October 5, 2021

Radiation normally happens like this:

I lay on the table with my left arm up and my head tilted right and the techs line my tattoos up to red and green light markers that shine down from the ceiling. The table I lay on moves up and down and front to back. If I’m off from side to side, then they slowly pull the sheet under me while reminding me not to help. Everything is adjusted in millimeters. Once I’m lined up, I have to take a deep breath in and hold it so they can take a computer snapshot for reference. Then they leave the room. The machine arm above me moves slightly to the right and I can hear and see the screen adjusting for the beam. Soon I can hear the nurse telling me to take a deep breath and hold it, and the machine turns on. There is no light, only sound and it lasts 20-25 seconds. When the sound stops, I know I can breathe again before they tell me I can.

Then the techs come back in because they need to put a towel and “bolus” on me, which is a sheet of rubbery material that is supposed to make up for my lost breast tissue. We have to do another deep breath snapshot and sometimes tape the bolus down to make sure it doesn’t slip. If all looks well, then they leave and the machine rotates further to the right. We do two deep breath holds in this position, each shorter than the initial one. The sound changes on these. The first is higher pitched than the second. When they’re done, the machine moves over me and around way to the left. If the bolus has moved, the techs come back in and we do another adjustment. If the bolus hasn’t moved with my breathing, we do one more round here and we’re done. By this time, my arm aches and my hand is numb because through it all, I can’t move. Once, without thinking, I crossed my feet in between rounds and they had to completely readjust me.

Today, as we finished the second one on the right, the machine didn’t move. I lay still, waiting. And waiting. Finally, a tech comes in and says the sensor is acting up and she needs to move it manually. It moves in spurts. Finally, it’s in position and she leaves. We continue. I take a deep breath and hold but there is no sound. Soon they tell me I can breathe but not move. I wait. Eventually, they come back in and say the machine still isn’t working correctly and they called someone in to look at it. They ask my doctor about adding the last round to tomorrow’s treatment while the machine is being checked.

Ultimately, I’m given the option to wait for the machine to reboot or have one more round tomorrow. At that point, I said it didn’t matter, so we wait the 11 minutes for a reboot. The manager comes in to apologize and explain what’s going on. We make small talk and after another readjustment, we are ready to go. Only we don’t.

After all that, the machine wasn’t fixed, so I have to have an extra round tomorrow. I’m assuming the machine will be fixed overnight. I’m not loving the idea that my health is dependent upon this fallible machinery, but here we are. The curtain has been pulled back. Now I know it’s not magic. But you know what I’m thankful for? The device is so precise that it won’t work if it’s not right. That my techs are not only skilled, but legitimately nice. That we were almost done, so I can make it up tomorrow without issue. Fingers crossed this was the only blip I’ll have going forward.

October 4, 2021

Today my doctor gave me this because apparently getting radiation along my collarbone can create a sore throat and the sensation of a lump in the throat. If you’ve followed my blog for very long, you’ll know how not pleased I am about this. Not pleased at all. If you’ve just stumbled upon this post, then know that I am someone who can choke on her own spit. So I don’t like weird throat sensations. That being said, I’m thankful that my doctor said my throat won’t close up or anything. That’s something to hold onto.

However, I’ve decided I’m not going to worry about it. At this point I’m just going to add it to the list of crazy side effects I’ve already dealt with and lived through. And hopefully drinking this bottle of aloe vera water means I’ll barely notice it. If nothing else, it adds to my list of hydrating beverages, right?

October 3, 2021

A Facebook friend posted this photo and it resonated with me because I’m the worst at feeling guilty for not being productive. And I’ve not felt productive for a while. I’ve not put the final details on my Halloween graveyard. I haven’t crafted anything new. I haven’t cleaned up my craft room from the last time I worked in there. I should have spent the last two days catching up. But this weekend, I didn’t care. I slept in a little. I read magazines on the deck while drinking coffee. Patrick and I ran errands without worrying about the time. We ate lunch outside. The only thing I got done was laundry and cleaning one bathroom. The weekend is over, and I still don’t care. It was relaxing and I’m thankful for it.

October 2, 2021

We watched the movie The Starling tonight which is about a couple dealing with the death of their daughter. It stars Melissa McCarthy whom I really like. She seems like someoneI could be friends with in real life.

The movie was good, poignant. Nothing too dramatic or too sad. While it centers around the loss of their child, it’s really about the loss of their connection as a couple. It was a reminder of how quickly the ties that bind can unravel during times of sorrow and stress.

I’m thankful today that with all we’ve dealt with in the past year, Patrick and I have held it together pretty well. We have annoyed each other at times, of course. But we’ve held each other up.

September 30, 2021

Goodbye September. I’m thankful tomorrow is Friday and the start of Halloween month! The weather is supposed to cool down to normal so I can finish up my Halloween decorations and feel like it’s really time for it.

Plus I’m thankful that after tomorrow I’ll have a little break from radiation. I’m hoping my pink skin will cool down. I have a crazy notion that I can over moisturize and over hydrate in between weeks so it doesn’t end up peeling. We’ll see. At least I’ll know I tried.

September 29, 2021

It’s been so warm but really beautiful this week. The leaves are turning and even with the heat, it’s beginning to look like Fall. All I want to do is sit outside and soak it in. Since that’s not possible, I’m thankful to work at home still in a room with a lot of windows. And while having daily treatments is a bit of a hassle, it does get me outside while the weather is best. I’m also thankful today for the ice cream truck. Ice cream is a perfect treat on a warm fall day.

September 28, 2021

One week of radiation done! I’m already turning pink, which does not make me happy. But I’m moisturizing and drinking lots of water. So hopefully it doesn’t get too bad. I’m also tired a lot but that could be from work, which has been stressful. I haven’t been sleeping well.

While I’m thankful that I’ve logged a week of radiation, I also tried to notice other things that did make me happy today. Here’s my list:

Yummy new cereal, which is something I haven’t eaten in a long time.

A funny email from a coworker that made me laugh.

Chance hiding under a fluffy new pillow.

Barley being ridiculously excited to see me get home from my dr appointment.

Patrick’s dinner, which was delicious as usual.

Tea lights on a timer so I no longer need to monitor them.

Pumpkin coffee beer.

September 27, 2021

I’ve been thinking about a friend of mine all day. We’ve known each other a long time—since the early 90’s, and she shares a birthday with my youngest. She retired a while ago, and we don’t see or talk to each other regularly anymore but we talked last night. She shared that her young grandson has cancer and that she was just diagnosed with breast cancer as well.

I want to know what the heck is going on. I mean, come on. There are too many people going through too much painful crap this year! I feel terrible for my friend and wish she didn’t have so much to deal with.

But I know this. She’s very strong and resilient. She has a no-nonsense approach to life that allows her handle issues head on, and she’s able to look on the bright side of things. She said her grandson is doing well with his treatments. The family is supportive and hopeful. And her cancer is in the very early stage, so she shouldn’t need chemo. That’s positive! Although it’s not good news, I’m thankful the prognosis is good for both of them. I’m grateful my friend reached out to me, so I can be there for her.

September 26, 2021

Even though it was warm today, I worked on putting my Halloween decorations out. I wanted to get it done before October, and I’ve been getting tired easily again, so I knew waiting until after work next week would be foolish. I got my graveyard mostly done and even some inside decorations up. Later in the week when the weather starts to cool again, I’ll be glad to have Halloween started. I’m thankful for checking this off my list.

I’ll have some vines and lights to add.
Spooky lights for the branch arch!
A bit of entryway skeleton love.
Emma gave me the little ghost, and I found a big one to go with it. 🙂