Day 258 - Peel & Heal

Sorry that I haven't posted in awhile. Following my last post, I got busy with trying to get ready for a long weekend trip. Yay!

Last weekend the family went to Nevada for my Dad's wedding. We left for Reno on Thursday... so all the days leading up to it I was busy packing and doing last minute stuff. Then we were gone Thursday, Friday, Saturday (wedding day!), Sunday and then back Monday. Then it was just trying to get back into the swing of things.

So here's what's happened in the last 10 days. First off, my skin is starting to peel and heal from radiation. The part where the blister was under my arm is now nice and pink... like a good healthy pink. Before it was awful pink - like hot pink. Now it's a nice healthy light pink. Each day my crispy skin is peeling. The bits and pieces of skin look like Thanksgiving Day turkey skin - tan and crispy. I'm not too sure about taste, though. Not going there. In addition to the peeling under my arm, the skin right under my boob is also peeling in big crispy chunks. The rest of the breast is doing good. It's turning tan and then peeling like a normal sunburn would. There's no discomfort anymore. I was putting silvadene under my arm last week. But now I am putting lotion all over to keep it moist and not dry. I do believe the worst is over.

Next week (Tuesday) I have my two week check up with Dr. Marquez. I am certainly impressed with the way things are healing and I have a feeling that I will be able to get my tissue expander exchange surgery done this year. I want it all on one deductible. Anywho, I'll let you know how that appointment goes. My arm did get a little stiff because of the peeling under my arm. But I am back to stretching it every day. Doing my finger crawls along the wall and such. I am just happy that I am able to sleep on my left side again.

I finally got an appointment with my replacement oncologist, Dr. Chui. My appointment is October 19. So that will be good. I really want to start Phase 4 of my treatment.

As for work... it's been crazy busy. We just went through shift bids again. I got my same shift. So I work 4a-1230p Monday through Friday. I don't like waking up that early, but hey, it's a weekday shift.

Other than that... not much else to update you all on.

Just Congratulations Dad and Karen. We enjoyed the three hour cruise! Can't wait to cruise again next year!

Day 248 - Radiation #28: Last one!

PHASE 3: COMPLETE!

Hooray, I am happy to report that I just finished my radiation treatment. Today was the final day and I am over the moon happy that I don't have to go in.

So... I now know what it feels like to be the Thanksgiving Day turkey. I feel cooked and ready to be served. My skin is turning a nice toasty tan/brown and feels so crispy. Ha! The thermometer has popped.

Yes, treatment is finally over for phase 3. This phase was pretty easy compared to Phase 1. Nevertheless, I am just happy it's over and this is all behind me. I went in this afternoon bearing goodies for my favs! I printed out the radiation treatment blog entries and my freshly baked cookies for Dan and Linea. I'm so glad that they were both there for my last treatment. They both came in to get me this afternoon and asked if I was ready for my last treatment. I said heck ya. I also told them that I came bearing gifts. They know I don't bake... and I made it a point to say I only bake for people that I like. I really do like them and I will miss them terribly. They made my treatments so bearable... and when I say them, I mean Andrea, Beth and all the other radiation therapists who I came in contact with. They were all so nice, accommodating and fun to be around. They are the type of people that I wouldn't mind hanging around with outside of OHSU. Dan... I'm taking you up on your offer to go out on your boat next year! :)

So Dan noticed that I am taking more time getting my shirt off. I have been wearing two shirts. One shirt is a little more snug fitting and is very soft. Then I put a normal shirt over that. He looked at my side and said that it's looking a lot better than it was last week. It does look better, but the skin feels so chapped and feels like it's going to crackle at any moment. But now that I am done with treatment, I don't really care because I know the my skin isn't going to get the brunt of radiation anymore. So then I got on the table... they shifted me and then Dan applied my aquafor. Before he touched me I said "Ouch!" I love doing that. It's fun to play around with Dan because he's such a good sport. Then it was time to get zapped. Five - zap. Dan came in twice to fix my wedge. Four - zap. Dan and Linea came in to put my bolus on with the tape. Three - zap. The machine moves around to get my tangent field. Two - zap. I hear the MLCs moving. One - zap (5 seconds). I hear the door open and I am done! You read that D.O.N.E.! I bet you can't tell that I am excited!?

