Pork Skins and Radiation

I have had 17 radiation treatments to date.

19 more to go!
I sent this email out originally to only long time friends and those old enough to remember George's B-B-Q. After many request I am including it in my blog.

Last week, I was reminded of a story that happened to me about “1960,” That you might enjoy.
My parents, sister & I were at George’s B-B-Q on south HWY 59 and I was having an Orange Crush, B-B-Q sandwich and a bag of Pork Skins. (a fat girl never forgets a good meal) I pulled out a pork skin from the bag and there was a Pig’s nipple fried on the back of my pork skin. Well! I have never seen another one,(and I always check) nor forgotten that experience.
I told Dr. Hixson that he had successfully radiated my boob to where it looked like a pig’s nipple on a pork skin. He beseeched me to please not put this on my blog. I have chosen to recount this story to only a chosen few who might fondly recall George’s.

“I Have Chemo Brain. What’s Your Excuse?”

I went to Elberta Clinic on Friday, May 18 for an upper respiratory infection. I saw Dr. Roe who joined the practice in January. I preformed my usual hazing on new doctors and he appeared to hold up well. He medicated me with omnicef and some super cough syrup. I made it to the Spring Game Saturday but pretty much stayed in my seat under the umbrella.

Resumed week 3 of radiology this week. By Friday I shall be ½ way through almost. I see Dr. Hixson every Monday for a status check. I had found my ring was tight Sunday and Monday and expressed concern that I may have some lymphedema. He said it is farther into the radiation before it causes any of those problems. My skin feels like I have steam burned it and the tissue is very warm to the touch. I am regaining my mental acuity more each week and feel my stamina is improving. I have burst of energy then must recharge the next day. I told him my idea about getting me some tasseled pasties to protect my most sensitive parts from the radiation. He nixed that idea when he said they would have to be made of lead 5 mil thick and I would have to lie down to put them on and when I stood up I would fall forward. Oh well…!!!

The hair is at 6 weeks of growth! It truly is “Kind Hair” as my mom Lucille always said. That’s "the kind on a dog’s behind." Just like Ziggie Mary Rush’s toy fox terrier. Except mine is very salt & pepper and looks like Matt Lauer on top. Here I am in my fine head band Melissa brought back from New York along w/ my Channel sun glasses. I must find me some more of these head bands. I think the front inside of my baseball cap has rubbed the hair off in the very front of my hair line. I have a reverse widow’s peak going on in front. My eyelashes and eyebrows are coming in too.

I feel compelled to report that I personally think The Bay Shore Dermatology and Laser Surgery Center has in my opinion very bad karma. One of the younger patients which I took treatment with lost her mother to cancer as a child. (She is still going through treatment.) She attempted to have an appointment made with Dr. Cheshire and was refused due to from when she was 5 years old, she has an outstanding bill. I told her she did not want to darken the door of that office. She needs to go somewhere that has positive cosmic energy. Bah Humbug!!!!

I wish to thank all of my dedicated friends and supporters. Thank you for your steadfast prayers and cards. I know my strength comes from you. During my daily visits to the office I have made friends with other patients in the chemo room and outside radiology.
Everyone has a very different challenge to meet during their journey to wellness.

I recently found more information concerning Chemo Brain. Back during my Red Devil I attempted to change the TV for 10 minutes with the portable phone.

Here is the complete article:
Chemotherapy Fog Is No Longer Ignored as Illusion - New York Times

Virtually all cancer survivors who have had toxic treatments like chemotherapy experience short-term memory loss and difficulty concentrating during and shortly afterward, experts say. But a vast majority improve. About 15 percent, or roughly 360,000 of the nation’s 2.4 million female breast cancer survivors, the group that has dominated research on cognitive side effects, remain distracted years later, according to some experts. And nobody knows what distinguishes this 15 percent.Abrupt menopause, which often follows treatment, also leaves many women fuzzy-headed in a more extreme way than natural menopause, which unfolds slowly. Those cognitive issues are also features of depression and anxiety, which often accompany a cancer diagnosis. Similar effects are also caused by medications for nausea and pain.

Relay, Jazz Fest, A week of Radiation, Art in the Park

Good grief, too much is going on all at one time. My house looks like the Salvation Army Dumpster blew up in it. Everywhere!!!

