The first full week of treatment was incident-free. Wednesday night I felt sleepy earlier than usual and went to bed about thirty minutes early. I did the same on Thursday night. Late in the week I also experienced an increase in stomach gas, which probably is unrelated to either of the treatments. However, with the possibility of nausea, it made me feel a bit uneasy. I have since read that the mere anticipation of nausea and vomiting is a common problem during chemotherapy and can cause it.
The radiation treatments were a mixed bag. Monday I was greeted by a different team than usual. It shouldn’t be a big deal, but even after only two days with the other two technicians I had started to learn their routine. On Tuesday I was a few minutes early and had to wait about ten minutes after changing into a gown. I was finally greeted by yet a different pair of technicians. Unlike my previous visits, they had not set up the table in advance so I had to wait a couple more minutes after getting into the treatment room. That’s when I really missed my usual team.
On Wednesday the regular crew was back and I was happy to see them. Unfortunately, there were problems getting me positioned correctly on the table. About half the time after getting me positioned with the laser lines and then taking an image, someone will come back in the room and make a slight adjustment. Wednesday, someone came in twice to make adjustments. Then both techs came back in and said they couldn’t get it right and had me get up while they checked and repositioned the molds. We started over and it worked after that. They said sometimes something is off and the only way to remedy it is to start over. The sessions on Thursday and Friday went much better.
I am relieved to get through a full week with no significant problems. Having finished eight out of twenty-eight treatments means I am past the one-quarter mark. I know the last quarter will be harder than the first, but it’s that much in the rear-view mirror.
No comments:
Post a Comment