I hopped off the machine. I asked Dan what he does with the bolus when a patient is done with it. He said throws it away. (Actually I asked while I was on the machine.) I asked if I could have a piece. He said sure... I could have the whole thing. I told him I just wanted a little piece of it. Then somehow it got to be (I think it was Linea) that he takes the bolus home and hangs it on the wall. How creepy would that be??? I was laughing so hard... and it's hard not to laugh and not keep your body still (reminder, I was still on the table in between zaps). I told him I could sign mine if he wanted. Anywho... back to after the last zap... he came out with scissors and cut me a piece. It feels rubbery and reminds me of balistic gel.

Before I left, I got to see my radiation fields. Pretty cool. I saw how the x-rays are matched up with my plan to make sure they are getting the right areas. It was so cool... and this has been such a learning experience for me. They do say that OHSU is a teaching hospital. And teach it did. Dan, Linea, Dean, Beth, Rebecca, Andrea, Andrea... you were all great teachers and I am so glad that I could be your pupil. I'll be ready to take my boards next year! :) And yes, you do get CE credits from me.

I also got to see Beth before I left for the day. She gave me a big hug... cause I told her it was my last day. Dan and Linea gave me a hug and told me to stop by when I come in for my two week check up.  I told them I would come and see them... most definitely. They thanked me for the treats... sugar cookies (I took into account that chocolate gives Dan headaches) and Dan said he was going to read the blog stuff that I printed out. I told him it wasn't the whole thing... just my time spent in radiation. I'll more than likely print this last entry out for them and give it to them when I see them again.

Then I was gone.... texting my support group... letting them know that I was done with Phase 3. I love all of you for being great cheerleaders and my never ending support group.

And of course... I leave you now with Fact #28: Bolus. I asked Dan if I could take some bolus home. I wanted to know if it was okay because the early founders of x-rays and radiation had complications later in life. They took home radium and other radioactive materials in their pockets or they studied close to the sources. For instance, Marie Curie's papers are contained in a lead box because they are radioactive. I didn't know if taking my bolus I would inadvertently be taking home a radioactive substance. Dan said no. So here I am with my bolus.


My bolus. It's about 1/4" thick and allows the radiation to
be more at the surface. The radiation was getting my skin
rather than penetrating deeper into my body, thus hitting
organs it shouldn't be zapping.

Day 245 - Radiation #27 (one more!)

Today was a good, fast day. It started off with work. If you haven't heard by now, Apple has announced that it will sell the iPhone 5. Honestly, I don't know what all the fuss is about. Apple is making big bucks - funneling jobs out of the U.S. It costs $8 for Apple to assemble the phone. Meanwhile the company sells them for $500-900 a pop. Yea. So today was a busy day because today was the first day for pre-orders. All those people who are trying to keep up with the Joneses. Makes me laugh.

Anyway, so it was back to back calls today. But it was a good day. I was running a contest trying to raise one of my stats. It worked. I saw lots of people vying for the prize... a candy bar. Hey... whatever works, right?

After work, I high tailed it to radiation for my second to last treatment. Nice! I was in and out. Didn't see Dan, but got to work with Andrea and Rebecca. I even saw Linea. I haven't seen her in FOREVER. Whenever I get my treatment, she's been at lunch. My blisters are getting better. Where I ripped off the skin, the new stuff is growing back. One side effect of radiation is the red skin. It's very red - like a bad sunburn red. And now it's getting itchy. Besides being itchy, the skin is getting tighter. So I am stretching my arm a lot. I'm stretching to keep the skin on my chest loose. That's the only thing that's preventing me from having full mobility now. The skin is just so "dry" and tight. The other arm is good.

Following radiation, I picked up Amelia and took her to the doctor. I needed to get her shots that I put off at her four year check up. The doctor didn't feel comfortable giving her the vaccination since I was just coming off of chemo. Amelia got two... DTaP and chicken pox. In another three months we will go back and she will get her MMRV and be all caugh up. They didn't have the MMRV shot. I wanted to spare her of more needles. She did awesome, too! Hardly a tear shed, however she did scream out "ouch ouch ouch!" We got a milkshake afterwards.

That's about it.

