62. 5 down, 11 to go

Monday. I did an exercise class with Lewis for an hour from 1pm. Then enough time to have some lunch and a shower before driving to St George Hospital for my first radiotherapy session. I was told to arrive 20 mins early and to do a RAT the night before. RAT was negative and I got to the hospital and parked at 3.05pm. My appointment was at 3.35pm. I was going to bring along my hexagons like I did when on chemo but I didn't have any templates cut out and I need good strong light to do those. They were running about 40 mins late so I was waiting for quite a while. I decided to go check out the Cancer Council corner with their resources and ended up chatting to the volunteer for about 20 mins before I was called in. The extra 20 mins was so that the nurses could run through what was going to happen. They got me to get dressed in a black paper/plastic type gown, open at the front. No boobs means it fits. They ask for my birthday and which side is being treated, the right.

I lie down on the hard bed, arms out of the gown so I'm just lying on it and naked from waist up, and up near my head is a blue cardboard type mould. This was made from the bean bag type thing they put around my arms and head when I had the CT scan planning session. Hovering above me is a large round circle, maybe a metre across. About three quarters smaller is a metal and glass circle. The nurses stand either side, two on my left and one on my right. Arms go above my head and they tuck them into the mould. My head looks to the left. The nurses start calling out numbers 995, 11, 43 sup, 60 vrt and a bunch of others. My tattoos get little lines drawn on them like dashes at each compass point. Other places on my chest they drawn lines. The bed gets moved to different places and they line up things again. I'm pushed and twisted and tipped around until they are satisfied. One of them gets a ruler and measured two spots on my head and neck to make sure my head it at the correct angle. After all this is done, it takes a good 15 mins or more, I'm told they will put a 'bolus' on me. This is about a centimetre thick and is flexible. I'm told that it tricks the machine to think the skin is thicker than it is so that the radiation doesn't go too deep. This is taped on tight.

Once I am all in the correct position they ring a doorbell (means all staff out of the room) and it's time for the treatment. First off the bed moves about a metre so that I'm moving head first but still flat. Then these arms of the machine appear, one is flat, the other looks like a camera inside a rectangular case and the other one is the round one from before. They move around me, over the top and under the bed. I'm told that first they take an x-ray to make sure that I really am in the correct position as it will line up with the CT scan they took. After this happens there is a minute or two of waiting while nothing happens. Then the big round arm starts buzzing and moving over me and around me. In the middle of the glass bit there looks like thin teeth that move in and out like a wonky smile moving. I'm guessing that the radiation comes out of the middle of these teeth and it moves depending on which area has to be zapped. That arm goes around 4 times, sometimes not all the way around. Sometimes it stays in the same place and buzzes for about 10 seconds. All up this is about 4 mins. The nurses come in after the machine goes back to "rest position" and I can put my arms down and move my neck. Thank goodness! It's probably been 20-25 mins not allowed to move. I'm told that the first session is always the longest and it'll be quicker tomorrow.

Tuesday. After lunch I stopped at a friends house for an hour or so to help fold up some items to get ready for a Women's Weekend in September. Part of the weekend we will be assembling 'birthing kits' that help women in the wold who live in disadvantaged areas have a sterile pack when they give birth. Today I brought my hexagons, having cut out a few more templates. I get to the hospital at 3.25pm and sewed one hexagon before I was called in. I decide I don't need to get into the gown as I get out of it anyway. Once in the room I just take off my top and go and lie on the bed. They do their ID check, birthday and which side being treated. The computer had a bit of a hissy fit so they had to turn it off and on again and then it worked ok. You'd hope that it doesn't have a hissy fit in the middle of treatment.... Everything was quicker and I was out by 4pm and probably only holding position for 15 mins.

Wednesday. Lewis class today from noon for an hour. At the hospital at 3.05pm. Someone had vomited in the car park lift. I told the lady at reception when she was validated my carpark ticket. She said she'd send the cleaners over and they had only just started cleaning it when I was leaving. As a patient I get 3 hours free car parking and then a flat fee of $5.60 for a 24hr period. Same deal at Sutherland Hospital except it's $5.80. This time I sewed 8 hexagons before I was called in. Same deal as before, measured up, pulled, pushed, twisted, taped up. They do a "clearance check" and today the round arm scraps and won't go around my left elbow. They say the mould is starting to collapse. It happens and they can tape it up. But, it means they have to start again with all the measuring. I put my arms down at my side and move my neck a bit. Then it starts again and they don't just tape the mould, my left arm is also taped up. Not moving that one that's for sure. By the end of the treatment this time my arms, shoulders and neck was starting to hurt quite a bit. It was done at 4.25pm. "You're a trooper!" one of the nurses says. No kidding. I did boxing class after dinner and am getting more confident that my movements and running aren't going to hurt and that even though it's a big workout I definitely feel better afterwards. Lewis has set my exercises in my morning class to be muscles I won't use as much in boxing.

