33 down, 0 to go!

8 rounds of chemo: $87,000

Bi-lateral mastectomy: $85,000

33 rounds of radiation: $65,000

Being done with treatment and cancer free: Priceless!!

My last radiation treatment was today. I know I have a lot left to do still with the reconstruction, but hey - the hard part is over!

To celebrate, I had dinner with a few friends last night. I tried to invite the friends who visited me in the hospital during my surgery, came over and cooked for me or hung out with me when I was sick with chemo, reassured me (for the thousandth time) that I do *not* look like an alien with no eyebrows, and just supported and loved me through the roughest time that I hope none of them will ever have to come close to going through. Having all of these amazing people around me is such a blessing. I don't know how I can ever repay them for everything they've done. Maybe I can work out a 30 year payment plan, that ought to cover it (plus interest).

Today at work, they took down the "Cristal" tree. They decorated our Christmas tree in pink ornaments and kept the tree up this entire time that I've been going through treatment. Since I'm done and cancer free, we had a ceremonial taking down of the tree and BBQ lunch (plus a cake!). My boss said some really nice things and I got all misty eyed. Then I said some dopey things and told them all to go away before I started crying. I'm really lucky to be at a job where I have such great support and understanding.

Ok, enough sentimental ramblings for now.

Extra Innings

Well, the good news is I don't have radiation today. I've completed my 28 treatments. The bad news is, we're going to go ahead with the scar boost so I have treatments all next week. My skin looks really red and rough. There's a spot under my arm that is rubbed raw, and it hurts every time I move my arm.

Just for fun, here's a picture of my radiation "hickey".

Oh my my!

23 out of 28 (or 33)

Call me Crispy Cristal. I'm starting to get very burned and ouchie from radiation. There's a big spot under my arm where all the skin is rubbing off. My Radiation Oncologist informed me yesterday that he might like to do a scar boost, which would mean an additional week of treatment aimed specifically at the scar line. It depends on how my skin holds up. I'm not gonna lie, I was really really (really really really) looking forward to being done next week. I'll just have to do whatever's best and soldier on.

16 down, 12 to go...

More than halfway through my radiation treatments! I'm starting to get the pink "sunburned" square on my left side. It doesn't hurt very much except when the seatbelt rubs against my skin. My eyes keep getting heavier and heavier, so fatigue is setting in. I slept 10 hours last night and could still go for a nap.

Yesterday I had a checkup with the oncologist. She says it looks like I'm golden. She asked if it felt like I was cured, I said maybe it will when I'm done with radiation treatment. It's hard to switch mentality from "I have cancer" to "I had cancer", especially when there is so much fighting left to do.

My oncologist said to me "You're only 28? That's disgusting. Well, 29 should be a better year for you."

11 down, 17 to go...

After two weeks of radiation I'm still doing very well. I have just started having a tint of pink on my skin and my eyes are slightly droopy, but nothing very difficult at all. My Radiation Oncologist says the side effects will really start to hit me this week and next.

I experienced a few days of panic this week when I went to log on to my health insurance page and it said my insurance had been cancelled effective May 31st. I was pretty hysterical calling the health insurance company and my HR department trying to figure out what had happened. It had to be a mistake, right? They can't just drop you without telling you! It turns out that it was, in fact, a mistake. My HR had me entered into the system as terminated (I'm pretty sure Arnold Schwarzenegger had something to do with this) so they fixed the glitch. I have health insurance back and no break in coverage. Hooray! This got me thinking how much I treasure my health insurance right now. For most people it is a safety net, but for me it is the parachute when you're skydiving. I definitely had an "Oh S@#$" moment this week when I pulled the cord and the chute didn't open!

5 Down, 23 To Go...

I have finished my first week of radiation, and so far it has gone well. My appointment is at the end of the day, so I leave work and arrive there at 4:45. I change into a paper gown (I wonder how many trees I've killed with all the paper gowns I've worn this year), lay on the table for a bit and I'm done. It takes about five minutes to line me up and five minutes to zap me with the radiation. Every other day they put a gel pad on me that simulates skin, which brings the radiation field closer to the surface. Then once a week I see the doctor just to check in. It doesn't hurt at all and so far I haven't seen any of the side effects (red skin or fatigue). Here's hoping it stays easy!

Radiation Run Through

Today was my dry run for radiation. They sat me on a table for an hour while the radiation machine (usually nicknamed the cyclops because it has one big eye looking thing) took some pictures of me. They were trying to see where all my vital organs are so that they won't damage them with the radiation beam. They also gave me another tattoo today (my fourth). They look like tiny blue freckles. Since I'm an enginerd I call them my datum tattoos.

They say the worst of the side effects will be a skin reaction, like a sunburn, on the affected area and towards the end of treatment I will feel fatigued. It should be a breeze compared to chemo. I am going to have a total of 28 treatments, 5 times a week for the better part of six weeks. July 14th my treatments are DONE! :)