Fact #27: To become a radiation therapist, it requires courses in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology (think Gray's Anatomy, not the tv show), physics-radiation physics, patient care, treatment planning and radiation oncology (studying all radiation treatments that go with cancer patients). Rebecca said that when she went through school she had to create a treatment plan for a "patient" from start to finish. I also found out how the radiation oncologist prepares treatment. In my case, Dr. Marquez talks to a dosimetrist and tells them exactly what she wants. The dosimetrist then calculates the best plan for radiation... figuring out the angles and how to get the best results with the least amount of radiation to the other body parts. Once a plan is figured out, Dr. Marquez will look at the plan and either say yay or nay. That plan is then moved over to the radiation therapists who then enter it into the computer and, the rest as you say, is history. A dosimetrist is responsible for the radiation dose distribution and dose calculations.

Only ONE more treatment left!!

Day 244 - Radiation #26: Breast Cancer Treatment

Not much to report today. Only that I have two more treatments. Oh yes, don't mind my ticker to the right. It's off by three days.

So what's your view... I was looking online at my insurance claims. Apparently OHSU billed my insurance for treatment the day that the LINAC machine was down and I didn't have treatment. Think I should say anything to anyone... or just let it ride? Let OHSU suck Cigna for its money? Thoughts? Heh heh heh...

Today's fact is interesting. Rebecca told me that her mother had breast cancer back in 1995. She had a lumpectomy, chemo and radiation. Fact #26: Radiation treatments have not changed in the past 17 years. She said that her mom had radiation on the tangents, which is what I am having. (I am also having supraclavicular radiation, which wasn't part of her treatment.) Our treatment does not differ to much. Interesting. There has not been any significant findings in radiation treatment.

Here are a few pictures of my "twins." I know that you all are probably wondering how big they have gotten. Enjoy! It was taken before radiation.

Day 243 - Radiation #25 (3 more left): Radiation Therapists

The story of my life right now... but not for much longer!

Not much to report today. Regular treatment. Only three more left! The blisters are healing. They aren't as puffy or rather containing much liquid. So it's a definite improvement. The skin that tore off is healing nicely. It's not as pink and is starting to match the color of my non-radiated skin. Even Dan said that it was looking better... as well as Andrea. She put the aquafor on my skin again today. And she remembered to take the bolus off first, before the tape.

I did ask Andrea and Rebecca about what Dr. Siddiqui had said yesterday about the bolus. If the bolus was taken off, the radiation would penetrate deeper into my body, as mentioned in post Day 207. But if they took it off, the dosing would be different. They sometime take it off if the skin gets really bad. I said it's not bad and I don't want to change anything.

Fact #25: How do you become a radiation therapist? Years ago you had to be an x-ray tech or a nurse first. Then you had to go through a certification. Andrea said that she was an x-ray technician and then went through a one year program. After that she had to take a board test and then was certified. Now, it's a four year degree. Rebecca has two bachelors degrees. The first one is for public health and the second one is for radiation. It's a two year specialized program and concludes with your board test. So to be a radiation therapist it is a little harder... and more expensive. Andrea said when she did it, there was no tuition. All they needed to pay was for books and supplies. The very next year the program required students to pay. When Rebecca went through the program, she had to pay about $22k. When she asked new students just graduating, they told her it was about $40k. Holy heavens! There aren't many radiation therapist programs on the west coast. There's one at Bellevue Community College in Washington and then one at OHSU. I'll have to ask what the curriculum is like...

Day 242 - Radiation #24: Madame Curie

Another day, another radiation treatment. Today's treatment consisted of a zap or five and a meet and greet with the doctor. Dan brought me back to the treatment room and asked how my blisters were. I said they were the same as before. He took a look at it and said, "Yep." Then Andrea put the aquafor on my blisters and it was time to go. Five zaps later it was time to take the bolus off. I asked Andrea to take the bolus off before the tape. She obliged and my side didn't hurt.

Then it was off to see the doctor. Nicole came and got me. She asked me how things were. I told her the same as yesterday and that I liked the non-gel pads better. She thought I might like that. So she told me that she would get me more of those pads and then two more of my fashionable netting tube tops! I told Nicole that I am starting to get itchy, but it's under control. She asked if I was in pain from the blisters. I am not.