Thursday. On the way to St George Hospital I stopped off at Sutherland Hospital for a couple of hours. One of my sisters hasn't been well and after an overnight stint on Sunday is back in hospital again. I took her my noise cancelling headphones so she could listen to music or podcasts. Hospital hopping today, good thing for free parking! This time I ended up doing 3 hexagons and was called in at 3.30pm and done by 3.55pm. I then drove to my aunt's house as she was making some food for my sister so that her family doesn't have to worry so much about meals. I had a nice visit and then drove the food down to my brother-in-law. The twins wanted me to stay and play which I did for about 15 mins but I had to get home, have dinner and then go to choir practice. The Merry Minstrel's stayed a big longer to run through some music parts ready for the Blackheath Choir Festival on Aug 27th when we are performing. I got home about 10.10pm and was so exhausted I went straight to bed. The annoying thing is I couldn't get to sleep for a few hours and then woke up every hour or hour and a half. Radiotherapy and hormone therapy can both impact on sleep. That's frustrating!

Friday. Had a quiet morning cutting out some more hexagon templates and talking to one of my uncles on the phone and then a friend. Brought in my washing that I had hung up yesterday and then it got rained on while I was at choir. I hadn't had time to bring it in before I went. It was all dry as it was warm and very windy. Off to the hospital and got there at 3.03pm, called in at 3.41pm and done by 4.08pm. Since they tape up my left arm and are getting better and lining me up things are quicker. I also think that Thursday and Fridays are a lot quieter in the Cancer Clinic as there is barely anyone in the waiting room unlike earlier in the week when there were at least 30-40 people waiting around.

Saturday. Exercise class with Lewis at 9am for an hour. Lying in bed in the morning I was tired, I didn't sleep well again, not as bad as Thursday night but waking up a lot. I know that exercise helps with fatigue so dragged myself out of bed, had some breakfast and over next door. I think if the class was further away it would be much harder to go when I am so tired. A lot of this whole cancer journey is mental strength, sometimes more so than the physical side of things. First up on my exercise plan was the rowing machine. 10 seconds slow and 20 seconds fast for 4 mins. 957m later and I'm tired but starting to get a bit energised at the same time. Sounds weird I know but it is true. Next Saturday I'm going to aim for over 1,000m. Then I do some squats with 25kg on the bar over my shoulders. I used to do 90kgs, I'll get back to that but got to work back up to it slowly. I did 12x5 squats interspaced with 12x4 lat pull downs at 28kgs. That could be a bit heavier but as my right scar is feeling a bit tighter from the radiation so Lewis was erring on the caution side. Next up was hamstring curls on a big yoga ball 12x and then core for the rest of the 70 seconds. 5 times. Then it was weighted glute bridges (6kgs) and shoulder rotations on my side 3kgs. Next up is something that is super hard. Body weight but standing on one foot with the other leg behind me and my foot up on a bench. Then lunging down and up again. Gotta make sure of being in the correct position otherwise your knee can be injured badly. Only 8 of these each side but I can only do them 3 or 4 and then a rest and then back again. My program says through the month I'll be adding weights to this one. Let's see what I get to. Interspaced with this was standing rows 28-35kgs. Not sure exactly how much was on the bands but it was enough! I ended with 60 seconds fast on the stationary bike 5 times interspaced with forward chest press 22kgs. That's my Saturday program. My Monday and Wednesday ones are different. In the afternoon I had a lazy rest day with some artwork on my iPad and then I needed to lie down for a bit so watched some Netflix.

Sunday. That's today. I need a rest day today, nothing too strenuous, no driving somewhere. I'm thinking some music practice, some art and craft. The skin on my right side is a little warmer than the rest of me, maybe slightly more red. I put some MooGoo hydrating moisturiser on at least 3 times a day. It's meant to help stop the skin getting too badly burnt. I have done some stretches today so it doesn't get tight as well. The right side is tighter than the left anyway as I had the drain in for so much longer. It's not something I can be relaxed about, the body needs to move to stay healthy and strong. If I think of exercise as medicine it does help.

Next week I have treatments 4 times, not on Friday. The machines get recalibrated every two weeks. I do have an appointment at Restore Clinic on Friday so that worked out for timing very well.