We are now 24 down and 9 to go. Tomorrow will be the last day they treat the entire chest wall. Starting Friday, I have 8 treatments focusing on the scar. A bright, green, box outlines the scar, about 4 cm on each side. This marks the field of focus. Normally they treat the scar five times, but she is adding three due to the skin involvement and question of inflammatory breast cancer. No more x-rays, and the scar treatments are only 5 minutes in length. This was good news! We are closing in on the finish line!
We didn’t ride the bike this morning, as we had several meetings and other things to attend to. It was a good thing, too. I got a call from the radiation therapist while we were on the way, letting me know their machine was waiting for a part from the engineer, so could I come back later. Not to worry. I had to go in at 10:00 for my dose of Herceptin anyway, so I might as well come there at 9:15. So we had a nice breakfast while we worked and chatted in our favorite bakery. I think I spoke too soon. I just said I haven’t had to wait due to machine failure…me and my big mouth.
Tim had an appointment with his dermatologist while I was getting infused. The doc said his body “doesn’t follow the rules.” I had a good laugh at that statement, because this summarizes Tim to a tee. That’s what I love about him. I love his creative spirit that doesn’t feel the need to color inside the lines. I love this about him, while at the same time it frustrates the bejeebers out of me, the ultimate rule-follower (haha). From a skin standpoint, it means he has a lot of moles that may not follow the normal course of action, so we have to keep an eye on it. He’s now wearing a band-aid on his face where the doctor removed another spot which he sent off for a biopsy.
I am noticing a bit more stiffness under the arm, as well as in my chest wall. Every now and then I feel sharp pins and needles, but I keep reminding myself the pain is killing off cancer cells. I still get tired, but I haven’t fallen. I’m trying to get some exercise from time to time, and in fact I took the dog for a one-mile walk tonight after a light dinner. The sun was hot, and I realized I need to walk about 30 minutes later, just before sunset, to take advantage of the cooler weather and lengthier shade.
On another note, Bryan has moved out and is living on his own. He works full-time at the Marriott in The Woodlands, serving in their fine restaurant. He joined us for dinner on Monday, and it was great to see him! He looks good, and he seems happy. He earned an award at work, and while they misspelled his name on the certificate, it was terrific to see how well he is doing on the job. The next morning, conversation with Tim went something like this…
Tim: “Why did we decide to spell Bryan’s name with a “y” again?”
Cindy: “Because it’s the way your middle name is spelled.” *silly man*
Tim: (lightbulb) “Oh yeah!”
I would have been rolling on the floor laughing had I not been on the bike. We had some fun with that for a few miles.
À la prochaine (Until next time) …