The reason I am having radiation is to help lower my chance that the cancer will come back in my left breast or any nearby lymph nodes. Additionally, during my mastectomy my cancer was larger than expected and I had lymph node involvement which scientifically indicates the need for radiation therapy.
Last week, I met with my radiation team who took careful measurements on my chest and sternum to figure out the correct angles for aiming the radiation beams and the proper dose of radiation. I even received my first tattoos (although they are just little dots...) The small tattoos on my skin are used as a guide to focus the radiation on the right area.
External radiation therapy is much like getting an x-ray, but the radiation is stronger. My radiation oncologist is trying a new procedure on me because my heart and lungs are so close to where the radiation needs to be guided. During my procedure, I take a deep breath, thus moving my heart and lung farther away from the radiation area and that is when they treat me with radiation. The procedure itself is painless. Since this is the first time the Marshfield Clinic has used this procedure, the setup time - getting me into place for treatment—usually takes about 30 minutes and the treatment lasts about 15 minutes. We are hoping that this time will decrease with each treatment as we all get used to this process. The hardest part for me during this procedure is keeping my arms above my head for such a long time (my arms are under the blue blankets).
External radiation therapy is much like getting an x-ray, but the radiation is stronger. My radiation oncologist is trying a new procedure on me because my heart and lungs are so close to where the radiation needs to be guided. During my procedure, I take a deep breath, thus moving my heart and lung farther away from the radiation area and that is when they treat me with radiation. The procedure itself is painless. Since this is the first time the Marshfield Clinic has used this procedure, the setup time - getting me into place for treatment—usually takes about 30 minutes and the treatment lasts about 15 minutes. We are hoping that this time will decrease with each treatment as we all get used to this process. The hardest part for me during this procedure is keeping my arms above my head for such a long time (my arms are under the blue blankets).
I will receive a total of 25 radiation treatments, Monday - Friday (excluding holidays). There are some risk factors to radiation therapy such as:
- Swelling and heaviness in the breast
- Skin changes in the treated area
- Fatigue
radiation therapy may weaken the ribs, which could lead to a fracture AND radiation can damage parts of the lungs and heart!
Just as with chemotherapy, I'm not going to focus on the possible side effects. Modern radiation therapy equipment allows doctors to better focus the radiation beams, so these problems are rare today. I am grateful technology and modern medicine have come such a long way in the area of breast cancer. Even though I wouldn't have wanted breast cancer, I am being strong and courageous in this fight of breast cancer and I hope this blog and any future work in my life can help other men and women suffering from this disease. Remember... BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS!
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