Sunburned Butt!

Hooray!!!  Phase two treatment complete! It has been a long five weeks, but we're finally done. We have had 25 radiation zaps to the butt area. Well, really more than that 25 x 4 = 100 and I'll still be cooking for about 6 week while the body begins to heal. So just imagine one hell of a sun burn in that tender region, thank heaven for lidocaine cream. I have done well with treatment with few side effects.

The  next step is three  rounds of  Bracytheraphy, internal radiation which will be a week apart. This involves inserting a tube and then sending in a radioactive seed which will sit at the cervix for 3 to 8 minutes. This will be a high dose of radiation administered right to the top of where the cervix used to be. This will reduce a recurrence to this area to about 2%. Sounds pretty good. The rest will be up to me to keep it at bay.

I'm posting a couple images of the radiation treatment zapping center. Lovely position face down, butts up.

Standing up to Cancer!

 

Wraping My Mind Around It

Waffling...... not sure this is a word but, this is what I've been doing. When I found out I had cancer I was adamant about not doing Chemotherapy. Now I'm faced with to do or not to do! I saw the chemotherapy doctor last Friday along with the Radiation doctor. I was there for a consultation, why did they think I need to add chemotherapy to my treatment?

Well, my grade three, aggressive cancer has a 75% chance of returning to the cervix area, hence the radiation plan. The chemotherapy that is being planned, called Cisplatin, is to enhance the effectiveness of the external radiation. The plan is to administer two rounds of Cisplain three weeks apart, at the same time as the external radiation, for a duration of  five weeks everyday but weekends. Then I'll return to Willamette Valley Cancer Institute in Springfield to receive the internal Bracy radiation therapy followed by three or four more rounds of chemotherapy with Carboplatin and Paclitaxel.

I talked again with Dr Dotters, her feelings, throwing everything I can at this cancer now, will help stop it's return. I'm young, I'm in good health and I have a can do attitude.

So... I prepare for war!