The Radiation Journey

          " Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go. You may not be where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be." 

I am writing this post three months after finishing radiation. Looking back everything seems less intimidating, but, it was very challenging during the six weeks of going to radiation every weekday off island. In fact I didn't know how I could possibly cope with this ordeal. Family and friends made the difficulty bearable by driving me there and waiting. Conversation after the treatment helped me process what was happening to my body.

Tacoma Radiation has some of the best staff I have ever met. Take Jo, for example, she is a receptionist and always the first person I met. Her smile was contagious and I marveled how quickly she learned ny name. After greeting Jo every morning I would go through the big automatic doors, down the hall to the bathroom first and then on to the dressing room. There I would take off the upper clothes and put on a gown which was often too. big. There I sat with a huge sheet on and a mask covering my face waiting for a radiation therapist to take me back to the "room". At first the unrobing and getting situated on the radiation table was hugely uncomfortable. I tried being modest. There were always at least three therapists to get everything ready. The radiation beam is very focused and exact and it requires some math skills to set up the right parameters. The team leaves the room and I am alone, being observed by camera and hearing instructions on the intercom.

3-D Conformal Radiation

One of many types of radiation therapy, 3-D conformal radiation is a technique that allows doctors to direct radiation beams to conform to the shape of the tumor.

Compared with historical, 2-D radiation therapy, 3-D conformal radiation more precisely delivers radiation to cancer cells, while reducing the amount of radiation to healthy cells. This conventional form of radiation therapy is used to treat cancerous and noncancerous tumors throughout the body.

To prepare for 3-D conformal radiation, specialists use advanced technology to plot the path of multiple radiation beams that will be aimed at the tumor from different directions. During 3-D conformal radiation, the beams deliver a set treatment dose to the tumor, which is spread around the surrounding normal tissue to minimize the entrance and exit dose to any one area.

       There were certain protocols that required a breath hold of 20- 35 seconds. On my first visit to meet Doctor Pittier, the radiologist, I was told to practice holding my breath up to 45- seconds. The beam is so exact that breathing at the wrong time can alter the direction. Sometimes I still use the breath hold and do the counting of seconds while I'm resting and getting ready to sleep. It's just an intense memory.

Nothing was as wonderful as seeing the therapist come back into the room which meant it was over. The treatments lasted about ten to fifteen minutes. I became quite attached to the therapists and had some favorites. Meredith and Marshall were the best because of their quick wit and kindness. The day before Halloween was most amusing as they were all dressed up and very funny.

Cancer treatments have taught me the importance of looking outward. Everything is more bearable when you know the practitioners names and have an interest in their lives. What seems like a foreign, strange world can become warm and comfortable if you can get outside of yourself and the cancer.

I was actually very sad when the last day arrived because although I wouldn't miss the daily commute, I was going to miss the people who helped me and gave me respect as a person as well as a patient. 

Would you like to read more of my cancer story?

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