Radiation, check!

Yay! I’m done with radiation. Redness, peeling, and itching began about three-quarters of the way through the process. Kindly, my radiation oncologist put me on a break Friday through Tuesday over the Christmas holiday. That helped my skin heal immensely and it never returned to that level of inflammation.

Most of the treatments were directed in my general tumor areas and lymph nodes using Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and TomoTherapy. I’d lay on a platform, the radiation therapists would band my feet together, align lasers to the four tattoo dots on my chest, sides of my chest, and abdomen and then send me into the tube. This is where my body would be scanned. I’d then be moved out of the tube and wait for the doctor, who I believe would then approve the positioning and that day’s treatment. Finally I’d be whirred back into the tube and hear what sounded like clopping horses going around my body, coming from a distance, getting close, and then receding to start the circuit again. The whole process took maybe 10 to 15 minutes.

The last few sessions were on a different machine that was more open and would rotate around my body for what I believe is called volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT). The same process would happen with the feet bound together. The laser alignment was just to the dots on my chest and the sides of my chest. This treatment was more precisely targeted to the tumor areas. Happily, this allowed my skin more time to heal from the more general treatment on the other machine.

The last two sessions switched back to targeting the general tumor areas. They continued to use the VMAT machine because the massive sliding door to the room with the IMRT (the tube machine) was broken. The last report was that a little ball bearing was the culprit.

This past Thursday was the final treatment. Proudly, I am officially a member of their “Our Favorite Patient Club” and I have the certificate to prove it! 😉 Fig. A is a partial photo of it to keep messages and names private. A fellow calligraphy artist beautifully lettered my name on it. These radiation therapists, nurses, and my radiation oncologist were kind, calming, and professional, making an awkward situation comfortable.

Next up

In three weeks I’ll begin an oral chemotherapy called Capecitabine, for six to eight cycles. Each cycle is three weeks, two weeks taking the pills with one week off of them. I think scans at the six week mark will determine the length of time. I’ll continue with immunotherapy infusions every three weeks.

Kind thanks!
D’Arcy

Fig. a) I’m officially a part of the Providence Regional Cancer Partnership Radiation Oncology “Our Favorite Patient Club” per this certificate 😀