A Tuesday to Celebrate
- Deb Dekoff
- Mar 14, 2017
- 2 min read
It's a triple whammy day for me at the Huntsman: radiation, doctor visit, and infusion,. This all adds up to: I'll be there for awhile.
But, unlike other 'Terrible Tuesdays', this Tuesday offers a reason to celebrate: the END of radiation.
Radiation hit me harder than chemo.
It caused more fatigue.
It caused visible effects on my skin, aka, radiation dermatitis. The basic mild rash is called erythema. However, my skin has gone beyond that first level of damage, and is in the both dry and moist desquamation stage. (You don't want to see it.) As one who has avoided sun damage since my early teen years (freckle-faced red head here), getting a burn like this is contrary.
I learned that even though today is the "last day" of radiation, I will continue to "sizzle" inside for over a week. My skin is warmer in just this area. Much more sensitive - painful even. I was informed by my nurse that next week will be worse than this week.
I guess one way to look at this is like my kitchen mishaps:
Once, I tried to make a dessert - a chocolate melty torte - in the microwave.
It looked fine on the outside - warm to the touch.
And when I cut it open, it was so steamy and hot, I had to let it sit.
Yet when I returned to this now cooled dessert - it was an inedible solid. ("The queen doesn't cook" is actually a sign in my kitchen. Errr, Bill's kitchen.
My normal "get out and do" has turned into a "stay in and don't", because I cannot.
Tracking my hours exercising - my way of doing and pushing my body to do what it likes best - has diminished over radiation.
From 12 hours over 7 days. (Three weeks ago)
To 6 hours over 7 days. (and an hour of that was a non-energetic let me just TRY). (Last week)
To 50 minutes -supervised at the Huntsman.
Sleep and rest have taken over.
I'm in bed at 7:30 to 8:00pm
I sleep in until 7-9 am.
I'm healing. Slowly.
But surely.
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