Radiation Treatment Begins
Sheila's radiation treatment began yesterday. The next two months will be exhausting for both of us but mostly for Sheila (I need a nap already and it's only been one day of radiation treatment). For Sheila, this daily treatment will progressively get more taxing, exhausting and painful as the radiation sears and burns through her breast and underarm.
I have some photos to share, which I'll insert below, but as I sit here staring at my computer screen, I'm at a loss for words. Maybe I'll just write whatever comes to mind when I see each photo and insert that with the photos...
The entrance to Radiation Oncology is kind of cool but definitely a bit ominous... it is separated from the hospital by a long corridor and, now that I see it in photos, I know exactly what will make it less ominous... This hallway needs far more artwork on the walls with spot-lights highlighting each piece of art.
I despise suspended ceilings... whether in residential homes or commercial buildings... so when I see an interesting ceiling which is not a suspended ceiling, I take notice. This sort of starry ceiling is in the waiting room (I think I may have shared a similar photo in another blog entry though)...
It is time to get suited up for Radiation treatment. I have to say that this is a very nice facility... clean, quiet, even roomy... at least it is comfortable...
After a little bit of talk about changing a couple of radiation treatment times which are conflicting with other medical appointments, we headed into the... hmmm... I don't know what they call this room! So, for lack of a more specific term, let's call it the treatment room. This is the big radiation machine (again, I don't remember the specific term for this machine) that we were shown a model of last week (and I shared a photo of that model here in my blog)...
Sheila is telling them, "Okay... let's get moving... I need to be out of here and done with this entire treatment in five minutes..." No, that's not what is happening here. Everywhere we go, people comment on how beautiful Sheila's watch is and then Sheila explains that it is really a watch and a fitness tracker and then she shows them how it works... so, a nice little diversion today...
Okay... a little forewarning here... there are a few photos that show Sheila naked from her abdomen up. In these few revealing photos, I blurred her breasts, although, her surgeon did such a good job on this last partial mastectomy that it really would be interesting to see. That being said, nobody wants to see their mother topless so I blurred Sheila's breasts as though she is wearing a bathing suit. You all can thank me later!
Here, the radiation technicians are lining up the radiation machine while one of them reads off coordinates...
One of the monitors showing all these coordinates is hanging from the ceiling...
As was shown to us last week with the model of this radiation machine, this thing rotates around Sheila so they can radiate only specific areas necessary for Sheila's specific treatment plan...
The area getting hit with radiation is green in this image... this time, the radiation starts in the area where the cancer had metastasized to her lymph nodes and then up toward the entire area around where the tumor was located in her breast... radiating through at an angle away from her heart but just slightly nipping at one of her lungs... and then up onto the backing shield above Sheila to her left...
Sheila's nurse, Julie, is explaining the radiation plan after this first radiation session by using images from this first radiation treatment. These images on her computer monitor show where Sheila was radiated. Once again, we reviewed and discussed the entire treatment plan which will be daily for almost two months... this time, however, we had images to aid in seeing what we were discussing...
This is a 3d image of Sheila on the radiation table... the yellow areas are where Sheila must apply a special moisturizer a few times each day. This image helps patients understand just how much of an area needs to be moisturized. It is actually quite a large area as the burning radiates outward...
I should also mention some of the other rules and recommendations through treatment and for weeks beyond... no underwire bras, no deodorant on her right side, no bags carried over her right shoulder, no pressure on this area or her right arm (ie, no blood pressure cuff on this arm), no vitamins with anti-oxidant qualities (although, now that I write this, I don't remember any mention of fruit with anti-oxidant qualities)... eat plenty of red meat (so, basically, my diet!)... acupuncture specializing in oncology is recommended (which Sheila already started)... counseling is provided (which Sheila has already started)... and Reiki is recommended and provided (which Sheila hopes to start next week)... and, I'm probably forgetting a few other things.
This is a very comprehensive treatment plan. Being that the surgery removing all the cancer is behind us, the next two months will be a treatment period and the first phase of the recovery period. A few things are quite important during this period but Sheila will need to find that delicate balance between staying rested so her body can heal while also trying to build her strength and recover... emotionally as well as physically.
We're headed back to the hospital today and everyday for the foreseeable future for this same routine for the most part. Once a week, we'll meet with the Radiation Oncologist as well and, actually, we will meet with her later today. Julie, Sheila's nurse, will meet with us daily to check on Sheila's burning, peeling chest.
