Treatment for me would last about 7 weeks. I go in daily. Each session lasts about 15-20 minutes. Prior to starting treatment, each patient goes in for prep work for the radiation. I had a special visit when I see a technician and we get my treatment position set. This is the same position that I will have to hold for each treatment session, every day I go in.
When I walked in the first time, the technician said he would have to tattoo tattooed my chest and under my arm so they are markers to keep my position the same. I did not know that I would get tattoos until I was on the treatment couch. I've always wanted a tattoo, but I didn't expect this. Each tattoo looks like a blue freckle. You can see it in the photo below. Once the position and images are taken it serves as reference points for each treatment so the patient is in the same position each time.
Each visit requires me to disrobe from the waist up. I get to wear a lovely, open back gown--the type where if you don't wear pants you moon the people behind you. The nurses offer me a blanket usually because the room with the radiation machine is temperature controlled and shielded. I can wear the blanket on the areas that will not be radiated.
I am escorted back to the room. I lay down on the couch. To be fair, the couch is not a real couch. It's more of a flat vinyl table that moves you into position under the radiation machine. I place my arm in mounts that hold my right arm over my head and expose my breast and under arm. The radiation beam targets my right breast, where the cancer was, and under my right arm, where 3 lymph nodes were removed. The radiation beam is invisible. Some people do not feel the beam. I feel it a little bit each time I go in. It doesn't sting, but there are times when I feel a slight sharp pain while under the beam. I think it's because my arm is in such a unusual position each day. Most people don't feel pain. (There is nothing invasive, thank goodness. And it's in a large open room, no need to feel claustrophobic.)
While I lay down, the technician moves me into position. When everything is set, the technician steps out of the room to begin treatment. The machine arm does a full 360 degree rotation to move the beam into position. Each time the beam goes on, a light flashes as a warning that it's operating. The beam is targeted to match the exact size and treatment area. It's not like an x-ray where it goes through an entire area. Each time a different location is targeted, the machine shifts the beam to match the new target. After each area is complete, the machine moves back into it's stand by position. The technician returns to the room, escorts me out, and I go back to change. Treatment done in less than 15 minutes. Much faster than chemo.
Strange as it may read, I was so excited to get treated on this machine. I work at the company that makes it. I made sure before I started radiation that I would get treated on one of our machines. It's comforting to know some of the people who physically make the machine. They are guys that I greet each day. Powerful stuff. Ironic how life plays out I guess. The good thing is I know that the quality of treatment I get is the best in the market.
Here's a photo of what the machine looks like. My boyfriend kindly took the photo.
The hospital I go to would not let me do video of my radiation treatment. But I did find video of it online. It's a first person GoPro video of what it looks like while under a radiation machine. And it's really informative. Please pardon the narration.
Of course there are side effects. The major one is radiation burn. Think of it as a sunburn that gets worse after each treatment. It's hot, swells, inflames, and leaves the skin raw after a while. A person with fairer skin will have a stronger reaction. I use a special moisturizing lotion, Sween, designed for cancer patients to reduce the pain from the burn. Sween is great to use outside of radiation treatment too for exceptionally dry skin. It's think like vasoline, but not as oily and does not leave the nasty film behind. I apply it twice daily, as the doctor prescribed. (Cold aloe vera lotion can help reduce the heat as well.) There are other lotions that work equally well. It just depends on your preference on which to use.
Radiation burn turns up all over my breast, under and on top. It's under my right arm. Luckily, the skin is not too raw. It looks like caramel brown in some areas and red, tomato red on my skin. My entire breast is darker because of radiation.
One week after radiation my lumpectomy scar sunk in. It became indented on my breast. Apparently, that's normal. It's also normal to have my nipples pucker in like a raisin. It's a trip when it gets cold outside then the area expands from warm heat. That area looks tye-dyed with the brown accents around and bright pink in the center, and tomato red skin on the exterior. I'm not going to show a photo of that, but I do have photos of what the skin looks like. It's washed out from a flash, but you get the general idea.
(The blue dot under the scar is the tattoo.)
The part that sucks most is that the radiation makes me more tired than during chemo. I'm exhausted EVERY day. It increases as the weeks wear on. I have limited mobility with my right arm too. I can't lift it as far over my head as I used to. The lymph node scar under my arm gets red and inflamed easily from treatment. I get muscle pain regularly as a result. My right shoulder gets nerve pain at times too because of the position I continually hold it in during treatment. I can't stretch my right arm or reach for things very easily. Plus, I can't carry anything heavy for an extended period. (This makes carrying heavy gifts and bags of groceries really interesting during the holiday season.)
I've completed 5 weeks. I have 2 weeks left. I can't WAIT to be done. But at least I got my first mini-tattoos. I count them. After all this effort, I am totally entitled to say that I have a tattoo. I can get a better one later on. But this works for now.
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