Bum Briefing #10
It’s been a while since we did a “bum briefing,” so we have a lot to share, but just haven’t sat down to write it all down. Frankly, this is the time in the marathon where we might be looking for a water break or a porta-potty….Let’s just say we might be running out of gas.
We just finished radiation and chemotherapy at the end of August. To help motivate us through this phase, Beth created an advent calendar, of sorts, to help count down the 28 days of radiation. It wasn’t your standard advent calendar, it included everything from Peanut Butter cups to Wine to Bourbon. It was quite tasty.
Going into the hospital on a daily basis definitely feels like a part time job. We are lucky we live as close as we do. We were also given access to a “super-secret” parking lot with a small row of radiation-oncology parking spots right next to the University School of Medicine entrance. This entrance takes you directly to a super-fancy set of elevators, and the treatment rooms are right off these elevators on the lower level. It’s the little things.
The biggest thing I’ve been struggling with is nausea, caused by additional stomach acid that is caused by the oral chemotherapy. They added yet another medication to the regime but the medication took almost a week to work, I wish I could have started it earlier.
Radiation was an interesting experience. Treatments are fairly quick so they schedule them pretty tight together, this means that when you get there, you need to check your schedule board to see if your room is on time. Yet again, it’s just like the airport. The wildcard in this situation is they wanted me to have a “comfortably full bladder”. Now when your treatment room is running 30 mins late the words comfortably full bladder take on a mutually exclusive nature.
The position I had to lay in resembles the Reclined Cobbler’s yoga pose groin stretch for 20 minutes, while wearing a lead jock strap with a full bladder. The lead jock strap must have been a novelty since being a university hospital, I had no fewer than three students watching and learning how this device works. Reference earlier bum briefings on my newly conditioned lack of dignity and shame, so this didn’t bother me.
Since I was going every day for 5 weeks it was a part time job and I basically blinked then two months went by.
We are already planning for the next phase, which is surgery. I have a pre-op appointment this week, and surgery scheduled for October 13. And, of course, another colonoscopy the day before, which makes 3 in a year. It seems to be coming quicker than we thought!
Here is a link, which talks about my surgeon and the work she does at the UW:
This is the timing board at the treatment room
This is me ringing the bell after my final treatment!
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