Wow! I applied the same technique today and to my amazement the diarrhea stopped altogether. This means that I am lucky enough to have been able to suck my bowels high enough out of the way so the radiation does not touch it any more. I will have to discuss this with my doctor, but logically I cannot see any problem with it. I had everything taken out, basically they are radiating the pelvic floor, where the cervix used to be. There is nothing else left there that I would potentially "suck away" together with the bowels.
Now, this does not mean that I am totally symptom free. I still have coming and going pelvic pain, like during a period. Also, if I get frisky and overdo things physically, occasionally I have a wave of loosing my strength, making me feel like a collapsing tower of cards. If I lie down, I can recover in a few minutes
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Day #9
I had an idea today and I decided to give it a try. It is obvious that the inflammation of the bowels was getting gradually worse. So I was thinking of ways to get those bowels somehow out of the way. When I got ready for the session, I decided to "suck" the lower part of my abdomen higher. I exhaled, pulled the diaphragm upward and used the muscles of my lower abdomen to try to push the bowels up, out of the way. Whether it is as a result of this action or a coincidence, later in the day the frequency of my BMs improved I will try to do the same tomorrow to see if this really works.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Day #8
Nothing new today. Everything more or less the same as yesterday. Maybe a bit more tired... but that could also be because all this week I have my sessions at 7:50 in the morning, which means that I have to be up by 6:45 to drink the prescribed amount of water so I will arrive with a full bladder. And getting up this early is a bit too early for me... I am a night owl by nature. :)
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Day #7
The most dramatic development today was the slowly rolling-in diarrhea. It still isn't of a liquid consistency, it is more of a soft stool, but it comes in explosive batches mixed with gas, and quite often. At least ten of them today. The result is a sore anal area, for which the best treatment is to wash after every BM.
Another development is that elimination, both nr 1 and 2, are a bit painful, just like it used to be during my periods. So I just "let go", trying not to push. Otherwise I am still not tired or nauseous. I can still go about my daily business as usual, as long as I am in the vicinity of a washroom...
Another development is that elimination, both nr 1 and 2, are a bit painful, just like it used to be during my periods. So I just "let go", trying not to push. Otherwise I am still not tired or nauseous. I can still go about my daily business as usual, as long as I am in the vicinity of a washroom...
Monday, July 25, 2011
Day #6
The sessions seem to be getting even shorter, just one buzz from each of the four angles. It makes me worried, though, that given the total prescribed amount of radiation, each buzz must now equal twenty of the shorter buzzes of the eight angle sessions. I would have liked to discuss this with the doctor today, but he was very much behind. Even after I was told that I am next and was ushered into an examination room, I still had to wait over half an hour for my turn. He asked about the side effects, and he said that he was happy that I still did not develop nausea and diarrhea. Then, after a few sentences, he stood up, said good bye and left.
From the technician girls I found out that we are using intensity modulated therapy, that the linear accelerator produces high energy x-rays which then "sterilizes" the area the radiation covers.
After the session I did have the low abdominal pain again, and a funny feeling in the vaginal area, a cobwebby sensation as if the vagina became very dry, which of course is not the case. The sensation lasted about an hour, gradually diminishing. I also had several bowel movements over the day, looser than normal, even though I do not take milk of magnesia the night before any more.
From the technician girls I found out that we are using intensity modulated therapy, that the linear accelerator produces high energy x-rays which then "sterilizes" the area the radiation covers.
After the session I did have the low abdominal pain again, and a funny feeling in the vaginal area, a cobwebby sensation as if the vagina became very dry, which of course is not the case. The sensation lasted about an hour, gradually diminishing. I also had several bowel movements over the day, looser than normal, even though I do not take milk of magnesia the night before any more.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Day #5 and Weekend #1
I had the last session of the week on Friday afternoon. The new set of angles made quite a bit of difference in the side effects. It is obvious that having a wider area irradiated creates more collateral damage. I developed a low, rumbling abdominal pain, something not unlike an oncoming period. The effects of the bowels manifest not so much in loosened stool but an increase in gas. Today (Sunday) I embarrassed myself by passing a little whistle during dinner, at the table... I had to reach for something across the table and... oops...
But the biggest problems are a) I am tired and b) I don't seem to be able to get rid of the food sensitivity problem that I developed after the CT scan. I am definitely sensitive to gluten, but today, for example, I did not have any wheat, yet I have quite a dramatic attack. Just like during the reaction to the dye, both my arms, the outsides, are covered with bubbly hives, and the same for the front area of my neck. We are out of Benadryl, so I took a Reactine, but it did not do much. I am still scratching furiously as we speak.
Tomorrow I have a session scheduled with my oncologist and I will bring the issue up, although I did talk about this to him on Thursday and he did not seem to know what to say.
