Radiation Week One

During this last week I became acquainted with the radiation routine. This is a daily (weekdays) routine, wherein I show up at the desk, am given my admittance sheet, walk down the hall to the radiation room, and climb on to the table to lie face down with my head cradled in a spongy horseshoe open in the middle, much like a massage therapist’s table. Down come the pants to my thighs to bare my backside, then the technicians scrunch me around a bit to line up my tiny tattoo marks with the laser beams, and we’re off. The technicians disappear to the next room to get out of the path of stray beams, while the table elevates me so the radiation machine can deliver four short bursts (ranging from about 5 seconds to 9 seconds long), one each from the front and back (the two short bursts) and one from each side (the two longer bursts). Bingo – session’s over. The table lowers, I pull up my pants and hop off and I’m done for the day. This whole routine takes about 10-15 minutes. Since I live less than 15 minutes from Group Health, the whole round trip takes less than an hour, which is great.

How does that machine get all around me? By circling around me as I lie there elevated, including sending its beams from underneath through a little glass window in the table. It’s pretty amazing – I don’t get to see anything during treatment so have had them show me approximately how it works once I was through. I have now completed 5 out of 28 sessions. Radiation patients count the days, keeping focused on how much is left to go. For those in the know, I am getting 180 centigrays each day, which will add up to 5400 by the time I’m through.

For most people there are no side effects in the first week or two. I did notice an immediate impact on my bowels—not severe but noticeable and progressive over the week. On Friday I checked in with the nurse practitioner, which, after hearing about these bowel symptoms, reminded me of the low fiber diet she had recommended I go on during treatment. I had not bothered to do that, figuring I would control my symptoms with the medicine. However she got through to me when she reminded me that medications have side effects too, and I would be much kinder to my body if I did what I could to control it first with diet. Sigh.

I am now trying to convert to eating all those things we have weaned ourselves from-refined and processed foods. I am trying to avoid fresh vegetables and fruits (the latter is the one thing I’m not giving up at the height of fruit season, but I’m chewing them up really good), beans, nuts, seeds---all the things you normally want to have to help your digestive system. I regretfully drove past all the berry stands as we returned from working on the boat in Anacortes today. I also bought the first loaf of white bread I’ve had in some time—fortunately we do have some good white breads around here.

Otherwise I am feeling quite good. I have enjoyed getting back into my physical routines of rowing, yoga, workouts and walking. Collectively these have had a positive impact on my left leg, which is now nearly normal in size. My energy is good—a bit depleted by getting myself back up to speed on my exercise routines. I want to get them going as good as I can before the radiation fatigue that I’ve been advised will appear actually hits me. My hair is starting to grow longer, but is so sparse that I look like a newborn. Scarves and caps are my daily companions—it will be several weeks before I’ll want my skull to make a public appearance.

So I’m off to week two, with the radiation routine now pretty well known, anxious to see how much my diet change will help me out this week. Now pretty much caught up on things let go during the trip, I’m beginning to cast my eyes about my desk and the house for projects that I’ve been waiting to take on. And looking forward to hopefully having son Guy and his girlfriend Joahnna make another flight north next weekend to Seattle and then take us over to Port Townsend.