I'll continue to carry my camera each day but I don't really expect a whole lot of opportunities for images of new facets of Sheila's treatment at this point. I will, however, continue to update as they occur.
I have some photos to share, which I'll insert below, but as I sit here staring at my computer screen, I'm at a loss for words. Maybe I'll just write whatever comes to mind when I see each photo and insert that with the photos...
The entrance to Radiation Oncology is kind of cool but definitely a bit ominous... it is separated from the hospital by a long corridor and, now that I see it in photos, I know exactly what will make it less ominous... This hallway needs far more artwork on the walls with spot-lights highlighting each piece of art.
I despise suspended ceilings... whether in residential homes or commercial buildings... so when I see an interesting ceiling which is not a suspended ceiling, I take notice. This sort of starry ceiling is in the waiting room (I think I may have shared a similar photo in another blog entry though)...
It is time to get suited up for Radiation treatment. I have to say that this is a very nice facility... clean, quiet, even roomy... at least it is comfortable...
After a little bit of talk about changing a couple of radiation treatment times which are conflicting with other medical appointments, we headed into the... hmmm... I don't know what they call this room! So, for lack of a more specific term, let's call it the treatment room. This is the big radiation machine (again, I don't remember the specific term for this machine) that we were shown a model of last week (and I shared a photo of that model here in my blog)...
Sheila is telling them, "Okay... let's get moving... I need to be out of here and done with this entire treatment in five minutes..." No, that's not what is happening here. Everywhere we go, people comment on how beautiful Sheila's watch is and then Sheila explains that it is really a watch and a fitness tracker and then she shows them how it works... so, a nice little diversion today...
Okay... a little forewarning here... there are a few photos that show Sheila naked from her abdomen up. In these few revealing photos, I blurred her breasts, although, her surgeon did such a good job on this last partial mastectomy that it really would be interesting to see. That being said, nobody wants to see their mother topless so I blurred Sheila's breasts as though she is wearing a bathing suit. You all can thank me later!
Here, the radiation technicians are lining up the radiation machine while one of them reads off coordinates...
One of the monitors showing all these coordinates is hanging from the ceiling...
As was shown to us last week with the model of this radiation machine, this thing rotates around Sheila so they can radiate only specific areas necessary for Sheila's specific treatment plan...
The area getting hit with radiation is green in this image... this time, the radiation starts in the area where the cancer had metastasized to her lymph nodes and then up toward the entire area around where the tumor was located in her breast... radiating through at an angle away from her heart but just slightly nipping at one of her lungs... and then up onto the backing shield above Sheila to her left...
Sheila's nurse, Julie, is explaining the radiation plan after this first radiation session by using images from this first radiation treatment. These images on her computer monitor show where Sheila was radiated. Once again, we reviewed and discussed the entire treatment plan which will be daily for almost two months... this time, however, we had images to aid in seeing what we were discussing...
This is a 3d image of Sheila on the radiation table... the yellow areas are where Sheila must apply a special moisturizer a few times each day. This image helps patients understand just how much of an area needs to be moisturized. It is actually quite a large area as the burning radiates outward...
I should also mention some of the other rules and recommendations through treatment and for weeks beyond... no underwire bras, no deodorant on her right side, no bags carried over her right shoulder, no pressure on this area or her right arm (ie, no blood pressure cuff on this arm), no vitamins with anti-oxidant qualities (although, now that I write this, I don't remember any mention of fruit with anti-oxidant qualities)... eat plenty of red meat (so, basically, my diet!)... acupuncture specializing in oncology is recommended (which Sheila already started)... counseling is provided (which Sheila has already started)... and Reiki is recommended and provided (which Sheila hopes to start next week)... and, I'm probably forgetting a few other things.
This is a very comprehensive treatment plan. Being that the surgery removing all the cancer is behind us, the next two months will be a treatment period and the first phase of the recovery period. A few things are quite important during this period but Sheila will need to find that delicate balance between staying rested so her body can heal while also trying to build her strength and recover... emotionally as well as physically.
We're headed back to the hospital today and everyday for the foreseeable future for this same routine for the most part. Once a week, we'll meet with the Radiation Oncologist as well and, actually, we will meet with her later today. Julie, Sheila's nurse, will meet with us daily to check on Sheila's burning, peeling chest.
I'll continue to carry my camera each day but I don't really expect a whole lot of opportunities for images of new facets of Sheila's treatment at this point. I will, however, continue to update as they occur.
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