Postby Ulendon » Thu Dec 26, 2019 1:35 pm
This morning I had my first radiation treatment and started the Xeloda pills. Last night I took a long hot bath since it's the last one I will be have for a while and afterwards I set up all my self care stuff. I used a moisturizer all over my pelvic area. I used a heavy duty Eucerine product on my hands and feet. I packed my lunch bag for work and included a 32 oz water bottle with some lemon and 1/2 teaspoon of L-glutamine powder to sip over the day. I packed a bag of work snacks/drinks a few different types of stomach settling herbal teas, ginger snaps, crackers, soup and salad for lunch, water flavorings. I brought a extra soft toothbrush and toothpaste, cushion for my office chair, and a tube of Calendula lotion.
I'm not usually a breakfast eater but the Xeloda is supposed to be taken with food and I've read here that more snacks means less nausea so I mixed extra almond milk into my coffee and added a powdered meal replacement shake to it. On the 30 minute drive to the cancer center I ate a banana and took my (4) 500 mg pills. I felt a weird reluctance to take them. It kind of felt like taking poison but I told my self it was poison for the cancer and did it.
When I got to the center I scanned my card at the front desk to check in and went back to the dressing room. I changed into a gown and stashed my pants and boots in my provided cubby. This time I left my underwear on. I bought some cotton short underwear and intent to wear it and just pull it down when I'm on the machine. It makes me feel a little less vulnerable. I waited a bit then they came and got me and led me to a different machine than the one I had been set up on. There were two techs. The spent a while getting me positioned and lined up and they taped my butt cheeks. This was less humiliating than I expected it to be. It was fast and not "exposing". Just a piece of tape on each side from thigh to butt. I was surprised at how very stressed I got during the treatment. This first session took longer than I had expected and the techs said it would be much faster in the future.
After I climbed down I headed back to the changing room, put my pants and boots back on and then went to the bathroom where I emptied my bladder of the mornings coffee and spread the Calendula lotion everywhere. Then headed out to my car and off to work. It wasn't until I got into the car that I relaxed a bit and realized how tense I had been! I'm assuming this will get better each time. The clinic is warm and comfortable and the staff is super nice.
Traffic was super light today and it only took me 40 minuted to get to work. I've made myself comfy and had a cup of tea. I've had a wave or two of mild nausea and felt really flushed but I'm thinking those are just psychosomatic and/or anxiety related.
So that's it for treatment 1/28
43 F
DX: RC
Tumor Location: Mid
Type: Adenocarcinoma
Tumor size: 5cm
Tumor Grade: T3b
Clinical: Stage IIIC (cT3, cN2b, cM0)
Suspicious local regional lymph nodes and 1 Extramesorectal lymph node
CEA 3.2 12/4/19
Margins: clear
MSI: intact
11/25/19 colonoscopy
12/2/19 MRI
12/3/19 CT: no evidence of distant spread
12/6/19 Surgery consult: LAR
12/11/19 Oncology: RX: Xeloda, Radiation x28
12/13/19 Radiation Oncology consultation, scan, tattoos
12/26/19-2/5/19 Xeloda, Radiation x28