Thursday, June 11, 2009

Radiation is rad

The relay for Life is tomorrow night. last chance to sponsor before the walk Thanks for helping raise my goal from 500 to 800 dollars!
There was an article in newspaper about Relay for Live at Daniel Boone High school in the paper tonight. The Jr class is organizing it in honor of a teacher who died of cancer last year. I was shocked to see that I knew her. She was a member of Peace Church. Her story was really compelling. She was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer at age 45. After her treatments she went back to teaching (she had just graduated and had only been a teacher for 2 years.) Her husband drove her to school everyday and sometimes she taught in a wheelchair. She died on a Sunday after teaching Friday and doing Parent teacher conferences. That's how I want to go. I actually said that this morning after I rode my bike to work. I can't die if I keep moving. My car was in the shop getting a new muffler and Marty had an appointment, so I rode the bike to the office and walked to the shop 2 blocks away. It is 7 miles from the house to the office, but it is all downhill except for the last 2 blocks! If you have been to our house you know the down hills are Scary! I like having the bike at work so I can ride the trails after work or ride to some of my visits.
I went to my first radiation treatment today. When I stopped in at work after wards they asked me how it went and I told them that it was the best thing they have done to me yet. I got looks: "Is she being sarcastic?"
"No, No", I told them "it is true." Way better than Cat scans, PET scans, bone scans, MRIs and of course there is nothing worse than chemotherapy except maybe being tortured by the Taliban and that doesn't last as long.
I go in, they put a personalized mask that they made for me yesterday over my face. They have to map out where the treatment goes with ink, so they do it on the mask instead of tatooing my head (for which I am very grateful. They zap me on one side of my head for a minute and the other side for a minute and I'm done. They run a tight ship, I am in and out in half and hour.
I went without a scarf for the first time today. My hair isn't too long but it's visible. I decided since I'll only have a hair for a week or two, I may as well enjoy it. I'm also supposed to keep my head uncovered when I'm inside to help the skin stay cool and dry.