I arrived at my last treatment session with my posse feeling positively celebratory—I wore a dress, my party wig and baked goodies for the other patients. The treatment session went as expected. As I was leaving I shared pleasantries with two women (one a patient, the other her support friend) and asked the usual question “how long are you in for?” The response from the patient was a sobering, “indefinitely.” It rang in my head for days. I can’t imagine knowing there is no end in sight for this strong, often debilitating drug treatment. The side effects linger longer each time, and vary with the particular chemo drug. Common side effects I have had include; fatigue, a metallic taste in the mouth and mouth sores, very tender fingernails, heart burn, runny eyes and nose, fluid retention, bleeding of the gums and nose, skin rash, and this time an unexpected "chemical" peel (dry and peeling face) my dermatologist will marvel at. But, I am done and I am again thankful that this is an unexpected side trip and not a permanent detour in life. I will now start healing.
Good news. I was led to believe I would have to wait 6 weeks between chemo and radiation but have now learned it’s only a four-week gap. I start down radiation road for 33 treatments (everyday except weekends) on April 2. The appointment is about 10 minutes (mostly getting me in position), with the actual radiation under two minutes. A week ago was a "mapping" session with a scan of some sort and a mold fitted to hold my arm and me in a consistent position. Also, I’ve been discretely tattooed (no flowers or butterflies) with two small dots for laser markers. The “mapping” allows the doctor to design the path of the radiation—deep enough to hit the area where the tumor was while curving up to avoid my heart and lung. I have to trust my doctor and this maneuver of precision. All is well.
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