Monday 2/16/09 I went to get my mold fitted for when I start my radiation. I guess you should never assume where the mold was going to be placed. I assumed it was going to go over my breast but I was wrong it was behind my head. I had to lay on my back with my hands placed behind my head and I had to hold onto a pole, chin and head up to the left and lay on a mat that was referred to like a bean bag. The radiation specialist hooked up a hose to the bean bag and started to form the mold. I will lay in this mold each day for my treatment. This mold keeps me in the same position while the radiation is being performed and verifies that the treatment is performed the same way each time. I was moved into the machine to verify the mold and me fit into the machine. The Radiation Oncologist doctor came in and placed several stickers on my breast before the scan. They also marked my chest with a blue marker to know where to line up the laser in the correct positions. They marked both sides of my breast and the middle of my chest. They placed clear round stickers over these markings and asked me not to wash them off. Its lovely to see all the marks in the mirror! A cat scan was performed for about five minutes. This time it wasn't as bad as my MRI in November. The sounds were not as loud, I was laying on my back not my front, and the time was much shorter! I am a little nervous when my treatments start that my neck might get sore from being in the same position so I will have to remember to stretch before I have to lay there for about 15 minutes. The molding will be finished by the doctor off my cat scan and I will return to verify the fit of the molding. I had to go to a different area in the hospital to get a blood test done before I left.
Thursday 2/19/09 I saw my plastic surgeon today. She said I am healing well and that my breasts look good. She removed one stitch that was sticking out. I showed her the bras that she recommend that I wear to verify the correct fit. The bras are designed for individuals who work out. They are comfortable and rated by bars which means the support in the straps. The prices range from $32-$70 but they are worth it. They are breathable and can be worn for workouts or during the day. If you would like to check out the website, here it is: http://www.titlenine.com/ The company is only in a few states so you will need to order over the net/phone. The bras are tight fitting so you can't go off the sizes exactly, order a little bigger. I am sending mine back for bigger sizes. The company guarantees the bras and will exchange/return at any time which is a great policy. They give you a label to send them back and will not charge you for another shipping fee. We talked a little bit about my radiation. She said once I start my radiation (since I don't have a start date) I will need to see her about 3-4 weeks into the treatment. She took a few pictures of my breast so she will have the before and after pictures. Please pray for me that the radiation will not harm my skin elasticity and that my implants will not need to be removed. She mentioned if I have a bad rash or irritation, not to wear my bra.
Friday 2/20/09 I haven't told my kids that I have to get radiation. I wanted to wait for a start date and I didn't want their minds to worry. As soon as I know a start date, we will explain to them what I am going to have to go through. I am waiting for my menstrual cycle to start (yea what all women look forward too) and then I can schedule my MRI a week later after it starts then I can start radiation a few days after. Since I didn't want my kids to hear about another doctors appointment this week, they went to a friends house and I told them I was going out to do some errands today. I returned back to the radiation office at the hospital where I will be having my treatments. This appointment was suppose to be 30 minutes and I ended up being there for 1 hour and 45 minutes. All I can think was " I can't believe this is what I will have to experience every day every week! I was sitting in the waiting room listening to older ladies and men talking. They were there for radiation and they must of seen each other for several weeks since they have the appointments around the same time and knew each other. I felt like they were looking at me saying why is she here, she is so young. These women were talking about their grandchildren. This made me feel lucky that I caught my cancer so early but also made me think wow I have cancer at my age 37 and I feel like an odd one at this moment. Its still hard to believe I have cancer since I feel great and I don't feel any lumps or any other signs. The nurse finally called me in and apologized about the wait. She explained this isn't usually this long of wait. I was brought into the radiation room and a simulation run will be performed to make sure everything is in tact for radiation. I was placed in the mold and it was made correctly. I had to lay there for 30 minutes being still without moving. They took several pictures of the breast while the laser machine moved around to different angles. They were in and out of the room. When you are in a position that you cant move, the time is forever. There is music on in the room and I am starring at a skylight that has a pretty a tree with a bloom of pink petals on it but I still wish I didn't need to be there. My eye started to tear (not crying just allergies) and I couldn't wipe it! All I could think is my nose is going to itch and I am not going to be able to help myself at this stage. This is a bad feeling. I hope these 5 1/2 weeks go by fast. The test were all performed and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be laying there. They marked me with additional blue markings and asked me again not to remove them. They also place three tattoo markings the size of a freckle on each side of the breast and in the middle of the chest. This will help them to line the laser each day for radiation. These tattoos will remain on my body forever, they will fade over time. I have so many blue marks that I can't see them at this time. I have scheduled my radiation appointments to start the first week of March. This way I have a time slot and I can call them to determine the exact day. The appointments will be at 8:30am in the morning. It stinks to go early but she said I wouldn't wait more than 5 minutes so its worth that each day! They gave me a parking pass so I don't have to pay each day. I was not to excited to hear when I start my treatments that I can't wear deodorant or shave under my right arm while I am having radiation. I was grossed out about this. She mentioned if I have to I can buy only one brand of a natural deodorant. It is lucky that I am not doing this during the summer! The reason for this is because there might be some metals/aluminium in the deodorants, shaving creams or lotions that can affect the treatment.
Sorry so long but a lot of information for three appointments.
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