Remnants of Easter decorations, a piece of Xmas garland still around the neck of the monkey lamp on the end table. Yikes! I must gain control and soon. Lana & Phil are coming the end of June from San Antonio. YEA! I am sure there are gremlins making all of this clutter. I have burst of energy, or maybe it is just the need to resume some sort of normalcy. However, after a day of excess I pay dearly for several days afterwards. Major wipeout!

Radiation is going well, LeMoine is wonderful, and I get to see all of my Chemo friends every week day. I pop in strip down my top and get in position for the 3 different shots. All toll about 20 minutes from start to finish. I am using the Emu lotion that Susan Wells gave me and the hair follicle stimulator lotion on my nappy head that look on top like Jim Baker/Matt Lauer. I caught him on TV at 4:00 AM one morning and realized my 1 month of hair growth looks like his mangy hair. It is way more salt than pepper in color, and straight as a board. It's thick around the back to the crown (ear to ear) however pretty thin on top. Maybe I ought to have some hair plugs now.

The relay went well, 31 teams, the goal was $89,000 for South Baldwin and as of the night of the Relay we had $85,000 I am sure that there is more money to trickle in. Great job by all.

The last Sunday of Jazz Fest in New Orleans was GREAT! It did not rain. My friend Scott Gould drove me over & back and carried my bag chair all day. What a good friend. I had the most wonderful beer of my life about 4:45 as I was listing to Steely Dan and it was sooo hot. A nice young man from Calif. offered me an ice cold Miller Lite and I took it. It was the first beer since October. I was HOT the beer was Ice cold and I sucked it down like a frat boy in about 4 swigs. It was like nectar from the gods.I had a second one during Harry Connick and it was not as good. It was great to see Marnie, Edwin & Jessica at the fest. Marnie wore her My Friend Gave Boob shirt and I had on my "I Gave Boob Shirt" we caused a bit of a stir at times.

Art in the Park was Hot Hot Hot... I was at the Park Saturday from 10:00 Am until 5:00. On Sunday I could not get up until 10:30. Way over did. Trying to pace myself. Slow to regain stamina.

Prep for 35 Radiation Treatments

Artist rendition of my Boob from my Initial Simulation and CT scan visit to Gulf Coast Cancer Centers http://www.gccancercenter.com/ Gulf Coast Cancer Centers here in Foley. Dr. William Hixson will be my Radiologist, Lemoine Helton my Radiation Therapist, and Michele Smith my Dosimetrist (she decides how much; and where I get the radiation) I now have 6 tiny Tattoos and purple markings that will fade. I look like I am going in for plastic surgery on Nip Tuck. The office is located in the same building as Hope Medical Center where I received chemo & saw Dr. Tan. It is next to South Baldwin Regional Medical Center and about a little over a mile from my house. How convenient is that? I will have 28 treatments to my left breast and collar bone followed by 8 treatments to only the lumpectomy site. I shall go every week day for 7 weeks. This visit follows my consultation visit with Dr. Hixson Monday. I am not sure but I think he might be able to have used an antivan to calm himself after I left. I told him I would require a beeper like they have at O’Charlie’s to keep up with me in the office. “I do not do waiting rooms!” On Tuesday it took about 2 ½ hours for the Initial Simulation and CT Scan visit. Lemoine, the therapist made a Vac Lock position pillow from my waist to my neck. It’s like one of those Space saver bags filled with tiny Styro Foam beads like in a Bean Bag chair that she molded to the position I am to be in each time I receive treatment. My head is turned hard to the right, my left arm bent and curved with my thumb positioned over my head. It is very comfortable. However, due to the very limited space on the CT machine and the narrow table you lay on I had to stick my right hand inside my waist band of my pants to keep my arm from hanging off the table for 2 hours. I must remember to always wear pants for my treatments. The x ray part was a breeze, I think I fell asleep. That is to determine the parameters for the radiation treatments. The CT scan sounded like a washing machine with big rocks in it. With both of my elbows bent I barely fit inside the hole.

