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Radiation (Treatment 3) A time for decisions I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to have radiation, I thought the risks were a little high. After having a second opinion at Hershey Medical Center, I decided to go with a low-dose treatment. "...is this your first time?" I soon found out my radiation therapy department was one full of hugs. On my first day I watched a video on radiation treatment, and had all the side effects and such explained to me. I choose to go with the lowest possible effective dose of radiation, in something known as an involved-field. I would have a total of 2100 rads over 14 days. I had radiation on weekdays, so 14 days was one day less than three weeks. Before I started my treatments, a lead block/shield was formed for my specific treatment area. I had a few red lines drawn on me, and even got three small black tattoos -- in case my lines washed off too much for alignment (and for future reference). I didn't suffer from nausea, but my appetite decreased a bit. My treatment area got a little red, but it didn't hurt. I had ice water immediately before and after my treatment to protect my throat from getting too sore. Radiation treatments were a breeze for me. Here's how mine went:
I had a blood test once a week, and a chest x-ray around the same frequency. Each week I also met with a radiation oncologist. My first chest x-ray showed I had a normal chest, and I thought I was cured. (Unfortuntely, I was wrong...) [ next -> relapse ] |
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