2 more days!

In two days I will be finished with radiation. I am beyond excited!

I won't miss driving to the Cancer Center daily for treatment. I won't miss wearing the stiff hospital gown. I won't miss the blue marker on my clothes.

I had my last visit with the doctor yesterday and got my discharge papers. She also gave me a prescription for a healing cream, and warned that my skin will become worse before it becomes better. The effects of the boost haven't even taken their toll yet, and already I have some blistering and very sort spots. My armpit especially...It hurts like an SOB. Hopefully the cream will help ease it.

In other news, Winter decided to return with a vengance on Sunday night. After enjoying 50 degrees and sunshine last week, it hardly seems fair to get 12" of newfallen snow. It was coming down fast and furious, and we were out in it. Cars were off the roads and getting stuck going up the smallest of inclines. I've never seen anything like it. My little Pepper just motors right through! I love AWD. School was out Monday for mid-winter break, and I was surprised to wake up this morning and find the kids still in bed! The roads were so bad, still. I guess the severity of the storm caught everyone off guard.

I toook the above photo with my iPhone, using the camera bag app. This filter is called 'silver'. I am having lots of fun playing with it :)

5 day boost

Today marked 5 days of treatment left and what the oncologists call 'the boost'. They are no longer treating the whole breast, but focusing on the incision site. The treatment is shorter, but more intense. And I'm having a lot of pain and discomfort, so I guess it's working!

As prep for the boost, the doc drew all over my breast with blue magic marker. It's rubbing off on my clothes and skin, so I look faintly blue on my whole right side. So pretty! And that's on top of the alligator skin. I can't wait to be done. I can't wait to wash off all of the marker.

4more.

20:30

Yesterday marked my 20th radiation treatment. I am officially 2/3 of the way done! In December, that seemed like such a long time, but it's passed very quickly.

In general, I feel pretty good. But I am tired. I am so tired. By 5 or 6pm I am very unfocused and have a hard time doing much of anything.

I've tried napping in the afternoon, but that hasn't been working. There's always a dog barking, or the phone rings, or a kid runs down the hall like a herd of elephants (seriously. Must you run so hard?) Saturday I slept for almost 3 hours, and Sunday for 2. It was much needed.

My skin is looking pretty bad, like I took a cheese grater to it. Very red and rashy. I have lesions. The breast itself hurt most of the time. My biggest fear is that being fair skinned, that all the redness will not go away after treatment. Or that every time I'm in the sun I will burn easily.

But then I remember the 100% cure rate and I try not to worry.

10 more to go!

mine!

Oh yes my pretty. In a few long days you will arrive on my doorstep. I can't wait!

Hello, February!

Today was supposed to have been treatment 15...half way through. Instead, today is a snow day. A day to spend in the house and contemplating the end of winter, which feels like a million years away.

Snowmagedden? Not so much. We got about 5 inches, doubling what we had. No 'storm of the century' snowfall. I feel cheated.