Final Radiation Stretch

I haven't written lately because fatigue has come knocking on my door again. Thanksgiving was the last energetic day I remember having. It was a wonderful time hanging out with friends and family. The next day Becca and I did brave the mall in our annual tradition of spending Black Friday together. I also had to make a trip to the hospital for treatment that day. When I returned, I took a nap, woke up long enough to eat dinner, and went back to bed and slept all night. Every day since then I've been feeling increasingly more tired.

This is par for the course as I round the bend for my final stretch of radiation treatments. People who haven't had chemo undergo fatigue, but those of us who have get hit much harder, according to my doctor. I was telling the nurse today that I don't have the energy to handle much these days. It sort of feels like my body is fighting off a cold--when in fact my body is working hard at healing and rebuilding healthy cells. Unlike the fatigue I had while I was undergoing chemo, this isn't totally debilitating. I can still do things. In fact, it's best if I am fairly active during the day (I'm keeping up with the walks and other exercise) so my sleep is more restorative at night. It's hard to balance doing enough with doing too much, though, because for the most part I am feeling well.  The kids have been great at recognizing that I can't do much after 7 at night, even if I'm still awake.

As another side effect, I now have a "sunburn" on my skin. It's pink and darker under my arms. I asked the nurse today if I should be increasing the number of times I put lotion on it, and she said that won't prevent it from getting red at this point. It's strictly a comfort level on my part, so if it is feeling sore or itchy, I should put lotion on for relief. My favorite is the pure Aloe Vera, but I also use an ointment called Magic Balm which is made of natural ingredients, like olive oil, organic comfrey and calendula. It was expensive, so I primarily use it right after treatment. The aloe is great for cooling off the skin.

I finished treatment number 22 today. According to my schedule, I only have four more whole-breast treatments. The remaining nine treatments are called boosts and will focus on the area where my tumor was. Because I won't need to hold my breath anymore,  I'm sure the treatments will be much simpler and quicker.