Final Day of Radiation

June 7, 2011: Oh, happy day! This morning was my last radiation treatment. I am so relieved.

When Lindsey and I arrived and walked up to the usual back door entrance, we passed some workers who were using extremely loud machines; and when I reached for the door handle, it was locked! I thought, OH NO, they've closed and they didn't tell me - I'll have to come back tomorrow!! But before I could freak out completely, Mary (my favorite tech) pushed open the door and let us in. She said they were trying to cut down on the noise and make sure the door closed behind everyone who came in. Whew, that would have broken my heart to have to come back...

Lindsey finally got to see the procedure after being with me from the very beginning. What a champ! I was grateful that Mary was the tech on duty today - she was so kind to quietly explain everything they do and how everything works, even the technical stuff. Linds thought it was amazing. For the final time, I had to wear my mask and I kind of got a little teary when that last radiation blast finished - not that it was over, but that I had made it to the end. As I left the treatment room, I was given my mask - a unique trophy, I guess - and a cute certificate that all the techs signed AND a bottle of bubbly (I'll save it for when I can taste it!). I was weighed again (I'm down 26 lbs since my first surgery on March 3) and was able to visit with Dr. Avizonis. In her usual no-nonsense, this-is-what-you-can-expect way, she told me the progression of my healing from tomorrow on - first, my "sunburn" should heal (hooray, because it is a tight, stinging mass of peeling, dry skin); next should be my sore throat and the blisters on my tongue, and then, the return of the taste buds, which could take up to two or three weeks. She said the gradual healing of the taste buds is just plain weird and unexplainable; some people report that they can taste certain things, like salty food or sugar; others say that they can taste the first two or three bites of their food - and then, nothing. I joked with Linds that that would probably be a good thing, since my stomach has shrunk and two or three bites is about all I can handle right now. We'll see how mine behave. So far, they've been pretty standard to what everyone else goes through.

Linds said that while I was in treatment, Mary and Mark and the other techs mentioned how well I had come through the past six weeks. I couldn't have done it without all of them. They kept me feeling upbeat and positive and gave me a reason to leave the place smiling. I am so thankful that I was sent to the Utah Cancer Specialists Center and got Dr. Avizonis and the rest of the staff on my team. They are top notch.

Dr. Avizonis said she wants to see me in six weeks, and she was happy to hear that I'll be seeing Dr. Grossmann on Friday. She said that they'll continue to monitor me and make sure nothing pops up that they can't deal with right away. I like that. That's my goal, too.

So, now I'm home with the big white mask. I took pictures that I emailed, asking, "What shall I do with it now?" I've loved the suggestions: wind flowers through it for a planter, paint it purple and stuff it with treats like a pinata, use it to go jousting, bury it DEEP, use it as a form to design hats, put a firecracker in it and blow it up on the 4th of July... the possibilities are endless. I'm just thrilled that I don't have to put it on EVER AGAIN!!