Hi there.....

So kind of you to stop by....I do enjoy the company.

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Done!

Yesterday I went for my radiation treatment as usual.  I had the treatment, got dressed and as I was leaving one of the techs told me it was my last!  Talk about being surprised.  I thought I had 4 more.  The doctor said that the likelihood of the cancer returning was so slight that they felt more treatments would do more harm than good.  Needless to say I was happy.  So now I get to wash all the marks off and don't have to plan my days around treatment.  Yay!!

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Update

I'm doing okay.  My right upper arm is still numb but seems to be slowly getting feeling back around the edges of the numb area.  Allowing me to have my arm down by my side was a saver.  I could not have endured holding it above my head any more and would have quit had they not found a solution.
It's the middle of week 3.  Next week is the last.  Hope I don't have to go through it again.

Friday, April 5, 2019

It worked

Yesterday I expected to have another CT scan to see if having my arm by my side instead of in back holding a post would work.  Well.....didn't have to have the scan!  We tried positioning me with my hand down by my side in the treatment room on the machine and were successful!  They were able to give me treatment with no problem.  I do have some new "magic" markings but who cares?  Those will wash off eventually.  What a relief it was to get up off the "slab" without having a painful arm.
Now I don't have to take the Tylenol before I go.  And maybe the feeling will come back in my arm.
All because a doctor was will to try.

Thursday, April 4, 2019

Someone finally listened.

Since the beginning of the radiation treatment I have had a problem with my right arm.  It's been numb on the outer top part from the shoulder almost to the elbow.  This from having to hold it above my head and grabbing a bar.  The left arm is fine.  The big problem is that my upper right arm now hurts like hell when I try to get it into position.  The techs are aware of it but just continue the treatment.  I've told them that there isn't enough support under that arm.  I've told Dr. W about it and he believed it was because of the way I was holding my arm, that it was stretching ligaments. He thought perhaps physical therapy could be the answer.  I didn't think so. Yesterday I told everyone that I was within a gnat's ninny of just quitting.  I could not put up with the pain anymore.  Extra strength Tylenol just wasn't working and I couldn't take a pain killer 'cause then I wouldn't be able take the deep breaths they wanted.  Dr. W wasn't there, would I like to see Dr. B?  Yes!  I would talk to him about physical therapy if he thought it was needed.  Dr. B had me explain about my arm.  I told him the numbness had been there since the beginning (we're into week 2) when I had the CT scans done.  I explained that nothing was working to alleviate the stress on the arm and that I thought it was possibly lack of proper support under the arm since the left arm was fine and it had more support.  He suggested we try to see if I could be positioned with the right arm in a different position since the surgery was on the left side.  So today another CT scan is going to be done to see what, if any, impact the change of position will have.  And even if there are changes that will have to be made in the settings I don't care.  I don't care if it means starting over, I need to get the feeling back in my arm and be able to do the treatments without being in pain.   Keeping my fingers crossed and thinking positive.  Sometimes you just have to talk to someone who listens.