Six weeks ago I was terrified during my first radiation appointment. I quietly cried on the table in that room all alone after the steel door closed me inside. I was clueless and scared about this next step of my treatment, not knowing what to expect or how invasive it would be.
Now that I have one final radiation treatment left, I am able to asses the situation from a more knowledgeable place. My medical team assured me that this would be a piece of cake compared to chemotherapy. They should feel lucky that I have enough respect for them that I choose not to give them a bloody nose or black eye for saying that radiation - or any part of cancer treatment - is a 'piece of cake.' Oops...did I just write that?
The radiation side effects may be different than those during chemo but the fact is that there are still side effects, so I wouldn't call this a piece of cake. I felt physically worse, but was able to do more during chemo. On a good day two months ago, I could spend 8 hours shoveling mulch, but today I am only able to walk for about an hour and my body wants to give out due to the fatigue that is so common during radiation. The joint and bone pain from the taxol chemo has had long lasting effects and is now extremely uncomfortable and much worse than when I was actually getting the dose. I had my chemo appointments every 2 weeks. Radiation is every single day and my better half will be the first one to tell you that we will be overjoyed tomorrow, knowing it will be our last daily drive into the city.
As I end this phase of treatment, I offer a sincere thank you to the radiation team for their smiles every day along with the pleasant atmosphere they provided to me during this six week period. And no, the technicians in the photo above are not part of the medical team that assured me this would be a 'piece of cake!'
Now that I have one final radiation treatment left, I am able to asses the situation from a more knowledgeable place. My medical team assured me that this would be a piece of cake compared to chemotherapy. They should feel lucky that I have enough respect for them that I choose not to give them a bloody nose or black eye for saying that radiation - or any part of cancer treatment - is a 'piece of cake.' Oops...did I just write that?
The radiation side effects may be different than those during chemo but the fact is that there are still side effects, so I wouldn't call this a piece of cake. I felt physically worse, but was able to do more during chemo. On a good day two months ago, I could spend 8 hours shoveling mulch, but today I am only able to walk for about an hour and my body wants to give out due to the fatigue that is so common during radiation. The joint and bone pain from the taxol chemo has had long lasting effects and is now extremely uncomfortable and much worse than when I was actually getting the dose. I had my chemo appointments every 2 weeks. Radiation is every single day and my better half will be the first one to tell you that we will be overjoyed tomorrow, knowing it will be our last daily drive into the city.
As I end this phase of treatment, I offer a sincere thank you to the radiation team for their smiles every day along with the pleasant atmosphere they provided to me during this six week period. And no, the technicians in the photo above are not part of the medical team that assured me this would be a 'piece of cake!'
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