Booster of a week
Learning more about this radiotherapy treatment. So far, for the past 5 weeks, the machine has zapped me from the left under the arm and the rays have gone at an angle right up through my body coming out the centre of my chest. Then the machine rotated and zapped from the the centre of the chest down through to the underarm spot. Not that I could feel this really but that is what I'm told.
The booster rays are done with a different machine that zaps just from this one angle straight down along the scar area to a depth of about 2 cm. Each zap is maybe 30 seconds. They drew a dot-dot line around to mark the area being zapped and then laid a piece of heavy stuff across my chest which they called jelly but apparently is like a layer of tissue - helps the machine focus in on just the right area.
4 more of these to go. Apparently every dose has been the same but it is accumulative. It is starting to feel tighter and sorer and look tanned. Radiotherapist said I could take Panadol. Hadn't occurred to me! It really isn't that bad... yet. I'm told it will get worse in this last week of treatment and continue like this into the next week or so. I'm also perhaps a bit more tired than usual but not having to work helps.
The radiotherapist gave me some Solugel wound care cream in case my skin starts to peel like sunburn.
I got some padding from the nurse too, to put under the bottom of my bra as this is the main area that has been irritated and looks redder. I tend to only wear the light sports bras with my original padded pillow boob rather than my pocket bra with the chicken fillet. OR nothing if I'm at home - much better!!
