An Afternoon in Radiation Oncology
Yesterday was a long and exhausting day which began as we headed northward to the hospital in the morning for a relatively grueling day in Radiation Oncology.
We both seemed a bit exhausted right from the get-go yesterday so we knew we were in for a fairly rough day. We managed to get the hospital visit and a few errands out of the way with little difficulty though.
The appointment started with making a mold for Sheila so she could/would remain perfectly still during her radiation treatments. I wasn't allowed in the room for this so I have no photos even though this is one of the things I definitely wanted to capture in photos because it is rarely seen. Unfortunately, I was told I needed to remain in the waiting room for this part of the appointment which I found quite disappointing and a bit frustrating. This diversion in the waiting room allowed me to catch up on some reading while struggling to stay awake. In hindsight, I should have just taken a nap in the waiting room!
They also needed to ensure that the tattoos they applied 11 years ago in three areas around Sheila's chest were still plainly visible. These tattoos are used for lining up the focused radiation (the only valid reasoning for tattoos, in my opinion). One tattoo was no longer visible so they needed to re-tattoo her on that one side. As was the case with making the mold, I wasn't allowed in the room for this so I have no photos of this either.
Eventually, we were brought into a consultation room and met with various people who explained everything about Sheila's radiation treatment. Since this is the second time around for Sheila, this was more of a review. Sheila did admit, however, that she had forgotten about some of this stuff while other stuff remained quite vivid in her memory.
They had a model of the radiation machine so I captured a photo of that while I could. It is pretty simple... Sheila lies on a narrow table... the table can turn through a pivot and big wheel in the floor... and the radiation machine can also rotate around Sheila's body to get into the perfect positions needed for radiating the location of the tumor in her breast as well as the area where the cancerous lymph nodes were located. This machine makes noises similar to an MRI but, apparently, not quite a loud as an MRI.
We discussed side-effects, length of treatment, the schedule of treatment (daily for almost seven weeks), what to expect while being radiated, missed treatment days due to transportation issues or weather issues, medications, Hope Lodge availability, Sheila's job, sick leave, family leave, moral support, support groups, counseling, alternative medicines available through the hospital, and available sources of financial aid. And, there is no doubt that I'm forgetting a few other odds and ends that were discussed.
When we finally arrived back home, we were ready for bed but we still had one more thing to do. We headed to the Primary School for Lukey and Kenzie's Kindergarten Open House. The kids were excited to show us around and tell us about a typical day in kindergarten. Before long, we were back home making dinner.
In the big scheme of things, I suppose it was a good day... just tiring.
Sheila has another appointment on Tuesday and then the daily radiation therapy starts on Wednesday. This is a rather long radiation treatment plan but the plan is to do half days at work in the mornings (assuming she feels well enough every day) and then spend the afternoons at the hospital for radiation therapy.
In the interest of staying positive, we're hoping that there won't be a whole lot more info to pass along at this point other than a few short updates because we're hoping everything goes according to the plan. What we are expecting, however, is that the next couple of months will be exhausting and rough.
We both seemed a bit exhausted right from the get-go yesterday so we knew we were in for a fairly rough day. We managed to get the hospital visit and a few errands out of the way with little difficulty though.
The appointment started with making a mold for Sheila so she could/would remain perfectly still during her radiation treatments. I wasn't allowed in the room for this so I have no photos even though this is one of the things I definitely wanted to capture in photos because it is rarely seen. Unfortunately, I was told I needed to remain in the waiting room for this part of the appointment which I found quite disappointing and a bit frustrating. This diversion in the waiting room allowed me to catch up on some reading while struggling to stay awake. In hindsight, I should have just taken a nap in the waiting room!
They also needed to ensure that the tattoos they applied 11 years ago in three areas around Sheila's chest were still plainly visible. These tattoos are used for lining up the focused radiation (the only valid reasoning for tattoos, in my opinion). One tattoo was no longer visible so they needed to re-tattoo her on that one side. As was the case with making the mold, I wasn't allowed in the room for this so I have no photos of this either.Eventually, we were brought into a consultation room and met with various people who explained everything about Sheila's radiation treatment. Since this is the second time around for Sheila, this was more of a review. Sheila did admit, however, that she had forgotten about some of this stuff while other stuff remained quite vivid in her memory.
They had a model of the radiation machine so I captured a photo of that while I could. It is pretty simple... Sheila lies on a narrow table... the table can turn through a pivot and big wheel in the floor... and the radiation machine can also rotate around Sheila's body to get into the perfect positions needed for radiating the location of the tumor in her breast as well as the area where the cancerous lymph nodes were located. This machine makes noises similar to an MRI but, apparently, not quite a loud as an MRI.
When we finally arrived back home, we were ready for bed but we still had one more thing to do. We headed to the Primary School for Lukey and Kenzie's Kindergarten Open House. The kids were excited to show us around and tell us about a typical day in kindergarten. Before long, we were back home making dinner.
In the big scheme of things, I suppose it was a good day... just tiring.
Sheila has another appointment on Tuesday and then the daily radiation therapy starts on Wednesday. This is a rather long radiation treatment plan but the plan is to do half days at work in the mornings (assuming she feels well enough every day) and then spend the afternoons at the hospital for radiation therapy.
In the interest of staying positive, we're hoping that there won't be a whole lot more info to pass along at this point other than a few short updates because we're hoping everything goes according to the plan. What we are expecting, however, is that the next couple of months will be exhausting and rough.
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