It's Friday, which means I have one more radiation treatment on Monday, and then I'm done.
Hard to believe.
Since this last Monday, I've been getting "boosts", which take a shorter amount of time than the treatments I was getting before.
The hospital made a mold specific to the area of my breast being treated by the boost. This mold will be melted down and recast for someone else, once I'm done with it.
It is placed in the "electron cone" contraption that is attached to the machine that gives the radiation treatment.
The boost is superficial therapy around the surgery scar on my breast. Electrons are the treatment during the boost, and since electrons are superficial, they don't go very far into my tissue.
When I was receiving the "regular" radiation therapy, I was receiving protons, which traveled all the way through my tissue, treating it as it went.
This photo, slyly edited to be discreet, shows the drawing the techs made on my breast with a surgical pen. It's the same outline as the mold, so they line up the machine to match the drawing before they start the machine.
My skin is doing pretty good, but I do have radiation burns. I've been told that the radiation will continue to burn my skin a week or two after the treatment stops.
*******
After radiation treatment today, I headed up to see the Oncologist, where the spouse was waiting. I made a few contributions to the hat basket, where chemo patients can freely take whichever hat they want to cover their bald heads. Each time I do something like dropping off the hats, I feel I've made a firm step away from the rigors of treatment.
Since my cancer was hormone receptive, next week I'll start taking hormone-blocking medication. This will decrease the chances of the cancer coming back.
The Oncologist said I'll take one kind of hormone-blocker (
Tamoxifen) for a few years. It prevents estrogen from feeding estrogen-dependent cancer cells. Once they're sure I'm post-menopausal, I'll take "
aromatose inhibitors", which sound like something that stops
bad smells.
Tamoxifen has side effects, of course. Hot flashes will probably get worse. The Pharmacist told me that I'll probably get "central obesity". Isn't that a great phrase? Apparently the spare tire I've grown since being in treatment will remain or get worse while I'm taking this medication.
Oh, and a few other possible side effects, such as uterine cancer, blood clots, etc. One thing the Oncologist and Pharmacist both said was that it will probably speed up the slow-growing cataracts I was diagnosed with a few years ago.
My period may return. Regardless, if there's any sign of blood coming out of my groinicological area, I'm to immediately see my GP to ensure I don't have Tamoxifen-caused uterine cancer.
Gee-Zuz.
Today's conversations with the Oncologist and Pharmacist reinforced what I've learned while in treatment: Different medical professionals, when speaking on the same topic, will give different and needed information.
Such as, there are some ingestibles that contain estrogen, and so will need to be avoided. Soy products and yams are examples. And something called "
black cohosh", which as far as I know I don't take.
My Oncologist said nothing about soy. The Pharmacist told me this important bit.
I guess tonight I'll be eating the tofu that's left in the
Norge.
I told my Oncologist that my feet still hurt, and he told me that sometimes when nerves heal (they were damaged by the chemo-induced neuropathy), they may hurt. My finger joints have been aching, and he said that's probably also the nerves healing.
At the end of the appointment, I had to prod him. "So, am I cancer-free?" "Yes!" and he shook my hand.
*******
So, my last radiation treatment is on Monday. A month from now, I return to be seen by the Oncology Radiologist and the Nurse Practitioner. In six months, I have a mammogram, and I continue to have them annually, which isn't any different than I had been doing.
And I start the Tamoxifen on Tuesday.
Both the Nurse Practitioner and the Oncologist spoke of the importance of exercise. I've been riding my bike to work one or two times a week. Next week, when radiation's done, I can return to a regular bicycle commuting schedule. I've missed it.
*******
Between the post-cancer meds and the supplements my Naturopath wants me to take, I practically have a meal's worth of pills in the morning and evening. I will be taking pharmaceutical medications for many years, because of the cancer. I'm not happy about this, but I will behave.
*******
My hair is growing in nicely. It's definitely a pelt. I now look like I have a very short haircut. The hair is soft and when I run my hand across it, the texture indicates it's going to be wavy or curly. I hope so. After a lifetime of very straight hair, I wouldn't mind having some curl, even if it's for a short period of time. It's the least the awful cancer treatment could do, to make up for its nasty visits.
