groups and financial and emotional support services (Pacific Northwest)
Meet Jennifer
Breast Cancer Patient, Chef Wife and Mom
Resources:
What to Expect:
