XRT treatment
Today was treatment #14 (42% done!). I chatted with the radiation techs about the superbowl and our favorite commercials (my vote is for the budwieser brotherhood ad). Very uneventful. Today the music was too low to hear it, but after 2 straight treatments of Bon Jovi it was hard to ask for anything better.
Simulation for the XRT Boost
The first 25 XRT treatments are whole breast radiation treatments. As the radiation tech told me today this means that the photons currently go all the way through my body. This is why I will see the starship enterprise looking thing and there are panels in the back. I am surrounded by photons! Anyways, the boost radiation was developed in the last 20 years and decreases the chance of reoccurance by 30-40%. The radiation tech and I discussed this. The boost involves different strength of radiation which goes a certain distance through the skin directed right at the tumor bed. The boost treatment involves a much more comfortable position. I get to lay on my left side almost in a fetal position. A new beanbag form was created today and instead of tattoos to mark where the radiation goes for this treatment they create a hand drawn bullseye on a piece of overhead projector film and a sharpie. During the simulation they glued wires to my lumpectomy scar and then run a CT scan. After the CT they use this information and my scar (and other markers drawn on me in sharpie) to make the bullseye. Super awesome patient moment, the radiation tech is cleaning off some of the sharpie with alcohol wipes and because I am ticklish it makes me giggle and squirm. Thankfully, she finds this hilarious as well.
During the simulation they played music as well. The most appropriate song came on (and got stuck in my head for the rest of the day):
Why thank you Shania. While having radiation treatment on my boob I most certainly do feel like a woman.
Meeting with the XRT Oncologist
The doctor is happy with the little skin reaction that I am having at this point. She says it's a real benefit that I don't have a lot of mass to deal with. Also, she told me that it's a good thing they leave metal markers in after surgery marking where the tumor was because otherwise with my super dense tissue they wouldn't know where to beam the radiation!
Out of bounds Blood Draw
To cap off my morning as Patient Sara before I get to be Dietitian Sara I need to have my blood drawn to see if I could enter a clinical trial. I figure what is one more place testing my blood? I brought the tubes to the blood lab and they let me skip the line and a tech, who seemed harmless enough, brought me into the room to draw my blood. After confirming name and date of birth, she asked, "Do you have Cancer?". Now, my hair is growing in well, but you can still tell that it is growing in (still a little bald up front). Also, the paper that went along with the tubes states for a Cancer clinical trial. I probably should have said "No" and this would have ended what became one of the most inappropriate conversations to date. Now, remember this all occurred in the same time span to have two tubes of blood drawn. We started off with her family cancer history, first breast cancer, a story about her friend who had a double mastectomy, and then about her sister who has end stage rectal cancer. I offer my apologies. She then wants to know if I have children, "no" and then follows it up with the ever inappropriate "Does this mean you can't have children?". Wow. I was unaware the my fertility status affected which arm the blood should be drawn out of? Thankfully my blood draw was complete. Otherwise I may have been asked about my political affiliations, salary, mothers maiden name, where I do my banking.... Damn this irish face and people feeling like they already know you.
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