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