But the biggest problems are a) I am tired and b) I don't seem to be able to get rid of the food sensitivity problem that I developed after the CT scan. I am definitely sensitive to gluten, but today, for example, I did not have any wheat, yet I have quite a dramatic attack. Just like during the reaction to the dye, both my arms, the outsides, are covered with bubbly hives, and the same for the front area of my neck. We are out of Benadryl, so I took a Reactine, but it did not do much. I am still scratching furiously as we speak.
Tomorrow I have a session scheduled with my oncologist and I will bring the issue up, although I did talk about this to him on Thursday and he did not seem to know what to say.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Day #4
A new development today. My oncologist called me into his office to let me know that they change the administering of the rays from eight to four angles, but (as far as I understand) by using wider angles. He sounded a little fuzzy... I will see him again on Monday and will clarify some of my thoughts on the issue. For now I did not find anything specific about the benefits of some angles over others, just an article in The Journal of Medical Physics on intensity modulated therapy. But I also found a great factsheet at the National Cancer Institute, where they explain the whole radiation process in great detail with proper explanations. Yet, my questions are not answered there. Till Monday then...
Otherwise I am still all right, I did not have any nausea today (that earlier one was probably due to food issues), and no diarrhea yet, although I do seem to have a minor leakage problem. :)
Otherwise I am still all right, I did not have any nausea today (that earlier one was probably due to food issues), and no diarrhea yet, although I do seem to have a minor leakage problem. :)
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Day #3
Nothing much today.
Now I am positive, though, that the rash is caused by gluten sensitivity. I had a freshly out-of-the-oven pita bread, and within half an hour I was covered with urticaria around my neck and on my lower arms again. I believe the CT dye reaction must have ultra-sensitized me. At least now I know what to avoid...
Now I am positive, though, that the rash is caused by gluten sensitivity. I had a freshly out-of-the-oven pita bread, and within half an hour I was covered with urticaria around my neck and on my lower arms again. I believe the CT dye reaction must have ultra-sensitized me. At least now I know what to avoid...
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Day #2
Last night, about four hours after the session, I became slightly nauseous. I did find it a bit odd to have such a side effect right on the first day. Now I think that maybe it was just a coincidence. The reason I think so is because I also developed a rash around my neck area and along my two lower arms. Although the rash felt very much like the one I experienced when I had the bad reaction to the dye after the CT scan, albeit at a much smaller scale, but it was also followed up by a small bout of diarrhea this morning. For that I blamed the milk of magnesia I have to have every night, even though I am a very regular person, going every morning like a clock and sometimes having another BM later in the day. In any case, today I clicked the three things together only in the afternoon, hypothesizing that I may have reacted to something I ate last night. The problem is that I am nauseous again, even though today I was very careful with my food. So we shall see in the days to follow...
The radiation session was much the same, but my arms got tired sooner than yesterday from holding them across my chest. I also would have needed to scratch soooo badly at one point... But I survived!
The radiation session was much the same, but my arms got tired sooner than yesterday from holding them across my chest. I also would have needed to scratch soooo badly at one point... But I survived!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Background story
So why do I need radiation at all?
Obviously there is cancer involved. As my nick name suggests, I am a female (FECHO = Female Chauvinist.. :). I am in my 60s. In late 2010 I developed some vaginal spotting, which after imaging and a biopsy turned out to be caused by a spot of endometrial carcinoma, stage 1A. Radical hysterectomy was recommended, the removal of the uterus, ovaries and cervix.
The surgery was remarkably non-traumatic, they have done it by using laparoscopy. Just a few little holes on the abdomen, and I was up and out of the hospital within 24 hours. No major pains, just minor discomfort during the first few eliminations. I was up and about within days.
The bad news came a couple of weeks later when they let me know that according to the lab's findings the tumor was very close to the cervix and entered the glandular area a bit, between the uterus and the cervix. This automatically upgraded the cancer to a Stage IIA, which then results in some recommended post-operative treatment, even if there are no visible signs of metastasis.
I did a CT scan which showed no local spreading, although they remarked that there is a small spot visible in my right lung which can be anything, so we are supposed to keep an eye on it. (Sheesh... fingers crossed...) I reacted to the dye quite badly, though. Two days later I started to develop a bad rash. First it started under my breasts, then it spread all around the chest area and down my spine - that strip looked the worst. Then around my belt area and my lower neck, like a wide collar. And finally along the outside of my arms. I had to take 2-3 Benadryl pills per day to control the itch, which lasted some 4-5 days. After that the itch returned only in the late evening hours for a few more days, not needing pills, but the rash itself was visible up to the 6th week.
Now, with all this behind me, I am ready(?) to face the delights of a set of 25 radiation treatments, spread over 5 weeks. Last week they did the local CT scan and tattooed my belly with three small pinpoints. And today, at noon, I will have my first radiation. I checked the side effects out on the net and I am scared out of my wits about them. So I decided to keep a diary here, both for myself and for the benefit of anyone else who happens to pass by because of his or her search due to similar fears. I very much hope that in the long run this blog will provide more reassurance than causing further anxieties.
