6 Week Check

July 20, 2011: Today, I went back to see Dr. Avizonis, my radiologist, for a 6-week check-up since finishing radiation. I was actually a little excited to go - maybe because I knew it would be a uplifting experience and not a scary one. I wore makeup, curled my hair, wore a cute summer tee and my (newest DI find) denim skirt, and drove that old familiar road to the UCS building. Six weeks has flown by. The summer is halfway over (boo-hoo!). And thankfully, happily, I am doing well and feeling good.

Nurse Allyson was her usual cheerful, bubbly self (I loved her bright purple eyeshadow today - she is a gem!). I was happy to find that I haven't gained any weight back, even though I am eating more now than I was. I walked back past the treatment waiting room and counted my lucky BLESSED stars that I wasn't one of the many sitting in those chairs.

I had a few questions for Dr. A, and she answered them with her usual, laid-back, no-nonsense, practicality.

ME: Taste buds still not connecting, especially the sweet ones.
DR. A: The sweet ones will take the longest to come back. Just eat your green vegetables!

ME: Still losing hair - I have two very pronounced bald spots in the back.
DR. A: (after lifting my hair and observing said bald spots) Yep, it's a little thin there, but I see sprouting! Don't let your hairdresser give you a pixie cut anytime soon, okay?

ME: What about the puffy, red skin on my right cheek?
DR. A: The skin is still healing. As for the puffiness, we had to "dam" up a lot of the normal drainage spots. So, while it's trying to discover new places to drain, it will be puffy, especially after sleeping on that side or in extreme heat, etc. It will probably go into your neck and cause it to look puffier, too, but that's normal. Try to sleep on your left side...and just be patient! Radiation usually takes 12 weeks to completely leave the body.

There you have it! She said she didn't need to see me again until the first of November. She also said that I probably didn't need to see Dr. Bradley again - that she and Dr. Grossmann will tag-team and keep me healthy. That made me sad at first - you know how much I love and am grateful for cute Dr. Bradley! - but as I've thought about it, he is a surgeon, as well as a neck/throat doc. So, if I don't have cancer in my neck any more and don't need any further surgeries, he's done his job. Well done, doc. As much as I'd love to see you again, as long as I don't NEED to see you, I'm happy.

The good news continues. Summer goes on. I'm a happy chick.