As of today, UPMC no longer has a mask mandate. This is both good and bad news for me. It certainly makes lipreading a hell of a lot easier! But I’m still being cautious of COVID and other illnesses because I don’t want anything delaying my treatment. And COVID is still out there; I know someone who just had it. It’s surprising that a radiation/oncology clinic would shrug off safety measures for an at-risk population.
Anyway! I laid (lied? No, this one is definitely laid!) down on the table while the two nurses (?) tried to find my tattoos. I think they had some difficulty. They marked the radiation area up and later put two clear stickers on specific locations so those marks don’t come off in the shower. They figured out my positioning and then checked to see if everything lined up properly. X-rays were taken. I had to lay (lie?) there with my hands over my head for a while.
It was all painless, which is also what the radiation sessions will be. They said from start to finish (including changing and set up), it should only take 15-20 minutes. Thursdays will be an extra 20-30 minutes since that’s when I meet with the doctor.
One of the most common side effects of radiation is fatigue. I thought it would be better than chemo fatigue, but apparently this might not be the case. Like chemo, it’s cumulative. One person described it as a bone-weary exhaustion that was worse than her chemo fatigue. A friend said, “It was kind of like when you go to the beach for the day and come back tired, take a nap, and when you wake up you feel better.” Clearly, everyone is different! Guess we’ll see what it’s like for me.
Another common side effect is burning/irritation. I’m supposed to moisturize the radiated area several times a day to help with that.
My eyebrows and eyelashes continue to come in. My hair looks the same to me but when I see people I don’t see every day, they notice a difference. Taste is still crap.
7 responses to “Radiation Simulation”
Eyebrows, eye lashes, not to mention hair seems like quite a step in the right direction. Your upcoming sessions, apart from Thursdays are so short it’s hardly worth parking the car for. Time is now on your side and you can use that extra time to conquer your sleep deprivation. I think you’ve got this whole thing covered. You can do this with your eyes closed.
Lisa, you are doing great, carry on! 💕
Lots of twists and turns along the way! You’ll handle this like a pro 🙂
Happy to read about progress in getting this next step started. The sooner you start, the sooner you finish. Hope you don’t get too fatigued and hope your taste buds come back soon! Onward! xoxo
It was only in my 5th week of radiation, when I was starting to be badly burned, that I was told that you shouldn’t put on moisturizer before radiation, as it can cause burning. So moisturize afterwards, not before! It seems that should be part of the standard instructions.
Can’t believe they didn’t tell you – and I wasn’t told this either! So thank you!!
I take my previous comment back. I asked today how often to moisturize, and the nurse said not to do it beforehand – at least 2 hours beforehand. That triggered a memory of them telling me that at the initial consultation. I wonder how many people forget!