radiation update and the end is in sight

Fry.........that is another word for radiation. From the very beginning the doctor gives out two very expensive creams which are to be applied at least twice a day. I have been very careful to put the creams on every day. And still I have burned. There are three burn sights: under my arm, under the breast, and worst of all the collar bone and neck just above it. Each radiation makes the pain worse. Since radiation works from the inside to the outside, the heat I feel on the surface is less that the heat that is going on inside my shoulder. Good Grief!! That's hot!!!

Thankfully today was the last blast to the collar bone. It started bleeding right after blast was over so I went down to the doctor's area for treatment. More numbing lotion and lidocaine to get me through the weekend. I'm having quite a time dealing with the tape that holds the lidocaine in place. When I peel [literally] the patch back to add more lidocaine it really hurts until the lidocaine kicks in. They tell me that the burn will start healing now that it is not going to be hit with radiation again. That is the good news!! It will take 3-4 weeks before it is healed. I don't know how long before it quits hurting.

This last week of radiation  is boost week. They target the two surgery sights and not the full area. The good news is that both of those areas are "fluffy" - not on a bone. So maybe this time I won't get such a burn.

Finally I understand why I am having so much trouble with being hot, a different hot than hot flashes, even hotter. It is because radiation causes the "treated" body area to cook from the inside to the outside. I have to sleep either on my back or with the right side down. If I get turned over on my left side I wake up just steaming. I have to have one or more fans going all night. Joan gave me two neat denim bags filled with field corn kernels which I keep in the freezer. These bags hold the cold nicely without wetness. I use one or both of these every night.

So I'm not flashing, I'm cooking. Just proof that I am One Hot Mama..............

Travel question

Have you checked air fares lately? Good grief!! The "fuel surcharge" along with all those nickel and dime [well, really, quarter and 1/2 dollar] zingers really add up to just plain TOO MUCH. We were hoping to go to Europe in the Fall, take a 1 week river cruise from Amsterdam to Basel Switzerland. Air fare right now is as much as the cruise!! That doesn't make sense.

So here is my travel question: have you or your friends taken the Panama Canal cruise? Departures are from California or Florida and return to the opposite site. For the air fare part of the trip I have airline miles to cover the domestic flights. The cruise is 2 weeks long and cost is 1/2 as much as the river cruise. Math is not my long suit but Panama sounds like a better deal at this point. What do you think?

Health report: radiation is easier than chemo for sure; however I'm already getting some burn and blisters with 3 weeks to go. Could have some problems down the road. Fatigue continues to slow me down but nothing a nap can't cure!

Today I redeemed a Groupon certificate for a photofacial at a Spa in Northpark shopping center. This was another treat for getting through chemo. I had purchased the certificate so long ago I'd forgotten what was going to happen so the service was like getting a present...again. I have 2 more sessions in the package. That should be enough to take care of the damage done by chemo drugs.

Here is how I know I am not totally "well" yet: I walked through Nordstrom's TWICE today and did not buy a thing!!! I was even in the shoe shop and didn't buy anything!!

Hair and therapy and computer embroidery and a magazine recommendation

First the good news: I can walk from the hospital parking lot to the clinic bldg without stopping and, even better, I am no longer being passed by people with walkers!! This is PROGRESS. And I can sign in for therapy without having to rest before signing. This is really PROGRESS.

Now for the fun stuff:
I have taken several sewing classes lately and I think I pulled a muscle in my brain. It isn't the sewing part but the computer programming in coreldraw to create embroidery designs that hurts my brain. I can work simple programs like Word and Power Point; can mess up Excel without even trying; and I can surf the web and buy from all kinds of invisible sellers. So why can't I remember where the icons are on the 4 levels of coreldraw? Those icons are in the same place every time, really they are!! So after the 3rd class in a week and half I felt this glimmer of light and actually finished the last project without screwing it up!!!  This week I will try to repeat the process alone, here, at home, unsupervised. Wish me luck!!

The current sewing project on the machine is a dress for Kasey, Great Grand Daughter. I'd forgotten how TINY dresses for 6 mo old people are!!! It is like doing a miniature patchwork quilt! I'm having fun though.  And when I get the dress put together I'll try out some of the fancy stitches to decorate it.

