Last radiation

Last day of my 3weeks of radiation!

I have been really tired, sleeping, a doing a lot of cooking and eating trying to keep my weight up.  That is one perk, I love to eat.  Effects from the treatments have been fatigue, some headaches, and burns on the skin, not too bad, but they do tell me the effects get worse after the treatment is over, hopefully not. The effects of the Chemo pill I am on every day are not too bad, pimples and rash all over my face, small price to pay for it to be working.

Hair today, gone tomorrow

I look at it as becoming GI Jane preparing for battle!!

There is a USA Today magazine on stands now:

CANCER

PREVENT-CONQUER-HEAL

I suggest everyone to pick it up and start learning how we are all being affected by the bug.

The numbers are staggering.

 

Lung: new 226,160

           deaths 160,340 

Breast: new 226,870 women

                      2,190 men              

              deaths 39,510     

  

Melanomas: new 76,250                  

                      deaths 9,180                

Prostate: new 241,740

                 deaths 28,170

  

 Bladder: new 73,510  

                deaths 14,880  

       

Kidney: new 64,770                         

 & renal deaths 13,570 

                                      

Colon rectum: new 143,460                 

                        deaths 51,690

Non-Hodgkin: new 70,130                   

lymphoma       deaths 18,940

Pancreas: new 43,920                          

                deaths 37,390                        

  

Leukemia: new 47,150

                 deaths 23,540

 Oral cavity: new 40,250

 & pharynx deaths 7850

New Orleans Jazz Fest!

Normally I would be packing for my 5th annual 5 day trip to

 

NOLA

Van the Man

Best food, music, friends, and family!

Next Year!

Thanks for all the prayers, support, and love!

It takes a team to fight.

Love, Gail



Radiation starts

Yesterday was a very long day 4 hours at the doctors, so much information and 15 new appointments, more meds. and more bad news.  I will start with the bad news, better news later.  The top lobe of my lung where the tumor is, has collapsed.  Well, no wonder I have hard time breathing.  My other lung is good and the bottom of my left is good, so that's why I can still function but I am still tired.  


On the brain, I have the A-Team when it comes to my three doctors, one is an expert in Boston.  First, my doctor for my treatments pulled up my brain scan and showed me all the spots, still just starting  in my brain and small, but quite a few. They will have to radiate my whole brain to insure they kill it all. Then we pulled up my lungs on the screen and decided to do radiation on the left lung, too. Over my scars from the last surgery, we will be zapping bug cells and goods cells, which will stop the scars from healing due to the radiation.  During the 3 weeks of treatments, I will be going through the bad to get to the better, the side affects too many to list.  My breathing and coughing will get worse before it gets better, and it will be hard to swallow.  Hopefully, we will shrink the bug in the lung which will open it up again and I will be breathing better again.  For the brain radiation, they fit you with a mask to clamp your head down.  They make the mask with a hot plastic mesh which is laid over your face for about 10 minutes or so until it molds to you and cools to harden.  I am inserting a photo because I feel like I am in the Twilight Zone.  Hate the side effects on this one.  I will loose all my hair.  I try not to think I am sick all day because I forget and don't want it on my mind all the time.  Now, it will be very evident to me all day and this one is hard for any woman.  I was blessed with long, thick hair and is a big part of me.  I said a prayer for God to take away all my vanities.



I told my nephew who is having twins in about 4 weeks, that after this, his new babies will relate to me because I will look like a big baby with no hair, a little wrinkled and a rash here or there.  Ready to be born into my new and improved life, Amen!  On top of all that news, which should shrink the tumor in my lung to help me and get rid of the brain bugs, my doctors got a chemo pill to go along with the radiation.  Sometimes the IV chemo does not do well with the radiation and the chemo pills help to keep things stable everywhere else.  So all of that is the good news.  The bugs in my brain were found by accident while getting tested for the clinical trial.  I believe that trial my not have been the answer but my guardian angels got me to have an early MRI which found this very early!!!!  Unfortunately, the MRI's  are very expensive to get since insurance does not approve having them done very often.


 My first treatment is today, one down.. 14 to go.

ALL THE PRAYERS ARE WORKING!

THANKS SO MUCH