I had an appointment with Dr. K, my radiation oncologist, today. I love Dr. K. He is so smart and he loves to talk about everything. Today's appointment was an interesting one. To put it simply, this medical technology is miraculous!
All of my pathology has confirmed my original diagnosis - DCIS Stage 0. With cancer, no surprises is a good day. So I call this a win.
I will be receiving 21 radiation treatments. Dr. K. was BEYOND pleased with my surgery, one of the best incisions he has ever seen (thank you Dr. Mason) and thinks that I will be able to start radiation later next week. He wants me to be finished radiation before school starts to give my body the best shot at healing. The Governor extending the start of the school year to 9/8 was a gift to me (not really - though I have met him a few times) Thanks Governor Justice.
The preparation for radiation treatments is AMAZING. First I was placed on a CT table that had a pillow-type thing that is filled with what I would describe as kinetic sand. I laid on this pillow and they made a form of my body! This will position my breast in the exact place to receive radiation. This minimizes the risk to other organs of the body, too. After this positioning, a CT scan was performed to provide a specific map of my breast. Again, this is for targeted radiation treatment. Finally, I received three little tattoos, one on either side of my rib cage and one in the center of my chest. (They are, at most, the size of a freckle). It's funny now, but when I turned 40 I actually looked at getting a tattoo. A dear friend even got me a gift card to one of the temporary tattoo websites so I could try it out before I made it permanent. Ironic right? Anyway, these tattoos actually have an important role in my treatment. They match up with laser beams to provide for exact body positioning. Science is MIRACULOUS and I am so grateful for the people that have developed these kinds of minimally invasive treatments. To those of you reading this that are perhaps heading into a similar journey, it's ok to be scared. But please know that you will be o.k. And if I can help in any manner, don't hesitate to reach out.
Next week I will start radiation and see the oncologist to find out the next steps of this long journey.
Thanks to all of you for the cards, texts, letters, gifts, funny memes and gifs, meals, etc.
Mostly, thanks to all of you that are wearing masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19. This family appreciates you so much. Be safe everyone!