Hair today, maybe more tomorrow: My bald head has some fuzz. Fuzz is hard to see basically because it is this white color. My 12 yr old physical therapist called it platinum. Right......... that will be an improvement over the grey hairs that fell off. I found an eyebrow hair yesterday. Poor thing was all alone way over where the end of the eyebrow was in the old days. Of course it was platinum.

Radiation is a daily happening. So far I haven't burned or blistered; however the area being radiated is getting fairly pink in the front, not so much in the back.  I drive myself to the hospital and sometimes have both radiation and physical therapy scheduled fairly close together which saves time and more important - gas. Lymphedema is still a big problem. The fluid tends to settle in my shoulder and elbow joints which hurts even when I'm not moving. The massage techniques move the fluid out of the joints and toward the trunk for drainage. I did get a compression sleeve for night wear that is really making a difference in the swelling.  Even better is the fact that it is more comfortable than propping the arm up on multiple pillows all night to get the fluid to flow down hill.

I have a cancer magazine recommendation for you. Check it out at http://www.curetoday.com/ - it is free for cancer patients, past and present. I've found the articles very helpful and the research focus very good.

Life is back to "busy" and most of it is good.

I don't know what "normal" is any more. With the end of chemo I planned to restore stamina and reduce this awful fatigue. I've had limited success. While I can drive myself to radiation and physical therapy and even walk across the hospital parking garage rather than paying to valet park, I still am tired by the time I get home. A big part of the fatigue is because I have to get to the hospital earlier than I would like. I am NOT a morning person. However  I do like getting the hospital drill out of the way so I can do whatever the rest of the day.

A while back I speculated about what I should do to celebrate the end of chemo. One of the choices was to get a new Bernina 830 sewing machine. I think this option must have been predestined. At the end of chemo sessions, the 830 demonstration machine was put on sale at my local store plus the option of 0% financing for 36 months. So I bought it. What a machine!!!!!!!!!!! I had used one for an all day class at a Quilt Show in California a couple of years ago and couldn't believe the difference in feel and capabilities. The machine comes with 6 classes of instruction, each class is 3 hours long. I've started taking 830 classes and other technical sewing classes. Most of the time I can get the lesson to come through the chemo brain fog. I just need to practice, practice and practice.

Estate sales are flourishing this time of year so Joan and I are having some good, cheap fun. One of these weeks I'm going to be able to shop more than just one or two sales in any given day!!! You see, this activity is part of my therapy plan.......walk [from Jeep to sale site] then stay standing/walking through the entire house, stand in line to check out, walk to Jeep. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Now THAT is a therapy plan I can live by. And one can not have just one therapy plan ad nauseum. So for variety we will go to some warehouse sales where we will walk and stand. Hey, it IS a valid plan!!!

Last week Dylan and Carolyn were having some home improvement projects done at their house. It is so hard to take vacation from jobs to supervise the contract workers so Husband and I were able to alternate days going over to be with the dogs and workers. It is nice to be retired so we can help out and it is great that I was able take myself over there. Finally I can be useful again.

Today we went to see Mother at the Alzheimer's unit in Grace Presbyterian Village. Domino was right back in his element........his public was so happy to see him. Mother knew me as a daughter but I didn't have a name. Husband and Domino had names. She always appreciates having company whom ever they are, those with names and those who are nameless.

That's about it for now. I'm back to being busy and it feels GOOD.

Feeling good enough to have fun!!!!!!!!

Post chemo life is good........almost back to "normal" in many ways. It is a good thing that I figured out how to schedule too many things per day on my Blackberry. I have bigger ideas for my days than I have energy but who cares!!! Just a few weeks ago I dreaded having ANYTHING on my calendar. Now I'll schedule too many things just because I have not been "out and about" much for the last few months. I don't last very long at any of the activities but I sure enjoy being there!!

My new "hobby" seems to be radiation. I have completed 3 of 33 sessions. It isn't a very time consuming activity, just sucks up an hour of each week day for the 10 minute procedure plus travel time. There is a combination of lotions that has to be put on the entire front and back of the radiated area twice a day. This lotion is to cut down on the odds of getting radiation burns. I can't tell yet whether I will be a burn candidate. The other side effect of radiation is fatigue. I don't know if I'm experiencing radiation fatigue or not because major fatigue has been a constant since chemo began.

