With one more Brachy (pronounced Breaky) out of the way, I feel like the countdown can officially begin. Friday brought about my 3rd brachy treatment out of 5, and while it was extremely unpleasant....it is over.
Dr. L decided to let a med student (without my permission) attempt to remove the brachy paddle....no muy bueno. It ended up taking a part of my anatomy with it and I did scream. Yes, yes I did. Dr. L asked if I had been pinched. I replied that I had been raked. He drew air in between his teeth. I asked him why the student was touching anything without my consent anyway. He looked sheepish. End of story. Brachy is probably physically worse than anything else. Chemo is mentally exhausting. Radiation just burns my bottom.
I'm am excited and looking forward to no chemo this week, and the opportunity to perhaps taste my food later this week. Baby steps, my friends, baby steps.
I was asked a few weeks ago to talk about how I felt before this all began; if I knew something was wrong and what, if any were the warning signs. Looking back on it the biggest indicator that something wasn't right was the level of fatigue I felt. Please know that when this all started I was selling a house, moving, and unpacking a new house. You're bound to feel a bit tired with all that going on. For me, the level was extreme. To the point that I was having to take a nap in the middle of the day........super weird for this lady, I promise ya.
The other signs that led me to ultimately be checked out for my annual visit were: pain during intercourse, blood following intercourse, and pain on my lower left pelvic area. It wasn't all the time. It would come and then go, but it was happening enough toward the end that I started to get worried.
Looking back now, I wish I would have done what everyone tells you to do and had my annual every year. What's the big deal really? Now that my nether regions have been seen by 5 male doctors and one female in the course of 2 months, what was I waiting for?
Looking forward I just have to endure 2 more brachy treatments, and toasted body parts. No big deal right? At some point I'm sure my body will begin to heal and I'll be back terrorizing the world again. This week I was super thankful for Coach's Mom. She came out and cleaned bathrooms, and vacuumed as well as played with G. She also took me to my Brachy appointment and played tic-tac-toe with Grant in the waiting room.
The sisters of my Church have done a wonderful job taking care of my family as well. They provided a place for G to play, taken me to treatment, and brought dinner in for our family. I am amazed at the level of selfless service. I was even super impressed by my brother-in-law D, who brought dinner to our family this week as well. Coach enjoyed visiting with D and his Mom and being able to spend that time. It's actually the second time that D has gone above and beyond for our family and I'm very grateful.
Monday brings another Brachy moment, with a rest until the last one on Friday. I'm thankful that this will be all over for the most part by Thanksgiving. I do love me some mashed potatoes!! Happy Hearts & Thankful Parts~ Kami
1 comment:
Good reminder about the annual-- so often I leave the doc's office wondering if it was just a waste of time...nope, just a regular checkup where I should be very grateful when it goes without incident!
I'm glad you're looking down the final stretch. It sounds like it's been brutal, and it will be wonderful to get to Thanksgiving and know it's all behind!
Post a Comment