For Adult Audiences Only...contains photos of my skin

Finally, radiation has started to take its toll on my skin and my body this week . I started what is called Boost radiation where the focus is only on my breast area and the setup was a little different. They get closer over my body and have a contraption that attaches from the radiation machine which practically touches my skin compared to the prior 5 weeks.

The whole treatment takes a whole whopping 15 seconds and I'm done, but the dosage is stronger and more localized so I am noticing some more side effects. For instance, last night I slept for about 12 hours! Definitely radiation fatigue! Also my skin is much more red on the left breast and armpit and I just had my first 'break' in the tissue. As you can see, even the areas around my collarbone are beginning to show the burn from the radiation. And while this photo shows a coloration difference between left and right, it's even worse in real life! But, sorry, this is about as much as I would show on this site. Believe me, it's worse!

Actually, the break in my skin is because I removed  the 'sticker' they put on me for lining up the beam. They said I could remove all of them except the new ones they put on me yesterday which were only on the breast. When I peeled it off my skin on my sternum area, the skin was super red and today, it actually feels like  when a blister pops.

I was given a new cream from Dr. Kharofa in case the skin breaks opens, so I applied that today to help with healing. It's called Silvadene Cream 1%.

So, thankfully, I only have 3 more days of radiation and I hope it won't break down much more, but I am glad it has held off at least this long.

ONE MORE WEEK OF RADIATION AND I'M DONE!! GOOD BYE CANCER!

It's been 3 weeks since my last blog! I guess the reasons are good ones...I feel great! I have not experienced hardly any fatigue and my skin does not hurt. My radiation is going as well as one could imagine! Thank you, Jesus! To be specific, I have only had two days in the past 5 weeks when I had to lay down and take a little snooze. Not bad.  My skin is definitely more red and splotchy, but there is no itching, no pain, no peeling and no real awareness of it unless I rub my skin too hard. I keep it moisturized regularly and don't shower with super hot water, like I usually like, so I really don't even think about my radiation except for when I drive to my appointment every M-F or when someone asks. Here is Jen pointing out what they see when the radiation technologists treat me.

So since I have been feeling so awesome, I have been volunteering for my dentist, have started developing a dental hygiene coaching business, and keeping busy with my social schedule, including having a LulaRoe party. So glad my sweet daughter got to join me and now we can be matching mama and daughter!

We have hockey games to attend, friends to enjoy, and fun to have!

Next week my radiation will be even shorter as they will do what's called a BOOST, where they will no longer radiate my armpit or clavicle area but only focus on the area where the breast tumor was. So my 3 minute radiation appointment will turn into a 15 second appointment next week.

I also will meet with my medical oncologist on Monday and get the final word on when I can have my rotator cuff surgery.

For now, I'm keeping busy with normal life stuff. So thankful to be alive! And my hair just keeps on growing! Only 3 more years and it will look like BCD (Before Cancer Days).

Radiation Fatigue And Free Time Activities

Radiation is continuing to go swimmingly. I'm almost done with week 3 and still feeling great! My skin feels and looks normal. I am faithful to apply aloe or Ann Post's Whipped Neem Balm on it multiple times daily. I haven't used the castor oil as much. It's so sticky and really I feel like the others do the job just fine. Fatigue might be just starting a little as I felt like laying down a while last evening, but it was short lived because my mind was going a hundred miles per hour so I couldn't sleep. So from a cancer treatment perspective, it's nice to report that it's uneventful!

Since I'm feeling well, I have been able to keep busy with normal activities, for us, like having our annual Frozen Butt Hang last weekend! Great fun being with such awesome people and relaxing in our woods around a huge campfire and enjoying the gift of wonderful friends! We had 16 for the campfire and potluck dinner and 10 overnight campers!

Also, I am now volunteering a little of my time at my place of work. No, I am not able to do dental hygiene yet. In fact, that won't happen until after my shoulder surgery. But I'm helping our Dr. Henize with some marketing projects. It's quite fun and since I'm not getting a paycheck for it, I can come and go pretty liberally. That's nice for when I'm needing to have a day with a friend or two. In fact, this week Liz, Brooklyn and I had the 'joy' of being together to help Liz go through Jordan's final belongings like his clothes closet, his box of things with him when he died, and they cleaned out his locker at the firehouse. This was hard. This was emotional. This was necessary. I'm thankful to be able to be available for days like this. In in all, we still agree that God is good.

