It's 9:00 PM and All is Well

I started radiation this week, as scheduled. I went in on Wednesday for my first treatment forgetting that the first appointment isn't an actual treatment. During the first appointment, they simulate everything to make sure that the treatment configuration was designed properly. Basically, they line my body up with where the radiation beams will penetrate my skin and make sure that the path of the beams and the shape of the beams are correct for me. If the simulation matches up to the original scans they took the week before, then I'm ready to go. They did, and I was.

So, Thursday, I had my first actual radiation treatment. I think I mentioned in my last post that radiation is x-ray (which stands for electromagnetic radiation, by the way). So the treatment is painless. It's just like getting x-rays. Except that they target the x-ray more acutely in radiation treatment.

All I have to day is lie still for about 10-15 minutes, and then it's over. After I first lie down on the table, they adjust me. I just have to lay there like a doll and they move me around until I'm in the right position. Believe it or not, they adjust you in pretty minute detail.

After 2-3 weeks, I might start noticing some skin irritation and/or some minor fatigue (nothing like chemo) as the radiation builds in my body. But, until then, I probably won't notice anything.

I have to wear a special deodorant that doesn't have aluminum in it. I was surprised to learn the aluminum chloride and aluminum chlorohydrate are the main active ingredient in most antiperspirants. They also have some concern about scented deodorants that might contain alcohol in them as they can irritate the skin. Fortunately, I've been using an organic brand that doesn't contain either of those things. I took it in with me for my Friday treatment and they said that I could continue using it.

I'm not allowed to use any lotions on my skin that they don't provide for me. They told me that when my skin starts getting irritated, they'll give me some aloe-based lotions, but they I shouldn't use any of my own lotions. This is due to concerns similar to those about the deodorant.

Also, I wanted to let you know that I've been working on something new for the blog. I'm not going to give away what it is yet, but I'll be announcing something in the next few weeks.

It's taking up a lot of my free time (in addition to wrapping up principal photography on my film), so I may not be posting quite as often. But that is only temporary. I already know that I'm going to be swamped for the next couple of weeks, so my posting will be infrequent during that time. Once we wrap production on the film and start editing, it should free up a lot of time for me.

I'll be getting radiation daily (Monday through Friday) for the next 5 - 7 weeks. I get it everyday at the same time, late morning. Each Monday, I'll also be meeting with my radiation oncologist. He will meet with me each week to check the status of my skin, to check my weight, and to see how I'm feeling. They have to monitor your weight because a significant increase or decrease in weight can actually affect your treatment. Gaining or losing weight affects the density of your tissue (how much fatty tissue is in a certain region) and can cause your skin surface to decrease or expand. All of this means that the radiation might absorb differently or shift in location. Since this is precision treatment, they really have to watch all that stuff.

They also will watch for skin irritation and, if it begins, they'll provide me with lotion. As my treatment progresses, they also watch to determine how much radiation my skin can take before they have to stop treatment. If my skin starts getting irritated, it will basically look and feel like a sunburn. And, like a sunburn, your skin can only take so much before the damage becomes permanent (scarring, etc.). So, they watch for that to help them determine when to stop treatment.

Okay, that's all I've got for now. I'll try to time my posts after my Monday doctor's appointment so that I can update you with any new information I get. The next time I'm scheduled to see either my oncologist or my plastic surgeon is October 18, which will put me right around 5 weeks of radiation. That's perfect timing as I will likely know how close I am to the end of radiation. At that time, my oncologist will arrange for me to be rescanned (CT scan and bone scan) to determine the next phase of cancer treatment. I expect that the only thing my plastic surgeon will do is add more fluid to the implant expander that is currently my right breast.

Like, I said, stay tuned for a new blog feature in the next few weeks.