The radiation is messing up my lymphedema. Apparently the lymph system recognizes radiation as an assault and puts out more fluid which isn't draining so good. This means more swelling, not just in the arm but all over. Thank goodness I have 3 lymphedema massages each week so I'm not getting behind the fluid accumulation curve. I have a compression sleeve and half-glove to wear in the daytime. At night I have to wrap with ace bandages and prop the arm up on pillows to sleep. Not fun. I've ordered a compression sleeve for night use and that should come in this next week.

Dog Story: A friend who lives nearby has adopted a rescue standard poodle so we went over to meet Sylvia's Beau today. What a beautiful dog! We took Beau and Domino on a short walk together so they could have a competitive pee marking project. Then it was to the back yard and within minutes they were having a great time racing around the yard, barking and cutting each other off at the curves. That is exactly what Domino needs....a running buddy; and what Beau needs....a poodle to show him how to play and bark. So we will get them together regularly. What fun!!

I managed to hit one estate sale this week and lasted as long as I want to before getting too tired. Next week's goal is to hit two sales!!! Look out world....I'm coming back!!!!

First a tattoo and then radiation begins

I have a tattoo!! Let me tell you this is the last time you will hear me say that!!! OUCH!!!!! No doubt I paid more for my 4 little radiation markers than people pay for "artist" tattoos, but those little pricks HURT. The reason they tatttoo cancer patients is to mark the spots so if I ever have to go back for more radiation the next doctor knows where I got zapped the first time. 

That was the beginning of my radiation adventure. I've had the first of 33 radiation sessions and survived. The radiation machine is set by computer to zap the same area each time. The technitions make sure I'm positioned in the same place each time based on marks they have drawn all over my side and chest plus the new tattoos. Then for 10 minutes I lay on the "slightly" padded slab while the radiation machine rotates around me. It doesn't hurt but it is hard to not to develop an itch that needs scratching and having both arms above my head causes a cramp or two. When the radiation is finished there are a couple of lotions to use on the radiated area to reduce the possibility of burning. That lotion is to be applied 2x/day. Controlling the burn and dealing with the fatigue are the only consistent side effects of radiation. Fatigue has been a constant companion since chemo started. Let's hope it doesn't get too bad.

Lymphedema therapy continues to be very helpful. I'm happy to be into a compression sleeve during the day. It is much more comfortable plus I can wear most of my clothes over it. When I had the bandages I was very limited on what I could get over the arm + bandages.

That's about it for now.

A GOOD DAY......Lymphedema victory #1 plus lunch with good friends

Now this is a good day......... Our long time friends Bill and LaVerne came by with lunch and we had a great visit with them and with their daughter and our God Daughter Vicki.  What fun!! When we get together sometimes it feels like we are all back in the 1970's....except the kids are now adults and there are these GRAND children! It is always great to catch up with each other.

I graduated from lymphedema wrap today! I started therapy with mega fluid in my left arm. I went to the Physical Therapy clinic 3x/wk to have the arm wrapped in ace bandages to move the fluid up the arm and out the trunk. Slowly the fluid has drained and my left arm is almost the same size as my right arm. YEAH!!! So now I can switch to a compression bandage for the daytime and at night I may be able to have NOTHING on my arm. What a relief!! I've made a reservation to attend a seminar on lymphedema so hopefully I can learn to manage this condition to the max.

The Dallas Quilt Show was this past weekend and I did make it down there. However that was about all I can say about my adventure. I was SO TIRED from just a little walking about that I spent most of my time setting here and there. Afterwards I figured out that part of the problem is my blood pressure medicine which is now a tad too strong. It worked fine pre chemo, but now I need a different dose. What I did get to see was the auction of some fantastic miniature quilts. I've seen some of my sister-in-laws miniature quilts and each one is perfection and beautiful. I had not seen dozens of art minis that are so great...and I can do this too. Now I'm motivated to take on an art mini project. That was worth the trip to the Quilt Show.

My chemo recovery plan is focusing on increasing stamina by doing a little more activity each day. It is so hard to walk any distance but I have to do more walking until it is easy. I can do some cooking and laundry. And driving is okay. As soon as I can get a compression sleeve I will be able to sew again. So life is getting better each day.