Gulf Coast Cancer Centers has installed the latest radiation oncology system for the treatment of cancer; it is one of only three Cancer Centers/Hospitals in the South Alabama area with such equipment. The system offers more effective and focused radiation therapy in less time than ever before possible. Tumors can be precisely targeted, and treatments can be given with less discomfort. This improvement in care is truly significant. A computerized system in the accelerator controls the high energy x-ray beam to conform as closely as possible to the tumor’s shape and volume, minimizing potential damage to healthy surrounding cells. A special feature, the multi-leaf collimator, controls the radiation beam which is directed towards cancerous tissues in conformal shapes, a great improvement over the traditional treatment.
The accelerator, a Varian 2100 CD, is part of a system that includes 3D treatment planning. A simulator that targets cancerous tumors using high energy radiation to stop the spread of cancer provides relief for cancer patients, and, in many cases, cures the disease. Radiotherapy is particularly effective in curing breast and prostate cancer, two of the most common cancers in the U.S.A.

Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) is one of the most advanced treatments of cancers, such as prostate, breast, lung and skin cancer. IGRT enables Gulf Coast Cancer Centers’ radiation oncologists to obtain high-resolution X-ray images to pinpoint exact tumor sites, adjust patient positioning when necessary and complete a treatment, all within standard treatment time. IGRT also allows our oncologists to create treatment plans with smaller margins around tumor volumes. That, in turn, enables doctors to deliver higher doses to the tumor, while reducing the dose to nearby critical structures and healthy tissues. Gulf Coast Cancer Centers is one of only three area cancer treatment centers to offer Dynamic TargetingTM IGRT technology, where cancer patients can receive the most comprehensive cancer treatment and compassionate care close to home.

Radiation therapy follows lumpectomy to eliminate any microscopic cancer cells in the remaining breast tissue. The purpose of breast conservation therapy is to give women the same cure rate they would have if they were treated with a mastectomy but to leave the breast intact, with an appearance and texture as close as possible to what they had before treatment. The surgeon may remove the lymph nodes at the same time as the lumpectomy procedure or later (I had 18 total removed, of which one was involved.) It is estimated that 75 percent to 80 percent of patients can be treated with breast conservation therapy rather than mastectomy with excellent results. Years of clinical study have proven that breast conservation therapy offers the same cure rate as mastectomy.

What are some of the possible risks or complications?
Minor complications include:
· Slight swelling of the breast during radiotherapy. This usually goes away within six to 12 months.
· The skin becomes darker during the course of radiotherapy, similar to tanning from the sun. In most cases, this also fades gradually over six to 12 months.
· Most women will have aches or pains from time to time in the treated breast or the muscles surrounding the breast, even years after treatment. The reason why this happens is not clear; however, these pains are harmless, although annoying. They are NOT a sign that the cancer is reappearing.
· Rarely, patients may develop a rib fracture years following treatment. This occurs in less than 1 percent of patients treated by modern approaches. These heal slowly by themselves.
More serious complications include:
· Very rarely, patients develop a breakdown of the skin, fractures of the sternum (breastbone) or such severe pain in the breast that surgery is needed for treatment.
· Radiation therapy given to the axillary lymph nodes can increase the risk of patients developing arm swelling ("lymphedema") following axillary (armpit) dissection. Radiation to this area can cause numbness, tingling or even pain and loss of strength in the hand and arm years after treatment. Fortunately, both these treatment effects are very rare.
· Some patients develop "radiation pneumonitis," a lung reaction that causes a cough, shortness of breath and fevers three to nine months after completing treatment. Fortunately, it is usually mild enough that no specific treatment is needed and it goes away within two to four weeks with no long-term complications.
· Radiotherapy may damage the heart. Fortunately, radiation techniques used now treat much less of the heart than those used in the past. Current studies have found no increased risk of serious heart disease in patients treated with modern techniques even 10 to 20 years after radiotherapy treatment was given. However, there is still some uncertainty about the risks of radiation causing heart disease for individuals who smoke or have pre-existing heart disease, or for those who receive certain chemotherapy drugs. It is likely that such risks will also be found to be very small.
Women age 45 or younger at the time of treatment may have a slightly increased risk (by a few percent at most) of developing cancer of the other breast with time, compared with the risk they would have if they did not undergo radiation. There is a very small risk (perhaps one in 1,000 individuals) that cancers may develop five, 10, 20 or more years later in the skin, muscle, bone or lung directly in the area of treatment.

Before I start radiation Monday I am going to Jazz Fest Sunday in New Orleans to see Steely Dan & Harry Connick. My dear husband of 36 years cares nothing about going so a friend of mine that I use to work with at the Printing shop is going to drive me and help tote my bag chair.