Next Dr. Faisil Siddiqui came in (Dr. Marquez's resident). We chatted a little bit and he looked at my blister. He said that it was looking pretty good. He thought that some of the blisters were scars, but those were blisters that my body re-absorbed the liquid. We talked about how I am going treat the blisters... with the aquafor. He asked if I knew what the bolus was for. I said yes. Then Dr. S said something that struck me odd. He told me that the bolus gets the radiation more concentrated at the skin/surface and that if we need to change treatment, we can remove the bolus. Hmmm... nah. I am fine with my treatment the way it is. If it helps lessen the change of recurrence, then continue with what we've got going. I only have four more treatments. I think I'll manage. Dr. S said that he thinks my skin will hold up. I hope so. Then we talked about kids. He actually has three... a daughter who's 12 and two boys 9 and 3. I like him. He's cool. I told him that I need to get a picture with him. He said okay, then asked if it was for the blog. I said, "yep." Then he laughed and said, "No." I told him regardless I still wanted a picture of him. He will when I go back for my check up...

Which brings me to post radiation! My last treatment is scheduled for next Monday. I usually Dr. Marquez on Tuesdays. So he told me that what I need to do is schedule a post-radiation check up in two weeks so they can check my skin. So it looks like I'll be seeing Dr. Marquez the first week of October. They want to make sure my skin is healing. Dr. S said that I will continue to see side effects of the radiation treatment for at least a week after the last one. Not a problem. Following the two week treatment, I'll have another one at 6 weeks. Wow! I can't believe it!

Before I could leave, Dr. S said that he had to get an attending physician to see me for a moment. Dr. S is a resident (it's a 4 year program) and he needs to be signed off. So then he left and came back several minutes later with Dr. Holland. He was a hoot. He asked if he could see my blisters. Joking, I told him no. He thought I was serious. I was not and was laughing as well as Dr. S. He said it's looking good. Dr. Holland asked what I was doing for my skin. I told him it's aquafor, calendula and then lotion. He said that there's a thing called silvadene. I said, I am quite familiar with it. Then I said that when I am done with treatment I'll schmeer it on. I told him that I will play the bagel and the silvadene will be my cream cheese! It's the same consistency. Dr. Holland laughed. And that was it. (Dr. Marquez was away speaking someplace fabulous)

Radiation Therapists: Beth and Rebecca (the historian)

Fact #24: Maria Curie... ever heard of her? They made a movie about her life. Anywho, she was a Nobel Prize winner for Physics in 1903 (along with her husband, Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel). In 1898, she discovered two elements polonium and radium them. Madame Curie named polonium after her native country, Poland. She also received a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911. Curie died in 1934 aplastic anemia associated with the radioactive materials she handled in her lifetime. Another thing I learned... her papers are kept in a lead case because they are so highly radioactive. If anyone wants to read them, then they need to wear protective clothing.

Me and Radiation Therapist, Linea

The Door of Doom & MLCs

Just popping on quickly to show you the "Door of Doom." See how thick it is? No radiation will pass through!

See how thick the door is? Yikes!

And here's a picture of the Multileaf collimators. This was taken when LINAC 1 was down.

The MLCs make the shape of my radiation field.
They often move during my "zap."

Day 241 - Radiation #23: An escape plan

Today was a good day. I felt like a lot was accomplished. I went in to see the doctor today before treatment. I didn't get to see Dr. Marquez. Instead I saw the nurse, Nicole. We went into one of the changing rooms and I showed her my blister and where the skin was stripped off. She said... oooh. I said that I wanted to continue with treatment since we are so close to being done. She understood. I asked if there was something we could put over the area, like gauze. I said it's not the treatment that I am worried about. I am worried that when the bolus comes off, then it's going to rip off the skin on the blister. She went and talked with one of the radiation therapists. Andrea suggested we try using aquafor hoping that will lubricate the area enough that the bolus wouldn't stick. I asked about using the silvadene. She said I don't have to use it. It contains silver in it which you can't have during treatment. In addition, they would have to take it off for treatment. Nicole said that normally Dr. Marquez treats a patient and when they are done, she says use the silvadene. I'm cool with that. She told me that I should use the aquafor in its place. We will watch for any infection. I have to make sure it's only oozing clear liquid and doesn't smell. She said that the clear liquid is fine. We talked about putting something over the blister so my arm doesn't rub against it or my shirt. So now I have this netting that I am using as a tube top. It's working great. If you've had a baby, think of the wonderful "post-partum panties" they give you. It's glorified cotton netting with elastic in it. Nevertheless, I can put a bandage type pad over the area and have it stay in place without using tape. I also have these gel packs I can use as well. So far, so good. Oh yes, the silvadene... some of it falls off, some of it sticks around and some of it is absorbed - just in case you want to know.