-----------------------------------------
Alright, first day down!
Since the procedure is a standard set of motions to go through, it is apparently rare to have to sit around and wait, they are mostly right on time.
Before entering, they quizzed me about the milk of magnesia and the half quart of water that are part of the preparations. The monster of a machinery is standing alone in the middle of a big room. I did not have to undress, just pull up my dress and push down my panties a few inches as I lied down on the table. The two girls who man the machine (pun intended) just covered me with a large paper towel thingy. They centered me according to my tattoos, and they gave me a large rubber ring, placed on my chest, to hang on to with my hands while staying still.
The big machine goes around the body stopping eight times (the composite photo here shows these positions), administering the rays from those eight different positions. Each time you hear them because the machine emits buzzes of different length, shorter, longer, with the pitch and intensity of a telephone ring. Between 12 and 20 of them from each angle. Overall it is not too noisy. So all in all the whole session is closer to 15-20 minutes, plus the positioning before, and the getting off after.
Naturally, I did not feel anything. They warned me that later I may feel a bit tired but that did not happen. I even went shopping, cooked, all the usual chores. But about four hours later I had a short bout of nausea, about half an hour long. It sort of crept up upon me so I am not even sure if it was caused by the radiation, or the earlier anxiety, or because I ate something funny... In the end it stopped when I lied down.
That's about it. I'll be back tomorrow.
Obviously there is cancer involved. As my nick name suggests, I am a female (FECHO = Female Chauvinist.. :). I am in my 60s. In late 2010 I developed some vaginal spotting, which after imaging and a biopsy turned out to be caused by a spot of endometrial carcinoma, stage 1A. Radical hysterectomy was recommended, the removal of the uterus, ovaries and cervix.
The surgery was remarkably non-traumatic, they have done it by using laparoscopy. Just a few little holes on the abdomen, and I was up and out of the hospital within 24 hours. No major pains, just minor discomfort during the first few eliminations. I was up and about within days.
The bad news came a couple of weeks later when they let me know that according to the lab's findings the tumor was very close to the cervix and entered the glandular area a bit, between the uterus and the cervix. This automatically upgraded the cancer to a Stage IIA, which then results in some recommended post-operative treatment, even if there are no visible signs of metastasis.
I did a CT scan which showed no local spreading, although they remarked that there is a small spot visible in my right lung which can be anything, so we are supposed to keep an eye on it. (Sheesh... fingers crossed...) I reacted to the dye quite badly, though. Two days later I started to develop a bad rash. First it started under my breasts, then it spread all around the chest area and down my spine - that strip looked the worst. Then around my belt area and my lower neck, like a wide collar. And finally along the outside of my arms. I had to take 2-3 Benadryl pills per day to control the itch, which lasted some 4-5 days. After that the itch returned only in the late evening hours for a few more days, not needing pills, but the rash itself was visible up to the 6th week.
Now, with all this behind me, I am ready(?) to face the delights of a set of 25 radiation treatments, spread over 5 weeks. Last week they did the local CT scan and tattooed my belly with three small pinpoints. And today, at noon, I will have my first radiation. I checked the side effects out on the net and I am scared out of my wits about them. So I decided to keep a diary here, both for myself and for the benefit of anyone else who happens to pass by because of his or her search due to similar fears. I very much hope that in the long run this blog will provide more reassurance than causing further anxieties.
-----------------------------------------
Alright, first day down!
Since the procedure is a standard set of motions to go through, it is apparently rare to have to sit around and wait, they are mostly right on time.
Before entering, they quizzed me about the milk of magnesia and the half quart of water that are part of the preparations. The monster of a machinery is standing alone in the middle of a big room. I did not have to undress, just pull up my dress and push down my panties a few inches as I lied down on the table. The two girls who man the machine (pun intended) just covered me with a large paper towel thingy. They centered me according to my tattoos, and they gave me a large rubber ring, placed on my chest, to hang on to with my hands while staying still.
The big machine goes around the body stopping eight times (the composite photo here shows these positions), administering the rays from those eight different positions. Each time you hear them because the machine emits buzzes of different length, shorter, longer, with the pitch and intensity of a telephone ring. Between 12 and 20 of them from each angle. Overall it is not too noisy. So all in all the whole session is closer to 15-20 minutes, plus the positioning before, and the getting off after.
Naturally, I did not feel anything. They warned me that later I may feel a bit tired but that did not happen. I even went shopping, cooked, all the usual chores. But about four hours later I had a short bout of nausea, about half an hour long. It sort of crept up upon me so I am not even sure if it was caused by the radiation, or the earlier anxiety, or because I ate something funny... In the end it stopped when I lied down.
That's about it. I'll be back tomorrow.
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