Super Friends and Radiation Update

October 8, 2009

Check out Jason’s amazing friends! (Actually, I’m claiming them as my own, now.) These guys participated in the Komen Denver Race for the Cure on Sunday, Oct. 4. Their shirts say it all!!

Back row, from left: Brownell, Damian, Dom, Ian, Brian, Josh and Dave. Front row, from left: Lynna, Mia, Marti and Shevaun

My mind-numbing daily radiation appointments have been moving along without much fanfare. The only exciting thing that’s happened is one of the transformers at Swedish blew up last week, knocking down the servers that run the radiation department computers. Oliver had an early dismissal from school that day, so he came with me to the appointment. We found out the whole department was down when we got there, but we were able to get a personal tour of the radiation room, thanks to my nice radiation therapist Bria and the intern, Trisha. Oliver was quite impressed with the equipment. He’s becoming a regular there – he was a little under the weather yesterday and stayed home from school. He was feeling better by the afternoon, so he came again to the appointment. He got to watch me on the TV screen while I got my treatment, and of course he asked a million questions. One of the therapists called him a “budding radiation oncologist.”

The chest wall where the radiation beam is directed is showing some reaction. A couple weeks ago it started to turn a little red, like a sunburn. Now it is bright red, extremely itchy and starting to blister. The area under my arm is especially chaffed. My radiation oncologist seems disturbingly upbeat about this. Apparently my skin is reacting just as it should! He checked it out this past Tuesday and declared Tuesday, Oct. 13 as my LAST DAY! Apparently, he is known for tacking extra days on to the end of your treatment if your skin isn’t angry-looking enough. Mine seems to be reacting as it should, and he’s promised not to add any days (barring another transformer explosion!)

So that’s that! This whole thing that started with a really crummy day at the doctor’s office January 9 (Katie W. – you were with me – you remember it well!) will be DONE. At some point I’ll have my port-a-cath out (a day surgery) and I’ll have regular check-ups and scans, but the treatment part is over. It’s hard to believe – I thought this day would never come.

I guess there’s one more thing – I am going to get infusions of a drug called Zomeda once every six months for three years (first one is October 27). This drug is supposed to minimize the chance of the cancer coming back in my bones. I’ll have it done in the same place as I had my chemo infusions, although it should only take about 30 minutes.

Enjoying the sun and warm afternoons!