No, fireworks! Definitely fireworks!
Overall, my 10 radiation treatments were pretty easy. There were a few days that they had trouble lining me up properly with the radiation machine, but most treatments were super quick with no issues. After they put the mask on me, they take x-rays to make sure I'm lined up right - they literally measure to the millimeter and a few times had to come in a scoot me around on the table or have me wiggle my face around in the mask. But even on those days, I was in and out of the office in under 30 minutes.
As for side effects, I'm extremely tired. It's hard to put into words how tired I am. I'm exhausted all day long. The only other side effect is a sore throat. The left side of my esophagus is really raw, which is painful. I'm currently eating a bowl of ice cream which is helping :)
The radiation technicians sent me home with a little stuffed bear to congratulate me… and they gave me the mask to keep. I personally don't want the mask, but my dad does so he's getting in early Christmas present :)
So… where do we go from here? I follow up with the radiation oncologist on December 30 - he'll just check in to make sure my radiation side effects are improving (the side effects usually last 4-6 weeks). Then I meet with my regular oncologist in late January. She'll do a physical exam and unless she sees a reason to do it sooner, I won't have to have another PET scan until April. In April, I'll have a full PET scan to check to see if I've relapsed (which I won't!).
So now that I'm all done with treatment it's time to CELEBRATE! Josh and I would like to celebrate with all of our amazing friends and family who have been there for us during this stupid cancer. I know December is a tough time to get people together, so we're going to wait until January and then throw a big PAR-TAY! More to come!
Love,
Melissa
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