My post-surgery rehabilitation is going well. I’m pretty diligent about completing my daily rehab exercises, which has paid off as the physio therapist has given me the green light to move forward with the pre-radiation treatment process.

I recently had my first major consultation with the radiation team at PMH. I met with my Radiation Oncologist, her Fellow (a doctor in training), and an Oncology Nurse. I will be having a total of 30 radiation treatments: 25 to the entire area of lymph nodes and breast, and then an additional 5 treatments only to the breast. But before all of this can begin, I have a few appointments that will help determine the treatment plan.

The first of these appointments is a CT Simulation that is scheduled for this Wednesday. The CT Sim is a CT scan where the Radiation Therapists gather the information needed to start the plan for my radiation treatments. Their goal is to be precise as possible with the application of the radiation in order to ensure that the correct area is being treated. The CT Sim will determine the positioning of my body during radiation as well as the area to be treated. In order for all of my radiation treatments to be in exactly the same area, the RT’s will make marks on my body – some will be with marker and some may be more permanent. Yep, that’s right. I may be getting my first ever tattoos on Wednesday morning!

The other appointment that will take place before radiation begins is a Breathing Clinic. You may be thinking that I should already know how to breathe! However, because the treatments will be applied to the left side of my chest, I need to avoid any radiation to my heart. In order to protect my heart, I will have to hold my breath when the radiation is being applied. Holding my breath will inflate my lungs, thereby pushing my heart away from the area being treated. Perhaps it would be more appropriate for the clinic to be called the Stop Breathing Clinic!

Assuming that all goes well at these two appointments, I will be starting the treatments sometime in the first week of January. It takes the Radiation team about two weeks to develop the customized treatment plan that will be used to kill any possible remnants of cancer in my breast and lymph nodes. Once they have their plan in place, I will be off to the races.

And in other fun news…my eyebrows are starting to grow back 🙂 …I just have to get through this awkward stage where it looks like my eyebrows have a five o’clock shadow!