Dos Symmetry

That what I thought it was, and I laughed because my girls haven't been symmetrical since surgery...(okay, so it made more sense in my head).

Actually the word is dosimetry (the process of measuring doses of radiation) and the dosimitrist is the person who created this:

My personal plate

This is the plate used to direct the boost of radiation to the surgical area on my chest.  Yesterday was the first of my final seven radiation treatments, called "boosts."  Radiation is no longer being applied to my whole breast (my final treatment was last Friday, and on that day I learned they were using photons - seriously.  I felt like I was in an episode of Star Trek!); instead it is being targeted directly at my tumor site.  So this is my view of the "plate".

This is the general view of the machine:

Finally remembered to bring my camera today!

At the end of the long "tube" attached to the center of the machine is the plate above.  The table rises so that my chest is a few inches away from the plate, and then I am zapped with electrons.  The plate keeps these electrons from the areas that do not need radiation, and allows the electrons to flow through the center "cut out" to my surgical site.  The process takes about 10 seconds, and then it's over.

After 23 doses of full-breast radiation, and now 2 doses of targeted boosts, this is what my chest area looks like:

No, they're not new tattoos; a permanent marker was used to mark the outline of the plate, so that each treatment the plate is in proper alignment (the original tattoos were used to align the machine in conjunction with lasers, which aren't used now).

You may notice very little reddening of the area, which is phenomenal.  For some reason, I have been blessed with very, very tough skin that has reacted minimally to the radiation.  I'm pink in some areas (under my arm in particular, and under my breast), but that's the extent of the visible damage.  My skin is tender to the touch and a different texture than the rest of my skin; the nipple is still changing and very tender.  But no visible burns, blisters or open sores.  It will take a couple more weeks for the radiation to completely leave the area so it's quite possible that the worst is yet to come, but for now I am very pleased with the physical SEs of the treatment.

Still tired, but that's getting better, too.  Every day is a little better, and I look forward to feeling normal again - whatever that's going to feel like.

Treatment is coming to an end very soon, and life will continue to move forward.  It has for everyone else; it will for me, too.  I'm scared, in some ways, about getting back out in the Real World without the safety net of "cancer" to keep me busy and preoccupied. 

Perhaps I'll simply spend time combing my hair...