Woah!

Oh my goodness! I didn't realize it had been quite so long since my last posting! Summer has been going well, if fast! I can't believe we're almost halfway through August already. I am about 5 1/2 weeks through radiation. So just another week and a couple days to go! Radiation is a little boring - certainly a letdown (in a good way!) from chemo. The biggest hassle is just getting to the hospital. Once I'm there, I scan myself in & go change to the robe. Rarely, I have time to sit down and read more than a page or two in the myriad (old) magazines they have there. It would be nice if they were more up-to-date, but hey, I didn't read Martha Stewart's Thanksgiving issue. Or Real Simple's Valentines issue. So it's all new to me! At any rate, they come & get you, then take you into the room, where you take the robe off and lie down, and, for me, with my head to right & left arm up over my head. Then the techs do a bunch of tugging & pushing at you & the sheet to get your tattoos lined up with the lasers. After a couple of minutes, they step out of the room, and you get zapped. Then they come back in, and move the head of the machine around, leave, & zap you from a different angle. Repeat, two more times. After about 10 minutes, you're done. Then you go home and crater. I get so tired in the afternoon! I suspect part of it is the natural desire for a siesta. Oh, the spanish have it right.

So all that description above applied up until Monday. Now, once I'm in the room, all I'm doing is the boost, where they have a metal plate with a cut-out that is shaped like the scar area. They zap you straight on with this for about 10 seconds or so. And that's it! And I'm up & out! Apparently for this part of it, they have to keep outlining me with this paint-pen every day so they can line the plate up. I guess the tattoos are no good for that. So if you see me & you see a big blue line above my neckline, just smile & nod! It'll be gone after next week, when I'm through!

I'm guessing my last day of radiation will be next Friday. It was originally scheduled for Thursday, but I had training for work up in Philadelphia last week. I was supposed to double-up one day, but they had trouble with the machine. I don't think I'll bother doubling-up now, if they don't want me to. I have enough trouble getting out of bed when I get do as it is! You have to have your radiations at least 6 hours apart, so I'd have to be in there before 9am (I know, not that bad), but subject to their schedule. So I'm not going to worry about it! I think. I'll talk to them tomorrow & see what they think.

So here's to 7 more doses! Just a few more! And I'm glad that's about it - I'm starting to get a little bit of irritation - especially on my collarbone. I think that spot really would have gotten to the bad point if I had any more shots to it. I do have a tan-line under my arm, which is funny! It looks like I fell asleep in the sun with a book or something on my arm. And I'm a little disappointed in the hair growth under there! I guess it's stopped, but it took a long time for it to stop! Just in time for radiation to be over! Ah well. Soon . . . the peeling! Just in time for the beach!