Donna in Hollywoodland

Friday - the Doctor

Even though I get the Radiation treatment everyday, I only see the doctor on Fridays.
They called me in the morning and asked if they could move my appointment up.
I said fine, but I still wanted to come in after lunch.
So my regular 2:45 appointment, became 1 pm.

I got my daily radiation first. Then it was my doctors appointment.

I talked to the Doctor about some pain I have in my right chest. (Which is weird, because its the left breast getting the radiation.) Its only happened twice after the radiation, and it went away after an hour.
Turns out there is some cartilage connecting the left ribcage to the right ribcage. Thats whats irritated. That little piece of cartilage.
He knew exactly what the problem was and explained it to me.

I told him the woozy feeling I had at the beginning of my radiation, was probably my hypoglycemia. I now make a point to eat my lunch right before I come in for my radiation treatment.

Then I mention that my stomach is a mess.
"Does the radiation mess up my intestinal flora?" I asked.
"Well, it shouldn't", was the doctors answer.
I told him I started eating yogurt. He said that was fine.
Then he said he wanted to run a Urinalysis to see if I have a bladder infection.
(Thats one reason I like this doctor. He listens, and he will run tests.)

Ok, if I have a bladder infection - the radiation is over. I walk.
Remember, I only have one kidney. And I'm not messing with that. No way, No how.
(But of course, they will probably tell me that the infection was not caused by the radiation. Whatever.)

Then I asked him about the "Radiation Boost" that I get in the end. I wanted to know if its going to make me more tired.
He said no, because its the same dosage of radiation. Its just that right now we are treating the entire breast.
For the "boost" they will only treat the area where the tumor was located.

My next question was, "How Many Boost Treatments?" and "Are they counted as part of my 28 days?"
Well, no. They fooled me.
The "boost" takes place after the 28 treatments.
There will be anywhere between 3 to 8 "boost" treatments - depending on how I am holding up, what my skin looks like and whatever.
So its not 5 1/2 weeks of treatment - its closer to 6 1/2 weeks.

Speaking of my skin - he said in spite of my large breasts, that I am doing really well. There is hardly any burning on my skin at all.
Its a combination of the little blue styrofoam blocks that they made to place under my breast when they do the radiation treatment.
And the leisure bras that I bought over the internet. (If you are having any surgery to your breast - you need a leisure bra.)

Oh, and Lily of the Desert Organic Aloe Vera the minute the radiation treatment is finished.

For my showers, I have been using Kiss My Face Shower Gel . It does not sting at all.

Then I stopped of at the Lab on my way out the building. Time for a urine test.
Oh, you know what I had to do. Peeing into a cup. Then I have to pour some of it from the cup into a test tube.
This is gross.

And I am no doctor, but I could tell by just looking at my pee - that I bet I have a bladder infection.
Too cloudy.

Sorry, I know thats way more than you want to know about me. LOL.