Ready, Set, Radiation

All the planning and simulation is done. My radiation therapy starts today. I will have sixteen treatments using a new technique to protect my heart and lungs. I will say more about that in a minute.

Needless to say, I am a bit nervous, but God has made sure I know He is with me. There is a cross cut into one of the cabinets, I’m sure it is for the lasers, but it is a cross. Also, to get me positioned correctly, they mark me using Sharpies with an “X” to match me to the lasers. An “X” is the Greek initial for Christ, so I am literally being marked with His name. Finally, one of the therapist’s names is Faith, so I will have Faith during my treatments. Never, doubt that God likes to make us smile, but more importantly, when I look I see His presence everywhere around me. I am loved, I am protected, and I am not abandoned. Some may say I simply have a vivid imagination, but I much prefer to have my thoughts on my Father, than be dwelling in a place where I am on my own in that room.

My prayer request is that I am not too troubled by side effects. The most immediate worry is that the last two planning sessions were very long. After having to hold still on the table for about 45 minutes, one of my arms would go numb and then begin to cramp. The last twenty minutes or so were very painful as a result, and I was completely wiped out after it was over. They assure me the actual treatment time is much shorter, getting all the x-rays is time consuming. So, I should not be on the table long enough to have issues again. I pray this is so. The new technique will make the session slightly longer, but hopefully not too much so.

So, if you are not interested in what my new treatment is, you can stop reading now.

Apparently if I take a deep breath and hold it, my heart and lungs move slightly away from the chest wall into a safer spot. Who knew? So, I have a cube that sits on my abdomen and works with a camera to monitor my breathing. I get to wear what I call “space glasses” that are simply some glasses that let me view a computer monitor. The monitor shows a moving line that is my breathing pattern and a target zone for how deep a breath to take. When I take a deep breath, the machine will come on only as long as I hold my breath in that zone. It is all pretty clever to me, and it is saving me three extra weeks of treatments. I am one of the very early users of this technology at the Cancer Center. Again, God has some pretty nifty timing going on.

Thank you again for all your love, support and prayers. I know I keep saying this, but it impossible to express what they mean to me!

Choose Joy!

A Bump in the Road

I've heard the saying “wearing your heart on your sleeve”, but apparently I wear my heart to close too my chest wall. This means it will be harder to protect from the radiation. Normally, this would mean dropping back to the full six week treatment plan, but apparently there is something new they think will work for me and keep me at the three week, sixteen session level. The bottom line means a setback in starting my treatment to get me set up with the new procedure. So, radiation will not next week as I expected. I’ll let everyone know more once I do.

God has a plan for all this, so I am trusting Him as this unfolds for the best possible treatment for me. He continues to meet my needs during this time, from the simple things, such as finding the right lotion for me locally, and the big things, calming my nerves, and providing new treatments.

Again your support has been so very special.

Choose Joy!

Radiation Plan

Zoom! That’s how last week felt. We’ve had a lot going on. I started the week with a Bone Density test on Monday and my Radiation Oncologist appointment on Tuesday. Wednesday sent us on an afternoon road trip with my parents to funeral visitation for my aunt. She went home the first of the week. Friday, Ken had to have a steroid injection in his eye (ouch!) and we spent the weekend recovering from that. Yesterday we regrouped and prepared for this week. This morning Ken left before 7 am to pick our son up from college, and this afternoon I have the first of three appointments to prepare me for radiation treatments. Whew! I am tired just writing all of this.

As a result, I’m just now getting to update the blog. As I said, I am starting the radiation phase of my fight. I will have three appointments to get everything ready and tested before I begin the actual treatments. These will take about two weeks to complete. I will also see my surgeon one more time during this time to get the final approval that I am healed enough to begin radiation. The good news is I can receive 16 treatments instead of the usual 33. This will cut the time to complete this in half.

I have to confess that I have gotten a little anxious now that it is here. I guess I’ve just ignored it until now. I know this will be fine, but the unknown always gives me pause. I keep reminding myself the God knows and has this under control. The two biggest issues with radiation are fatigue and skin irritation. So my prayer requests relate to those. Pray that God will give me supernatural strength to get through this and that the skin irritation will be manageable and I won’t be too whiny. I suspect as I get tired, I will have to be even more diligent in choosing joy each day. I have been known to throw some amazing pity parties. I want to avoid those this time.

Again thank you for your support. God has given me many people to support me and lift me up. You are a reminder that I am loved and valued. We all are!

Choose Joy!