So after 276 days...cancer has been a good teacher. It has shown me the compassion, generosity, and love of so many people. It has given me the gift of new perspective on living and life (thank you Dr. Mary Neal). It has offered me lots of time with my amazing husband, for which I am most thankful. And it has taught me that even when I have lots of time on my hands...I still don't like to exercise! However, I did do something this past weekend that was quite fun. Aerial yoga...

Two Weeks Of Radiation Down, Four to Go!

I started radiation a couple weeks ago and nothing has really changed physically. It's still quick, easy, and painless. In fact, I was told that I should expect fatigue after week 1 or 2 and I still am feeling normal energy. In fact, I've woken up a few times at 2-3 a.m. and couldn't fall back asleep! My skin has not turned pink or feel like sunburn yet either! So lots to be thankful for.

After chemo and losing my hair, I went from long brown (30% gray) to bald. Then on October 15, 2016 I stopped shaving my few hairs remaining and let it start growing back in. Now I have a really cute hair color that I've been told that people would pay lots of money to have their hair colored like how mine is growing back in! I'm loving it, but it will be growing out long again. And I'm thankful everyday for bedhead...it means I have hair!

I've also enjoyed hanging with some local friends, Susan and Karen,

my daughter, Sarah Jean,

 and this weekend I have the joy of LillyMae Pieniazek as she will 'hang' with us tomorrow night at our Frozen Butt Hang! We were out in the Wonderly Woods all afternoon preparing for the 'hangers'! I am so appreciative that I have the physical strength and energy to do this. We love hanging in our woods!

Radiation Has Begun

Radiation: 6 weeks/5 days per week/30 sessions!

I am very happy to report that I've been to my radiation appointment twice now and it is very easy. The whole appointment takes about 10 minutes, the ladies who work with me are sweet tempered and explain my treatment clearly, it's painless, and I find it's a good opportunity for me to pray for some specific people as a good distraction to what's happening. Not that I'm nervous, but I use the time to be mindful of some special people and situations that I can just focus on prayer instead of being zapped.

I asked the technologist how long I can expect before  the predicted fatigue and skin irritation starts. She said that in 1-2 weeks I'll be noticing the fatigue and my skin will start getting more red in 3-4 weeks. She also said that by the time I'm at my 6 weeks with them, I will be MORE THAN READY to be done with them!

I really had no idea what would happen during radiation, so I took some pictures. This is what I look at while lying on the bed as the radiation beams are at work! It's a ceiling screen and there are 4 of them. They have lights behind it to illuminate the room. Very nice touch UC!

And these are the technologists that take such great care of me. I'm still learning their names, but next to me is Jenny, then Stephanie. I'll have  to work on remembering the other's name tomorrow.

So basically, I change into a stylish hospital gown, lie down on this bed, position my arms and head in the blue custom formed pillow and they take a few images to make sure I'm lined up accurately.

Some places actually tattoo patient's skin to make sure the machine is lined up, but they marked me with colored markers and put clear stickers over the marks. I have about 9 of these stickers on my abdomen, chest, and sides that I will keep on for  the entire 6 weeks.

Once I'm positioned, the circular head and side panels move to different positions and they line me up with with a green light beam matching the placement of my stickers, confirm placement, and it begins. Basically I take a deep breath in and hold it for 3-13 seconds, depending on which area they radiate. The machine beeps while it's treating me and then it rotates into the next position. I do this about 8-10 times until the ladies come back in the room a few minutes later. And I'm done! That's it.  Super easy. As for getting cancer treatment, it couldn't be easier! Normally I'm actually not covered with a towel for treatment, but you can see how it works here. The tubes near my waist are connected to a sensor that can tell how deeply I breathe when I hold my breath. Since the radiation is on the left side near my heart, I take deep breath holds to force my lungs into pushing my heart away from the area of radiation.

