Tuesday 9/7

Ok so tomorrow, I go to Poulsbo to get my pic line installed and for my hour of chemo education. The pic line is kind of a semi-permanent IV that I can get my chemo and whatever medication they want to give me in, and they can also draw blood through it. It's kind of strange but will save me from quite a few sticks in the coming months, and if how my veins behaved in the hospital is their mo, I will be quite happy to have the pic line. I do have to get a chest x-ray to make sure it's in the right place and my lung hasn't collapsed (yikes). I swear I will be glowing by the end of this! :)

The get to know you radiation appt was interesting. Everything I read said that the chemo was worse than the radiation, but in my case it sounds like it will be reversed.  The good news about the chemo- I am getting a less strong version of what most people get because the chemo is being used to sensitize the cancer to the radiation treatment.  Hopefully that will mean less gnarly side effects. Oh and I definitely will not lose my hair.  Which strangely enough I had actually come to terms with. They say once you lose it and it grows back you get different hair, curly can become straight, and vice versa. I was kinda looking forward to different hair...trying to look at the plus side of all this...ya know?

Anyways, they did yet another CAT Scan while I was there. They take that with all my now missing parts, and overlay it to the PET Scan I had a couple weeks ago, and then the computer does a 3D model of my innards and runs lots and lots of math equations to figure out the best angles to shoot the radiation into the tumor while doing as little collateral damage as possible.  I am very fortunate to have had this happen now.  Not too long ago they just kind of nuked the whole area and hoped for the best. So when they lined me up in the CT they put sharpie marks on my belly to line up with.  Then when they were done with the scan, they put tape over the marks so they won't wash off.

I got back to the room where my mom was waiting for me, and showed her the marks. She said, "Well, at least they aren't tattoos" Right then the nurse walked in and said ok, we'll see you back here next Wednesday for your first treatment, and we'll get you your tattoos at that time as well. So, apparently I get tattoos to mark those spots so the tech can line the machine up with them so the radiation beams are accurate every time.

So just to recap, I get chemo once a week, and radiation 5 days a week, in Poulsbo. I also will have 3 high dose internal radiation treatments in Seattle, towards the end of the chemo and external radiation. I have a meet and greet with that doctor on the 17th.

Wednesday should be interesting. The appts didn't line up quite right so I have to be in Poulsbo by 8:30 to start chemo. It takes about 5 hours, but I have my radiation appt at noon same day. So, I have to unhook from chemo, drive across the street, get my tattoos, radiation simulation ( to make sure the computer is right) my radiation treatment, then drive back across the street to finish the chemo.  Hopefully things will be less hectic in the future with these appts. Thank god my bff Dawn is coming with me to chauffeur me around  and keep me company and stuff.  She rules :) We're both gonna miss our kids first days of school though :( I have mom guilt, but there's not a lot I can do about it. Being that I'm going to be an hour away.

Lotts and lotts of driving coming up. So, if anyone feels like sending on a good mix cd or books on cd or any listening suggestions, it would be appreciated.

I am also thinking of turning those tattoos into some other tattoo after this is over, so if anyone has any suggestions for that, or some other cancer surviving tattoo ideas, those would also be very much appreciated. Maybe I'll get it in that glowy ink...something's gonna glow damnit! :)

Think that's it for now. Night all :)