Appointments and more appointments

I had a follow-up doctor’s appointment in Chicago on Monday the 24^th. Fortunately, family friend Charlie was able to take me so the Former Boyfriend could take care of Tillie & Rose and didn’t need to miss work.

It was a 6 hour drive to the CDH Proton Center starting at 6 am.  A 3 ½ hour doctor appointment where they put me in s Styrofoam box, took a bunch of measurements, got me out of the box.  Then they carved up the box, put the box inside of a giant trash bag, covered it with a sheet, put 2 quarts of a strange liquid inside the box and had me lay back down on the sheet.  The liquid made a form of my body that took about 15 minutes.  The liquid was very warm and bubbled up around me so fast that two radiation technicians had to keep repositioning my body to keep everything lined up so that I will be in the perfect position when they hit the Chernobyl button at my upcoming appointments.

Some have wondered why I’m seeking treatment in Chicago instead of here in Columbus.  The answer is multifaceted but primarily I chose Chicago because the treatment is state-of-the-art, only offered in a few cities in the country and Chicago is the closest one for me.  Proton therapy causes much less damage to tissue surrounding the targeted area (immediate and long term), no fatigue as with regular radiation, and hopefully a better all over prognosis.

Thursday morning I meet with the surgeon who did my mastectomy.  It is my first follow-up appointment with her.  For those of you that pray – please pray that I get these nasty surgical drains removed.  They hurt, smell and I just want them gone.

 Every day I’m feeling stronger, a little more mobile, and more like me.  I’m doing laundry, cooking and using my arm fairly well.  I’m doing my exercises several times a day to get the range of motion back in my arm.  This is proving a little more difficult that I thought –but once again if I can get these nasty drains out….

Believe me I do ask for help if I need it and listen to my body and its limits.  I’m being careful not to push too hard because I want to heal quickly and well.

Thanks again for all your prayer