Five Down, Twenty-Three To Go!

I have officially completed five radiation treatments. Woo Hoo! Only 23 more to go!

There is a rhythm to the treatments. Every day I log in and wait for one of the radiation techs to come and get me. I go to the dressing room and swap my pants for a robe. Then I go to LINAC I, hop onto the slab and fit my legs into the mold, and grab hold of my blue ring. The blue ring is so I can keep my arms immobile for a period of time so the radiation techs can push, pull and tug my body into the correct positioning and so I don't move while radiation commences.Once the techs are happy with my positioning, they leave the lead-lined room and radiation commences!

Every five days the techs x-ray my leg. This is to ensure the radiation range is hitting the mark. Then two days after the x-rays, I meet with my chief Radiologist, Dr. Danny. Apparently, everyone calls Dr. Indelicato by Dr. Danny. And it fits. The first time we met with him, we immediately thought of Doogie Howser, M.D. Laugh if you want. But he's one mighty young-looking doctor!

On Friday, I was gifted with a green Sharpie and 8 stickers. This was so I could touch up any marks/stickers over the weekend as needed. That made me feel better!

On a not so good note, I was taking a shower Sunday and noticed a lump on the back of my right leg, just above my ankle. Can't help it. I'm a bit skittish. I called the doctor Monday and they were able to fit me in today. So, after radiation we go to the Emerson office where M. Wetmore made room in her schedule to see me. Her first question was about what meds I'm taking as some meds can cause swelling. That was a negatory on that. She examined the lump. It is about 1-2 centimeters in diameter, right in the middle of the tendon, about 1 1/2 inches above the ankle. So, we took a couple x-rays which showed...nothing. M. Wetmore explained it was probably nothing, but if it would make me feel better, she could order an MRI - just to be sure. So, you know I'm going Yes Yes Yes. But the MRI comes at a cost - not so much monetary (I've already met my deductible for the year). I will have to have a contrast MRI, which means...I.V. Ugh!!!

In an earlier conversation, my sister suggested asking if I could get valium so when I do have to get I.V.'s, etc. I won't stress as much. So, I asked and it was answered. Whew! So tomorrow I get to go for lab work, M. Wetmore will call Dr. Danny to be sure a contrast MRI won't mess with my radiation treatment, and if all is a go, I'll get another MRI within the week. Same leg, but the ankle. I am a bit nervous. The lump is firm but not rock hard. So, I am hoping it really is nothing. Otherwise, it's yet another roller coaster - magnified.

Life is all about attitude, and I'm keeping it positive!

And if you're curious, here are two views of the roadmap of my right leg. Nice dent, and even nicer scar!

LINAC I

It has been two long weeks since the CT scan, and we are now at the cusp of radiation. I have been assigned to the radiation machine dubbed LINAC I. I am not yet sure what the acronym represents, but I promise to find out soon.

It's been a good two weeks. I started back to work - part-time. I am working from home, and I am so grateful I work for a company that provides the equipment and means to work remotely. I work 4 hours a day, and I've got plenty to keep me busy. In fact, I almost think I'm ahead of schedule! I've traded work distractions with home distractions, which really is less distracting than work. Odd, isn't it.

I am getting around on my own two legs now. The right leg is still weak. It tires easily and runs the risk of collapsing as I tend to do more than is good for me. My muscles ache, and most mornings my leg is very stiff. Thank you painkillers! The distal side of my right knee is still numb for the most part. It feels odd when the radiation techs touch that area.

My sister visited last week. She left Monday. We don't often get to spend time together, just her and I. She is on a vegan diet for 100 days, and we enjoyed her cooking this week. We were very pleasantly surprised in that the food was really, really good. She will get me to eating healthy eventually! Which, I really should sooner than later. Dee and I got to enjoy several movies; I Just Don't Know How She Does It, The Lion King 3D, Easy A, and Something Borrowed. But I think our favorite day was Monday. It started off raining, but by 11:00 the sun was out and the world was dry. So, Dee, Cassie and I went to Joe's Crab Shack and sat out on the deck over Jacksonville Beach and enjoyed lunch. Afterwards we strolled on the beach. There was a storm out at sea, it was high tide, and the waves were crashing. It was beautiful!

Anyway, on to today. Today was x-ray day. I got my UPC patient's lanyard. So, when I go in for radiation, all I have to do is scan my UPC into the LINAC machine and the folks in the back will instantly know I am present and ready for radiation. I met my radiation team; Rachel, Sean and Loren. Rachel walked me through what we were doing today. Basically, double-checking that the plan derived from the CT scan is correct. So, I met LINAC I - basically the business end of a very, very large microscope. And Sean and Loren pushed, pulled and tugged me (while I'm in my leg mold). Several x-rays, a few adjustments, and green pen markings later, and I was done! The blue markings on my legs have been embellished with green markings. The green indicates I am officially in treatment.

Tomorrow, at 3:00 PM, I will begin radiation. I will find out the field size of radiation as Sean and Loren will outline the radiation area tomorrow. Whew! Finally! Let's get this over with! The thing I'm most thrilled about is that since I will be going in daily (sans Saturday and Sunday), I no longer have to stress the leg markings. They will be refreshed every day. Makes me happy! The stickers and paint pen and daily monitoring were a bit stressful. I really didn't want to have to get another IV!

More to come later this week. Let ya know how the first few days go!

I Hate I.V.'s!

