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.
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