30% Done

I've completed the 6th of 20 radiation sessions this morning.  I'm really putting my head down for this treatment and just grinding through it.  As we all know, I'm not a fan and continue to not be a fan.  I'm taking the occasional selfie in the waiting room so here is what I look like every morning:


And for those who haven't seen a radiation room (and I hope you never do), here's the set up.  I'm on the white sheeted table with my arms above my head and the platform I am on moves back under the round radiation thing which then rotates around me.  You can kind of see the constellation of stars on the ceiling, but it's little comfort. 


What's been happening this week?  I had a meeting with my radiation oncologist on Monday.  It was fine.  No skin troubles (yet) and I seem to be applying my thrice daily lotion well.  I conveyed (strongly) my displeasure with the coed, robed waiting room.  I'm not fatigued from radiation yet but I definitely have left over fatigue from chemo.  Should be interesting at the end of radiation.

I also met with my cancer therapist who told me that another patient calls radiation 'torching the cancer' which I try to keep in mind as I lay under that machine.

Finally, I had appointment this week with my optometrist.  My eyesight has changed pretty quickly (thanks to chemo - the gift that keeps giving) and won't really go back to 'normal' for a year apparently.  I haven't been able to see out of my right eye well at all for about 2 months.  I happily went on Monday and got great daily contact lense samples to try for a day and was so happy!  The new prescription worked so well!  I purchased 3 months of daily lenses and paid for 2 day shipping to get them to me asap.  When they arrived today, I ran upstairs to put them in.  And, of course, the right one didn't work at all.  And when I called the office to inquire if they ordered the right one, everyone was out of the office today.  So I'm back to impaired vision and not happy about that.  And chasing down what could have happened tomorrow morning.  After my daily radiation at 8:15am.  

It's been a busy 2 weeks; after coming back from CA, it has been a lot.  Going from long hikes and afternoon naps and not really thinking about treatment or cancer, to appointment after appointment has been rough.  I'm so grateful to have had that break and I wish every patient could have that.  And I know more 'breaks' will be coming after this.  Plotting and planning as I type.  xo J

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