Then I had my radiation treatment. I told Dan it was all his fault. He looked at it and said "uh huh." He went and got me some aquafor and I got to apply it with four people watching me. It was quite comical because it's so dim in the room. I had Dan, Andrea, Linea and Trang (I think that was his name... having a chemo moment) watching me. Finally Dan grabbed a flashlight and shined it on my armpit. Then it was lay down and put my arms up. It took a little longer today because they had to reset the MLCs. It was funny because Trang told me what they were... I said, "yes, I know." He had forgotten that I am learning all about radiation. They all joke that by the time I am done, I will be able to take the boards. Ha! I had the first two zaps and then came the bolus. I told Dan to be gentle. He said he's not ever... I wanted to say something else, but I bit my tongue... since I was in such a compromising position. My next three zaps were uneventful. Next came the touchy part - removal of the bolus. Dan started to remove the medical tape he puts on the bolus (straps me to the table and tapes the bolus down around my breast). Things were going well... but then he got to the part that's near my underarm. I told him to take the bolus off and then remove the tape. It works better for me. When he's pulling off the tape on the bolus, he's pulling at my skin, too. But when he removes it first, it works better. So he pulled off the bolus and the aquafor worked. It didn't stick to my skin as much and didn't pull.

So now I am wearing my little tube top and spreading aquafor under my arm.

Here's my fact... Fact #23: Emergency! I asked today what they do if there's an emergency and there's no power. There's a big two foot thick door that separates me from the outside world. If something were to happen, the rad therapist can shut off the machine from the control area. I can shut it off by a button on the wall. I asked what would happen if there's no electricity. How do I get out of the room. Dan reassured me that I would not be stuck in there and there's a hand crank for the door. Phew. I like the escape plan. Crisis diverted.

Day 240 - Silvadene

So it's day 2 of blisters. The blister has not popped, however, last night when I was taking off the dressing on my blister, the tape took off my skin. It's left brand new pink skin open to the air and it's at risk for infection. So last night I called the on-call radiation oncologist again and asked her what to do. The area was seeping some clear liquid and I didn't know what to do. She called in a prescription for silvadene. It's a cream containing silver sulfadiazine. It's used for burn patients. It contains bacteria fighting stuff in it so the risk for infection is lower. So I am applying that to my skin once a day. A word to those going through this... DON'T USE TAPE on your radiated skin. It may take your skin with you! Tomorrow I have to go in and meet with Dr. Marquez. She told me not to use the stuff tomorrow because if I do, and they give me the thumbs up to go ahead with treatment, I won't be able to get it. Maybe they will say it's okay to continue and then the radiation therapists can just put some gauze over the affected area when they put the bolus over me.

So for the rest of today, I am walking around with my left hand on my hip so the creme doesn't come off of the "wound." Brad asked if I was walking the fashion runway. Ha! Far from it. If the blister pops, there's risk of infection and that can get into the blood and cause sepsis. That's what my mother in law has. I don't want to be in the hospital.

Day 239 - Radiation Blisters

Fun times continue... this morning I woke up to blisters. Yes, blisters have formed under my arm in the axilla area. They have not opend, but they are there. So I called the on-call radiation oncologist this morning. I explained the situation. She told me to continue with putting calendula on the blister and aquafor lotion. I asked if I should put gauze on it because the blister is where my arm brushes across the side of my body. She said that would be good... reduce friction. She told me to call if the blisters open. I said I would because I don't want them to get infected. Looks like I will be meeting with Dr. Marquez on Monday. We will see if we need to rest from radiation for a few days to let the blisters heal or to move the radiation treatment so it's not getting that area. Sigh. When things were going so well... this bites.