I hate, and I mean HATE, I.V.'s. When I went for the contrast MRI the tech blew a vein in my left hand then got a vein in my right hand. When I had surgery, they had to poke me three times to get an IV in my left hand. It fell out 2 days later and I had to get another one in my right hand. Then I go for the contrast CT scan today and yes, another vein in blown in my left hand and  the IV is painfully placed elsewhere in the left hand.

After the IV was successfully placed, I was called back to the CT room where two techs positioned me on the table. I had to lay on a blue balloon type thing that they molded to my legs. My right leg was straight while my left leg (the good one) was bent to the left. Once they were happy with my placement, and the chief radiology doctor gave the green light, they removed air from the balloon to stabilize the mold. Then along with my head radiology tech, they proceeded to mark both legs with a blue skin paint. They then scanned the leg; I'm assuming as a baseline.Once they were satisfied, along comes the contrast dye. The contrast dye contains a metal, and as it was fed to the IV my mouth tasted something like pennies. Remember when you were a child and you would put coins in your mouth? Why? I don't know. I can't remember. But then while you may not have done that, I know I did. As soon as the dye was injected, they ran another scan on my leg. It lasted about 4 minutes. Then I was done!

Before I left, though, the tech put stickers on the skin markings. And I was explicitly told to be sure the markings stay on my legs. Because if the markings wore off between now and the start of radiation I would get the pleasure of getting another contrast CT scan. And yes, another IV. So you know I was seriously motivated to keep the stickers on and the markings intact.

But two hours later and four stickers are falling off. I call but by then the office is about to close for the day. So, they tell me to come in tomorrow. But then two more hours later, the markings are fading. So, I start stressing. All I'm thinking is "I.V." And I start freaking. I do NOT want another IV! So I call back. And embarrassingly, I start crying on the phone. I tell the nurse, what is going on and that I really don't want another IV. Naturally, she is very soothing and reassuring. "It's okay," she tells me. "Can I use a Sharpie?" I ask, "because I don't want another IV." She tells me, yes and that when I go in tomorrow (because they have to make sure the Sharpie marks are correctly placed), they will give me a skin marker so I can refresh the markings daily. Crisis averted!

Oh, but here's the fun part. I get to refresh the markings daily for the next two months.Radiation officially starts the 20th, and it will last 6 weeks. So for the next eight weeks I get to have these non-permanent blue markings up and down my legs. Well. Things could be worse.

Readying For Radiation

It has been roughly 10 days since I last wrote. There really wasn't much to write about. More of the same. However, I did have an appointment on Thursday. And tomorrow is the RT simulation appointment. So, I figured I'd better catch up before regaling about the RT simulation appointment.

Thursday's appointment went well. My range of motion was impressive, and now it is time for the quad exercises - the dreaded sliding squats. Dr. Berrey warned me it would be painful, and I wholeheartedly agree! 10 squats 3 times a day. Ouch, ouch, ouch! The only negative to the appointment is that there was a return to infection in one portion of the wound. So I am back on antibiotics. They want the infection healed as much as possible before starting radiation.

Another plus is that I am now allowed to get around the house without crutches. Yea!  But I will say it is tough. I wear out quickly. On Friday I tidied up Gabriel's room. It consisted primarily of picking up toys and books and putting them where they belong. But I was surely tired afterwards. When I stand with equal weight on both legs, my right leg is noticeably weaker. It shakes and I risk collapsing. So, I know the sliding squats will strenghten those muscles. I can't wait until I can drive!

I am still working part-time. The infection, leg exercises, inability to drive, and upcoming radiation all contribute to the doctors' decision. They want to be sure I can tolerate the radiation. To be honest, I am a bit nervous about it.

Right now I am nervous about tomorrow's appointment. I have to go early tomorrow to get an IV. You would think that after 4 C-Sections, 2 out-patient surgeries, and this most recent surgery it would be no big deal. But this knee surgery really knocked me for a loop. It took them so long to put the IV in, and it hurt like heck.So I am drinking lots of water today and tomorrow morning to be sure I am adequately hydrated. Hopefully, tomorrow's IV will go smoothly.

I have no expectations about tomorrow's appointment. Not having been through this type of appointment before, I don't know what is supposed to happen. What is kind of blowing my mind right now is that the side effects of radiation are so substantial as opposed to the actual radiation duration being so short - on a daily basis. And I guess that is why. Really bombarding the area for a short duration to kill the bad stuff while trying to keep some of the good stuff intact. I have been told I will be experiencing symptoms like a severe sunburn around my knee, peeling and cracking skin especially on the back of the knee. More scar tissue buildup, limiting what mobility I have now. And so on. Will I experience all this? I do not know. When will I experience any of this? Again, I do not know. A day? A week? Two weeks? Gotta come up with my questions for tomorrow!

On the home front, all is relatively quiet. Gabriel has the 'return to school' cold. He's perky but his nose is running like a faucet and he has that annoying cough. Chris made the difficult decision to quit his job. He's been working for about five months, but he has been having difficulty balancing school and work since school started. I am proud of him for deciding, on his own, that school comes first. So, he put his 2-week notice in yesterday. And then Cassie moved back in over the weekend. Hmmm. While I know it is the right decision for her - financially, educationally, etc., I don't know if she is yet mature enough to understand and live by the rules of our house. Things like being home at a stated time, communicating what she is doing in a reasonable timeframe. We will quickly find out whether she can continue to live at home.

Nuff said for today. More to come after tomorrow's appointment.