Five Days a Week for (Almost) Seven Weeks
Remember last week’s post on my daily radiation schedule? After that first day I was so relieved; radiation seemed so painless, so easy …
Then reality kicked in. Day after day I’d hop into my car and head up to New Haven — 1/2 hour there, 5 minutes for treatment, 1/2 hour home — day after day after day after day after day.
It just got so tiring. Even though the staff at the clinic worked to get me in and out of the radiation clinic quickly every single day I was there, there were occasional glitches: weekly appointments with the radiation oncologist, periodic appointments with a social worker, traffic congestion on the highway.
And eventually, side effects started to set in. At first, they were subtle. I just felt sleepier than usual. I found myself tired and emotional on Friday nights — just wanting to stay in bed and sleep, sleep, sleep. By the end of the weekend I’d feel rejuiced, but by midweek I’d start to slow down again … each Friday night was a little worse than the one before.
A friend of mine didn’t experience fatigue when she faced her radiation treatments. But then again, she didn’t have two kids at home wanting as much attention as they could possibly pull from their momma.
And though I slathered tons of cream on my chest after each treatment, eventually the burn just felt horrible. Just imagine getting a really bad sunburn, then going out in the sun the next day with that sunburn exposed yet again — ouch.
So while I thought I’d sail through … it wasn’t as smooth a trip as I had hoped.
Fortunately, Yale had a great complimentary therapy program. Therapeutic massages and Reiki treatments helped make radiation manageable.
Also, a close friend of mine put together a great Bon Jovi CD for me that helped make the driving manageable.
And fortunately, through all the daily doses, my kids were well cared for. My mother came up almost every day to stay with my boys while I went to Yale; a friend stepped in when she couldn’t. On Fridays, my best friend drove up to pick up my boys and bring them to her house for a sleepover.
So do share … what made your treatment manageable?
April 24th, 2007 at 10:55 am
I had 43 radiation treatments. I burned horribly, on the opposite side, where the radiation exited my body. I have scars to remind me. I too was very tired by midweek, but it was all made manageable by my hubby, daughter, family & friends. They just went with my flow & did what they felt they had to do for me. I remember x-ing off the days on the calendar..and reveling in the fact that when it was all over, I didn’t have to make that daily drive.