More Change and Work To Do.

Well the Cancer saga continues.  I know for many people the whole radiation treatment is a "piece of cake" but it is like no cake I have ever eaten. For starters, it is a lonely experience. Strangers called radiation therapists set you up on a small table with the necessary equipment to get you in the correct position, a mold of your head, and in my case, stir ups for my arms and a knee cushion for comfort. Then off with the top of my gown and on with the radiation. The "therapists" disappear after I am perfectly lines up at 91.2. And there I lay. Alone while a big machine rotates around my chest, zapping my breast here, there and everywhere. I will say it is quick and they do play good music but it is still a lonely experience for me. With little distraction for those 8 to 10 minutes, my thoughts wonder.  Maybe I should have gotten a Mastectomy? Why can't I easily change my eating habits? I wonder what the lady at the party didn't do to keep the cancer from coming back? I do not want it to ever come back. .... In that box of a treatment room, I am left alone with thoughts I would rather not be entertaining, after all, they are not so entertaining!  On the first day, the nurse explained that  I would need to get a special cream and apply it twice a day to my whole breast area including under my breast and under my arm to try and keep the skin from being too damaged. OKAY I can do that. I got 2 jars and left one at work. At lunch time, I apply it at work and bedtime at home. 

The next thing I know, diarrhea is back. No! I think it can't be. That is not a side effect of radiation. I was perfectly fine the whole time on the cruise.  What is going on here?  So I go look it up- Oh yeah- it can happen. I am going to have loose stools for 7 weeks now. Unbelievable. 

Everyday in the changing area, there are many of us.... all lined up for our treatments, this one for lung cancer, that one for cervical cancer. OH MY GOODNESS. I do not want to be here.  I do not want to know you and your story. Please stopping talking to me about it. I just want to get in and get out. 

Then the nurse navigator shows up one day. She has hard news for me. The team reviewed my chart and determined I was at high risk for lymphedema. But they won't start treatment to avoid it or to decrease until all of my 7 weeks of Radiation are completed. So why are you telling me this crap now I wonder. Besides, I am not having a problem- I went snorkeling, I was swimming, I moved easily. I have no hardness. My lymph system is working good I tell her.  She exams my hands and my wrists. She thinks there is swelling. I do not see it- I am just fat not retaining fluid. I do not want to get lymphedema- I already know I hate it. I do not want to wear a SLEEVE.  Thank goodness my brain is functioning as the nurse did mention that all the nurses wish that they would start the massage treatments for patients before radiation was completed.  Thank the Lord for YouTube! SEARCH: Self massage for Lymphedema- Viola! Okay- I will start tonight. One more thing to add to my to do list for cancer management. 

Lymphedema is the build-up of fluid in soft body tissues when the lymph system is damaged or blocked.

Lymphedema occurs when the lymph system is damaged or blocked. Fluid builds up in soft body tissues and causes swelling. It is a common problem that may be caused by cancer and cancer treatment. Lymphedema usually affects an arm or leg, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Lymphedema can cause long-term physical, psychological, and social problems for patients.

The lymph system is a network of lymph vessels, tissues, and organs that carry lymph throughout the body.

The parts of the lymph system that play a direct part in lymphedema include the following:

• Lymph: A clear fluid that contains lymphocytes (white blood cells) that fight infection and the growth oftumors. Lymph also contains plasma, the watery part of the blood that carries the blood cells.
• Lymph vessels: A network of thin tubes that helps lymph flow through the body and returns it to the bloodstream.
• Lymph nodes: Small, bean-shaped structures that filter lymph and store white blood cells that help fight infection and disease. Lymph nodes are located along the network of lymph vessels found throughout the body. Clusters of lymph nodes are found in the underarm, pelvis, neck, abdomen, and groin.