I need to apply moisturizers 3-5 times daily to the affected skin to keep it moist. I'm told it won't prevent the redness and irritation, but will help it. Tomorrow I will go buy an aloe leaf at the grocery store since aloe is great for this. But between that and nightly applying castor oil and daily putting on Ann Post's Whipped Neem Balm, I'm keeping my skin as moist as I know how!

Other than that medical news, I was an organizing beast in my kitchen and pantry this past weekend! Check out these lazy susan shelving units my very talented husband made for me!

Waiting For Radiation While Dreaming Of Quetico

Not much has happened since last week other than a couple lymphedema therapy appointments, which I finished my last one today! Arm is feeling much better and unless it worsens, I don't need to go back.  🙆

I'm dealing with a head cold like most people these days! Thankfully, I have a few more days to recover before I start radiation next week.

I did get a call this morning from Dr. Kharofa's office and my radiation appointments start this upcoming Monday, January 23rd, 2017.  I found out that my very first appointment with the simulator last week to get me set up for radiation cost over $5000, my yearly deductible! Gulp! On the bright side, I can just think of all my other medical appointments for this year as 'free'!

I'm doing a bit of audiobook listening these days. Just finished 'Unbroken' by Laura Hillenbrand. Excellent read.

Also, in all my spare time, I'm neurotically organizing my spice cupboard and cabinets. John has made me custom lazy susans for all my  pantry shelves and a kitchen cabinet for all my storage containers!

Even if I can't practice dental hygiene, I am feeling like I need to do something...getting a little bored. I wish I loved exercise more.

Today, I am very excited about one thing! The 2017 Cincinnati Sport and Travel Show is taking place and we always go there to meet our outfitter for our wilderness camping trip and get a date confirmed and talk 'shop' with the Zups! Since I missed my beloved Quetico trip last year due to stupid cancer, I will have the best 51st birthday this upcoming September 2017. And tonight, I get to immerse myself in dreaming of Wicksteed Lake, Rebecca Falls, and being in the most restorative and romantic place on earth for us...Quetico National Park, Canada!

 Lover's Falls where we never saw another person the entire day!

 My last cup of chai in Quetico 2015

 Roland Lake's secretive 5 star camp site

 The honey hole into Minn Lake and the end of Darkey River

 Serenity at its finest. Absolute silence and tranquility.

 Fog on Rebecca Falls

 Early morning peacefulness at Rebecca Falls

 Rebecca Falls

 Sunset on Wicksteed Lake

 I cannot wait until September 2017!

Prepped And Ready for Radiation, But Forced To Cancel Annual Frozen Butt Hang!

Tuesday I had my simulation appointment with the radiation oncology office. It was pretty straight forward. Strip from waist up 😏 and lay down on CT scanner😴.

Then get comfy with torn rotator cuff by positioning arms above head!😨, don't move for 20 min😬 and mold me in position😱.

Then practice deep breaths...holding each for 20 seconds 😳 after tightly strapping on a breathing monitor across my waist, play dot-to-dot on my tummy and sides with a permanent marker and then put stickers over the marks so they won't come off for the next 7 weeks 😰.

Take a cat scan 😽. Done!
It only took about an hour and was pretty simple. Now I wait for the office to call me once the treatment plan is put in place and then I will get on the schedule. As I mentioned in the past, it will be 6 weeks of radiation, 5 times a week, 10-15 min. for each appt. Supposedly I can expect to be a bit fatigued and will get redness like a sunburn, eventually. The condition of my skin would respond best if it's not already dried out, so I decided to stop my water aerobics class until this is all done. I started putting castor oil on my skin where the treatment will be, just to get it supple before I even start.  I've been told castor oil, aloe, and a few specialty creams are best for radiation.

Unfortunately, I got a bit of a head cold a couple days ago, so the last 2 days I've pretty much sipped tea, read books, and laid low.

We were going to have our annual Frozen Butt Hang (outdoor hammock camping) in our woods this weekend (before I started radiation), but the 40-60 degree weather and rain for the past 3 days caused us to postpone it! Bummer!! I was so looking forward to being in our woods! Last year we had a grand time and did it 3 times! Here are a few pics of our Wonderly Woods Frozen Butt Hang from 2016! If we did it this weekend, we would have to rename it the Thawed Butt Sag instead! I will keep dreaming.....