radiate love, not people

Yesterday’s appointment about radiation went…great! Instead of 5 weeks of radiation like we had initially thought, I only will need 17-20 doses so that’s only 3 weeks! Also, the increased risk of getting of breast cancer in the future from having radiation now being our main concern, it was so good to hear the doctor say that the area on my neck being treated is high enough up that the radiation should have very little to hardly any exposure to my breast tissue. Not to say that I am off the hook completely from ever getting breast cancer, because no one is, but  it isn’t as risky as we thought. The radiation oncologist also told us that in my case they will be using a lower dose radiation rather than a stronger, harsh radiation that they would use in other severe cases. So what all this boils down to is, if I have to get radiation, the circumstances and amount in which I am getting it is optimal. Thanks again God.

Next Tuesday I will go in for my first treatment of radiation and from that point on I will go 5 days a week until all my treatments are completed. Kind of like getting an x-ray, I will lie down under the laser and the machine will do its thing. To ensure they line me up in the same exact position each time to radiate the correct areas, they have to mark on my stomach, ribs, and chest with a permanent marker, and I have to wear clear tape stickers over the marks so they don’t rub off the whole time I’m getting radiation. So if you see a black mark on my chest near my shirt collar, that’s what it is.

I feel great. My lungs are better, but mentally and emotionally I feel better, too. I think taking a week to take a trip to Virginia to see my sister and her family, stopping by Charlotte, NC to hang out with my fiance for a few days, and then swinging by Boone, NC to get some hugs from friends I hadn’t seen in months, is just what I needed to get refreshed and motivated again. As of last week, I have eyebrows again and my hair is finally starting to grow back. And in the mean time, I got a free, nice wig from the hospital I’ve started wearing so I can enjoy looking and feeling like a healthy person again.

I’ve started trying to get my ducks in a row so that I can go back to school next semester and finish my LAST semester of college! I have even already found a place to live! No matter how much I don’t deserve any of it, God continues to be so good to me. Praise him.

IN A NUTSHELL

• My lungs are back to normal and I’m feeling great, just tying to stay healthy now.
• I am starting radiation on Tuesday and will go to the hospital 5 days a week to receive 17-20 treatments.
• Praise God, for everything has been going smoothly, and I’m planning on going back to school in January.