My First Radiation and Hyperthermia Treatments

I'm on the last leg of this long journey, and I'll be so glad when it's over. I'm NOT looking forward to these 6 weeks, believe me!

Thursday, I started with my first radiation treatment. A whole lot of time getting showered, dressed, and driving all the way there, then being "prepped" like a Thanksgiving Turkey, all for two 12-second shots of radiation!!!!! Now I have more X's on my chest! I'm beginning to look like a bull's eye for target practice. After the 12 seconds of lying in my personal mold, it was over and back home again.

Today, I went in early in order to get the Hyperthermia treatment. Chatty Cathy never stopped talking the whole hour and a half I was in there. From the beginning, she explained the treatment, asked me some questions, then got me up on the table -- again --- naked from the waist up. A box that measures about 9 x 9 inches is up above me, and this has a plastic bottom to it that is filled with water. She adjusts this to come down on my chest. First, she had me feel it with my hand and asks if I think it's too hot for me to stand or if it's ok. I thought it felt fine. So she puts it down where the stitch line is on my chest, and there I am for a whole hour heating up like a pot roast in a crock pot. Chatty Cathy is still talking. I heard all the gossip about everyone in the Cancer center, who left, who is going with who, etc., etc. She worships my oncologist, told me all the wonderful things about him, told me all about her marriage, kids, etc., etc., etc. One thing informative she did talk about, though, was when I asked her about my mastectomy. The radiologist had used the term "Toilet Mastectomy" when referring to my surgery. I couldn't find any information about that. She tried looking it up, but finally called someone and asked. Come to find out, it is when the total breast is removed, and they completely scrape away all the bad, dead tissue (necrotic tissue) off the chest wall. As the surgeon had said, "I scraped you clean."

When I told her I had this awful fear of radiation because of an uncle many years ago who was burned so badly, she said, "Oh, you won't have burns! Maybe a few layers of skin will come off -- kind of like a rug burn or something!" Well. . . . I'm thinking to myself, NOT looking forward to THAT under my arm!!!!

OK! Finally the hour is up, and the box is lifted off my chest. My trusty sister jumps up and takes a look and says, "Yep!!! VERY red!" I'm put into one of those little gowns and rushed across the hall to get my radiation treatment. Into the mold I go again. This time, the gal puts what feels like a sandbag over my HOT chest. She says, "This will help bring the radiation up to the skin!" Boy! They are just out to destroy my skin, it seems! So, I count to 12 and it's done. Nope! She takes the sandbag off, and and I get ANOTHER 12 seconds. TWO today.

And that's done. Oh, this gal took a look and said, Red already!!!!! I'm going to give you a bunch of tubes of cream and be sure to use it constantly. So I went out with a handful of greasy stuff to use. I felt like I was melting the butter to baste the chicken!!!!

So. . . . two down and 28 to go. It will be every day, 5 days a week, for 6 weeks. Two days a week, I get the heat treatment. They say that the radiation is 30% more effective with this. Bring it on!!!!!!