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| The room where the Linac machine is located |
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| The control room |
The second stage of the breast cancer treatment was a daily
course of radiotherapy to the affected breast for a total of 20 sessions over a
4-week period. Well, I survived! Not
without a scratch though… at this moment, my skin began to show signs of
healing and I am getting more comfortable every day! I was also prescribed
Tamoxifen 20 mg tablet daily, started about a month ago (which I am going to rant about in my other postings).
Radiotherapy is a critical component of treatment for the
majority of women with breast cancer, particularly those who receive breast
conserving surgery (me included). My present oncologist is also a qualified
radiation oncologist, so I have no complaints. I trust that my oncologist will
do the best for me.
“Good morning!”, as usual, his cheerful smile and warm
greetings, “How are you?”. “ I am fine but I have a few things to report…..I am
consistently having blurred vision for the past few weeks…” . I looked at him
and he said. “Oh don’t worry, it will go off, but will take some time, most
probably the lingering side effects of chemotherapy (Taxotere), why don’t you
take Neurobion daily, it will help with the nerves…” I reckoned he got it right, in addition to the
blurred vision; I often wake up with numb hands, all these are signs of
chemotherapy-induced neuropathy.
“I have another concern, I appeared to have sailed through
chemotherapy quite easily, you know….my eyebrow and lashes are still intact and
my blood cells recovered so well without the white blood cell booster, are these signs telling me that I am not responding to the treatment??” I knew I
sounded stupid, but I was curious. “Nah, you are totally normal, as not
everybody will experience the same side effects!” I was relieved.
During the consultation session, we discussed the
radiotherapy plans and he assured me that I won’t be having nausea or any side
effects that will render me sick or weak (like chemotherapy!). The good news
was that I should be able to drive and I won’t need anybody to accompany me
during the sessions! Oh yes, I was also prescribed some Aloe Vera-based cream to
apply at the treatment areas at least
twice a day.
After the consultation session, I was brought to the
radiotherapy facility in the same morning.
I went through a CT planning scan. For the simulation session, some tattoo
marks, which felt like needle pricks, were made on my skin to identify the
treatment areas. I was told to come back
later for the radiation session, as the doctor have to calculate the radiation
doses and determine the exact treatment area. Meanwhile, I was also given a
crash course on dos and don’ts on the radiated skin. No soap, no cream (except
prescribed by the doctor), no this and that….
After waited for a few hours, I was called to enter the
treatment room, where the linear accelerator or Linac is located. During
radiation treatment, I was asked to lie very still on the treatment table while
the radiotherapists determined the alignment and position of the machine.
As far as I remembered, the machine rotated up to 3
location/angles and at each location, the radiation beam was delivered. The radiotherapists will not be in the room
during the treatment, which was the scary part. They monitored the treatment
via a video camera and an audio connection with the treatment room. When the radiation beam was given, I didn’t
feel a single thing, neither heat nor sensation! The three angle radiation completed
within 2-3 minutes! Later, the radiotherapist told me that the radiation area
spans from under my left armpit to the affected breast and across the left side
of my chest and shoulders, Hmm….quite a large area there!
Thus for the next few sessions I would be hanging around the
hospital as early as 7.15 am and get it all done by 8.30-8,45 am. The ladies or rather the radiotherapists were friendly and very nice to everybody! The whole process was
convenient, no hassle and I felt absolutely fine for the first 10 sessions. My daily diary
entry was reduced to nothing!
Unsurprisingly, by early of week 3, I began to develop a
lump in my throat. It was irritating but somehow it disappeared after a few
days. I also noticed redness
around the treatment area. By early of week 4, I could see
significant colour change and swelling, especially around the nipple. In addition, breast pain (not all the time though) and some days, the discomfort
caused sleeplessness.
After I completed 15 sessions, I was called to the doctor’s
office again for checking. He looked at the treatment area and said “Hmm...this is
interesting…, but no worries, your skin will heal and the darkened area will
return to normal eventually.” He took a marker pen and drew a heavy dotted line
across the area and said, “For the next 5 sessions, the radiation will focus on
the tumor and surgery site.” I looked at the red pen marks on my skin, rolled my eyes, stared at him for seconds which reduced to a simple nod and went straight to the
radiotherapist room, counting my days...
By end of week 4, the swelling, itchiness and skin colour
became worse, and I was prescribed fucidin cream (I bought another version with
hydrocortisone). Anyway, 2 weeks after the last radiation session, I could see
great improvement, no more pain or soreness. Darkened skin began peeling,
revealing a nice colour underneath. Nowadays
I use Cetaphil moisturizing cream and it works equally well.
I was to see the doctor again in 3 months. Really looking
forward to see the cheerful and charming doctor!
Just a note, throughout the radiotherapy sessions, I ate as
normally as I could (minus the heavy carbs), I exercise and carried out routine
work. The best part was that I managed to lose 2 kilos so far. My aim will be
to reach my pre-chemotherapy weight in another 6 months, slow and steady. I
still take my cactus extract drink, beet root juice etc. routinely. Although I
felt tired at times, eg tend to sleep before 10 pm and waking up at wee hours
in the morning, I think I have regained most of my energy back and I am good. I attended my student’s viva voce a few days
ago and I was glad she passed with flying colours, what a blessing!
I recently got to know a friend, who has been my frequent
exercise and lunch buddy. We have a lot in common and I count this as another
blessing!
Moving forward, with gratitude and mindfulness.
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