November 13, 2015

XRT

Today ends the first full week of two for radiation to four spots, otherwise known as XRT (X-ray therapy). I was so fatigued earlier in the week, but I realized this morning that I had tried to squeeze in a blood draw and oncologist appointment on Tuesday and Wednesday, with radiation separated by more than an hour. No wonder I was so pooped.

Yesterday was much more pleasant. I got up early, ate and showered, crashed for a bit and went to XRT. Today the same but I haven't crashed or showered yet. Yesterday's dog walker was a wonderful young woman who instantly fell in love with the pooches, and they with her.

Our synagogue has been providing help through the Mitzvah Corps, a neighborhood group that supports families in need - whether it's a new baby, a death or illness in the family, etc. So far we've had daily dog walkers (and I know not all these people really like walking dogs, but they want to help) and delicious meals twice this week. It's been so wonderful to have this support. It helped us thirteen years ago when I broke my leg and needed assistance with everything, including getting my own lunch.  I fondly remember one friend from Radost who showed up with her mop, bucket and vacuum cleaner to clean our house! I've tried to pay it forward to other families over the years, and now the circle comes around again.

The XRT is first to the skin met on my head, which is doing really well on it, although it will leave a permanent bald spot. I'll have to have a comb over when I grow enough hair. Then to the skin met on my chest, which is bleeding freely when I remove the bandage but which I hope is also healing on this regimen. Then they zap my shoulder and neck lymph node combined. Hard to tell on how well this one is working, because it still hurts. Last is to my right lowest rib, which might have fractured when Bob the dog jumped on it (this happened once before) or is just a new bone met. At any rate, it hurt enough to warrant treatment. The radiation techs are terrific gentle men, who treat with me with dignity and delicacy, worry when I stain my shirt with blood, and actually pick me up and place me down on the gurney to put me in the proper position.

Dr Eulau the wonderful radiation oncologist has actually treated me four times over the years, from my original diagnosis, my mets diagnosis, my ulnae, and now. He is a fabulous, caring physician and I wouldn't have asked anyone else to be on my dream team.

Now it's time for a shower, clothing and more laundry. I actually feel well enough to do all this today!

4 comments:

  1. Glad to hear that you are getting some help. And that you have good technicians who care about you. Sometimes it's the little things!

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  2. That is a lot of radiation! No wonder you are tired. Rest up! I am glad you have some help. <3

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  3. It's great to see you keeping on fighting in that boxing ring! I also have mets (lungs, liver, chest wall, lymph nodes, neck and new primary tumour on top of that!) but we stay in that boxing ring - it's the positivity that keeps us going. Sometime hard when fatigue sets in, but you're doing great.

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  4. Just found your blog and have spent lots of today exploring it for bits of advice and similarities to/differences from my own metastatic breast cancer story. If you enjoy other breast-cancer blogs that share the tone of yours, I have one and would be happy to share it with you. Yesterday was 2 years since I found out my stage IV TNBC diagnosis, seven years after my 2 previous stage II breast cancer adventures (at 29 and 40).

    Thanks for all that you share and the help it provides the rest of us out here even when we don't know you!

    --Ellen

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