Day 238 - Radiation #22: Mammosite

TGIF! Here I am sitting outside on the deck in the 90 degree weather watching my kids play in the pool. Today is supposedly the final day of nice summer weather... well, the last 90 degree day we will have of 2012. That's okay with me, because I am eager to get on with 2013 as I am sure many of you are in favor of.

Elaina (front) and Amelia (back) playing in the pool.

Me! Look at the blue sky behind me!

Today was a quick, fast, painless day of radiation. I ran into the other lady I talked to about a week ago. She was just finishing up her treatment for the day. We said hello. She only has 8 treatments left. I told her I have 6 after today (SIX! WOW!). I told her that I have decided to go with Dr. Chui for my next part of cancer treatment. She said that is a good choice and she really likes him. Good. I have confidence now. Well more confidence in picking a doctor to replace Dr. Luoh. Nothing much to report.

Fact #22: (courtesy of Andrea, the fill in from the other machine) There is another form of radiation treatment. It's called Mammosite. It's an internal form of radiation. It's a 5 day, high density form of treatment. There's a catheder that's placed inside the breast. There's a balloon at the end of it and it's expanded. There's a thin tube to where from which the radiation is emitted. The device is then hooked up (external) to the radiation source. From doing just a little bit of research, I think it's more for women who have a lumpectomy.

Day 237 - Radiation #21: Rubber Gloves

Nothing really to report here. Just the same run of the mill radiation treatment. Today the machines were all up and working well. Today they took films of me to make sure they were radiating the right areas. Other than that... boring!

Fact #21: I learned the history of rubber gloves (thanks Rebecca). We can say "thank you" to William Halsted. Thanks to him, he made the wearing of rubber gloves a staple in the medical field. He was the founder of the gloves when his nurse developed a rash after washing with mercuic chloride in the 1890s. He asked Goodyear Rubber company to make thin rubber gloves to protect her hands. The thought of germ control wasn't the goal, but it was found that wearing the gloves did prevent the spread of disease and infection. Dr. Halsted was methodical about sterilizing his medical equipment and later developed surgical hats and gowns. Halsted developed several new types of operations, including the radical mastectomy for breast cancer. He also became addicted to cocaine, but kicked the habit and became a founding professor at John Hopkins Hospital. Also of note, the nurse, Caroline Hampton, became his wife.

Day 236 - Radiation #20: The price of shoes

Today it was a good radiation day. I say that because LINAC 1 was having issues again. I got to OHSU and checked in. Dan was out in the waiting area talking with another person when I got there. I wanted to check out the magazines, as the magazines in the interior/dressing room waiting area were growing stale. Dan came and got me and he told me his machine was down again and the technicians were working on it. So he asked if I wanted to get some lunch. I said sure and he went to his little office area to get a gift card to get lunch in the OHSU cafeteria. While I was there waiting for him, Dorothy was there (the chair of the Radiation Therapists) and said hello to me again. We chatted for moment. I asked what was wrong with the machine again. The MLCs were acting up again. I told Dan that I didn't do it this time! Well, I ended up getting my treatment today. It wasn't acting up that bad, so I got to go through rad. Awesome. While I was waiting for them to get the machine back up, I think I heard the RTs talking about me to Dorothy. I think she was saying I was a good sport and that I roll with the punches. If you guys were talking about me, then I want to say... what can you do? Things happen. It's gonna get done... just not right this second. Enjoy the moment! :)

