…and only 27 more radiation treatments to go!

During this last week of 2017,  I started my radiation treatments at Princess Margaret Hospital. Compared to chemo and surgery, radiation is a breeze! The treatments are quick and painless. The most annoying thing about the treatments is that I have to wear a nose plug. And it’s really just annoying…there is no real discomfort. You may be wondering why I have to wear a nose plug…

In a previous post I mentioned that I have to hold my breath during treatments as the radiation is being applied near my heart. By holding my breath, my heart will be pushed away from the area being treated. Well, I don’t have to hold my breath all by myself. I am hooked up to a breathing apparatus that helps me. I’m attached to this machine by a device that looks something like a snorkel. This snorkel-like thing goes in my mouth and this is what I use to breathe. Once I take a deep breath, the machine helps me to hold it, and the nose plug makes sure that I don’t accidentally breathe through my nose. The nose plug is basically a clothes pin that keeps my nose closed. So, yes, annoying!

The treatment itself is pretty quick and easy. So far, each of my appointments has been about 30 minutes end-to-end, meaning from my arrival to my departure. Of course, my treatment unit has been on time this past week as it is quieter during the holidays. This may change next week!

Once I am in the treatment unit, the longest part of the process is actually the set up that is done by the Radiation Therapists. They have to make sure that I am correctly positioned on the table and perfectly aligned with the machine. This is where the tattoos come into play! Once everything is ready to go, the treatment itself is only about 5-7 minutes in duration. And it’s only that long because the maximum time for me to hold my breath is 25 seconds. I do need to some time to breathe!

All in all, the radiation treatments are going well. It is a commitment, as I go to the hospital on a daily basis…weekdays only! But this is okay…I am getting lots of exercise as I walk to PMH each day…even with this ridiculously cold weather. (For my non-local friends, we’ve been hitting temperatures of minus 20 and lower, BEFORE the wind chill factor. We broke a 57-year old “low temp” record on Thursday!)

As far as side effects are concerned, the main ones will be fatigue, skin discolouration and possibly blistering, but I won’t really notice these until after the second week of treatments. So I have nothing to report on these right now, but I do have something to look forward to! By the way, for those of you who are wondering, I am not actually radioactive 🙂