Friday, June 28, 2019

Not Particularly Radiant!

Today, Friday 28 June, I'll be undergoing the third session of my course of radiation. I'm not yet sure exactly how long the full course will be, but the schedule I've been given covers the next four weeks. Perhaps there'll be more - don't know - nobody has told me. I do know that next week's sessions will be limited to 3, due to Independence Day on Thursday, and presumably the departmental staff having a long weekend added to that. In a way this is good for me too - it gets me started, limbered up hopefully, on two shorter weeks, which have to feel easier than the usual 5-day week of treatments.

What I'd been led to believe, during the run up to undertaking the radiation course, has been proved wrong. It was along the lines of, "Oh, radiation is easy, it'll take you longer to get undressed than the actual treatment will take - it's virtually in and out of the treatment room". Nope! In my case it isn't! My treatments take between 25 and 30 minutes - even longer than the PET scan I had recently, and are more uncomfortable. I have three sites needing treatment, left chest wall (behind the mastectomy site) and both hip areas. My treatments take much longer than those of the average patient with a single treatment site. I'm not happy about it, but I'm stuck with it. Lying on the very hard plank for an extended length of time is terribly uncomfortable for me, and if I happen to move just a teeny bit the operators are not pleased with me - I understand why, but.... Ah well, I guess I can take it for a few weeks, maybe it'll get easier when the pain begins to recede in my legs and hips. At present, after Dr E's procedures the other day, I'm in quite a bit of pain. Whinge whinge. There - I needed a good whinge!

You've gotta larf! No pillows available for me - best I got were two small facecloths under my tailbone.


I've started the Ibrance tablets course, and am drinking lots of fluids, including lots of extra plain water to stave off nausea.

Do I see application for a "weed" license on my horizon? Maybe. It would probably be $100 well spent. There's an outlet in our town, even! Oklahoma has surpassed itself - at least on the medical marijuana front if on nothing else.

6 comments:

Wisewebwoman said...

Ouch and ouch. Hang in there girlie. JFC this is brutal indeed.

I find CBD oil (no THC) immensely helpful. It might help you with the pain.

No more can I say apart from good healing thoughts winging your way and an end to this bloody misery.

Whinge away.

We all need to.

XO
WWW

Twilight said...

Wisewebwoman ~ Thank you for recommendation of CBD oil (no THC) - new territory for me, but will investigate. Can't put anything at all on skin before treatment, but after and between times....will ask about it. They are very picky about which soaps and lotions, deodorants etc can be used. Third session, yesterday, was slightly less stressful than 2nd, I managed not to "shimmy" - and now I have 2 days with no medical stuff at all...bliss! :)

Jude Cowell said...

Twilight! am saddened to discover your health challenge which proves I should visit to check out your excellent articles more often. Hopes and prayers for your glorious triumph dear! Jude

Twilight said...

Jude Cowell ~ Hello Jude! Thank you, your support and visit are much appreciated. Because you will understand, I can mention that my challenges, ongoing since early in 2018, are, I'm absolutely certain, linked to Pluto's transit and retrograde positions since then. The great "transformer" has been sitting very near my descendant angle, so opposing my ascendant, and at times conjunct my natal Mercury, it was joined by Saturn this year too, just as my lymphoytic colitis was diagnosed (in addition to the rest, but unconnected). If I can make it to the end of this year, the pair will have moved out of range. It really has been quite uncanny to see, and feel the connection! I almost wish I didn't know what I know about astrology!

Thank you, again. :)

Wisewebwoman said...

Ann, I ingest drops of CBD from a dropper into my second cup of coffee in the morning. No skin use. FYI

XO
WWW

Twilight said...

Wisewebwoman ~ Oh...I see! Thank you, WWW. I shall look into this. :)