So I got my radiation and there were no pretty pictures to be had (no x-rays today). I told him that he could skip it today because I thought Dan would be pushing his luck with the machine. Following my session, I went back to wait for Nicole, the nurse. I didn't have to wait long. She just got back from vacation and she said that she opened up her email to see a flood of emails regarding all the machines going down last week. I laughed. She took my vitals and we went to the exam room. We talked about how I was feeling (no fatigue), if I was working (no time off except to come to appointments) and if my skin was hurting. I said that yes, it does in one certain area. That is the area where the tissue expanders end and there's just skin going from the expander to the chest wall. It's near my drain scars. She asked to look at it. She said that I was red and then looked under my boob. She said it's reddest there. I said, "Oh really? I didn't notice." I thought the worst place was under my arm. Apparently it is not. So she told me that I can start putting lotion - Eucerin Aquafor - there before I go to bed. Okay. Will do. When she got done with that, Dr. Marquez came into the room. She wasn't even paged. She was early and there was no waiting for her! Sweet night! She saw my skin and agreed with Nicole. She asked how many treatments I have left... EIGHT! Dr. M said my skin is looking great and I will have no problems. I said that there's a patch of skin that's turning tan! My skin will turn tan after the radiation. Anyway, I asked if many patients get redder. She said that normally by this stage a majority of her patients are a lot redder than I am. Awesome. That's good news. I also asked about seeing a new oncologist. I wanted to ask her opinion of who she thinks will be best for me. Dr. M said you are so easy going that I don't have a personality issue (compliment). She said that I could go with either Dr. Lopez-Chavez or Dr. Chiu. Dr. Chiu specializes in breast cancer. So I think that's who I will go with for the next stage of treatment. Oh gee, I guess there's 5 stages of treatment, not four.

After radiation, I decided to go up to the Breast Center and see if Brooke was there. I love her to death. We just chatted. She said that I look great. We talked about treatment, shared pictures of the girls, talked about Race for the Cure and just nonsense stuff. It was nice. Then I went home. Other than that, nothing really new. I am tired right now from the day. But I always get tired from the day around now. I'll get my second wind momentarily!

So here's Fact #20: History time (courtesy of Rebecca)! Back in the 1920s and all the way up to the 1970s, shoe salesperson would measure patrons feet by using an x-ray fluoroscope. The customer would place their foot in a box. The salesperson would then look inside the box down at the x-ray view of the foot and the shoe. There would be another viewing port so the parent could see the kid wiggle their toes and see the outline of the shoes. In 1949, it was found the device could cause harm and they were phased out in the U.S. They remained in use in the U.K. until the 70s. OMG! Wow... according to wikipedia, the fluoroscope was a gimmick used to sell shoes with "better fit" during the Depression.

Shoe Fluoroscope on display at the National Museum of Health and Medicine, manufactured by Adrian Shoe Fitter, Inc. circa 1938, that was used in a Washington, DC, shoe store.

Day 235 - Radiation #19: kV vs mV

Hello again! Hope you had a good three day weekend. My skin enjoyed three days of rest! Hahaha! Not much new here. Went to session #19 of radiation. I was in and out. I only have 9 more treatments. Wahooo!

Fact #19: The radiation machine, I have told you, has an x-ray machine attached to it. Normally when I get my x-rays, they take the pictures in megavolts(the same strength as I get for treatment). The x-rays are perfect for what the radiation therapists need. However, there's another x-ray machine built into it... and it takes pictures in kilovolts (kV). So what's the difference? The clarity of the images. The x-rays taken in kV are better quality. The ions are better absorbed in the bone. That's why it's better. So if you break your arm, your x-rays will be in kV rather than mV.

Day 231 - Radiation #18 Redux: ion chamber

My poor friends on the 4th floor of Kohler Pavillion. They can't seem to catch a break this week.

I arrived at "4th floor, radiation oncology" this afternoon. After checking in, I found that LINAC 2 went down this morning twice! Hence, my radiation therapists can't seem to catch a break this week. However, my machine was up and running again. I didn't spend too much time there because I had things to do... more on that later. But it was an uneventful radiation treatment. All I know is that I don't have to go back in until Tuesday!! And my make up session is Monday, Sept. 17 at 2.30p.

Fact #18b: I know what happened to the LINAC machine yesterday. Turns out the first issue was something about the keys. That was an easy fix. But right after that, the ionization chamber went kaput and that's a much bigger deal. The chamber calibrates the dosage of radiation. Good thing it malfunctioned. I wouldn't want to get a higher dosage than necessary.

On to what I eluded to above. My mother in law is in the hospital. She had a blister on her foot that got infected and turns out she has septicemia. It's an infection in the blood. In addition, the infection is so bad it has gone right down to the bone. So the doctor is going to do surgery on it to see if he can get all the infection out. If he doesn't, then she may have to lose her foot. In the meantime, she's on antibiotics. Please pray that amputation isn't needed. So after radiation, I was at a different hospital visiting with her.