Happy Thanksgiving weekend, dear reader!! This is a weekend filled with family, friends….and turkey. I’m not sure if family and friends are turkeys, but I suspect there’s a turkey or two in every family.
Today’s blog entry is 6 down, 14 to glow. I must admit here and now that I’m am sorely disappointed. At the start of this radiation therapy, I had visions of superheroes and night lights…but alas, non of it has happened…yet. Every night, I wake up….it’s dark in the room, except the light of the streetlamp that is in our alley…so I yank the covers over our heads and expect to see an eerie green glow. Every night, I am saddened, for all I see is nothing. Darkness. I am hoping that the next 14 radiation treatments will produce some glow effects.
Of course, I could buy a glow stick, and hide it under the covers…and then, at 2 in the morning, excitedly wake up Dianne and show her that she is glowing!! Oh, how funny that would be!!! Well, funny for me, probably not for her. I suspect she’d be angry. Is it worth it? Please, dear reader, provide me with feedback. Should I try it? Are any of you as twisted as I am?
As a side note, how much radiation was Peter Parker exposed to before he could shoot spider webs from his wrists? And, was it radiation that made Bruce Banner not be able to control his temper? Again, I have visions of a large green angry person running amuck through my house. Maybe at some point in the next 3 weeks or so this will happen.
Seriously, dear reader…the radiation treatments are going fine. It is not a long process, but it is 5 days a week, which makes it a bit tedious. The side effects from the radiation apparently start showing up after about 10 treatments. And by side effects, I am not talking about glowing or cobwebs….I am talking about fatigue and dry skin / burnt skin. Of course Dianne is tired…she has been for several months now. The radiation will probably make it worse. And her skin? Well, she has discovered that a Galaxal based cream works much better than Aloe Vera. So, she smears that on the radiated site every day. We are hoping that this will counter some of the skin issues that can arise from radiation.
If you haven’t figured out by the title, Dianne is to have a total of 20 radiation treatments. This is what we had hoped for. There was initially talk of her receiving up to 30 treatments, but the powers that be decided on 20. Well played, powers…well played. Thus, if everything stays on schedule, her last radiation will be on November 2. This is allowing for long weekends, and there are a couple days towards the end of October that they won’t do her treatment.
Dear reader, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…all is well. Dianne is coping well with this treatment. This is the last major hurdle in her battle against cancer. Although she will never be declared ‘cancer free’, the Dr. will tell her (hopefully!!) that her cancer is not active, or in remission as it were.
Oh, as for reconstructive surgery, Dianne will be going to see the plastic surgeon on December 21. We are hoping that at this appointment she will find out if she can even have it. If she can’t, it is not a huge deal. We are just very thankful that she has come through to this point as well as she has…reconstruction would be an added bonus, but not the end all and be all.
And that, dear reader, brings you up to date. If, one morning, I find my Xbox controllers pinned to the wall behind a web of silk, I will know that I am married to Spiderwoman. If a wrathful green person roars at me because I forgot to take out the garbage (and then proceeds to throw said garbage into the alley from the back door), I will know that I am married to the Incredible Hulkstress. But for now, I am married to Superwoman…for she truly is a super hero in my eyes.
Cheers,
RK