Barb1260 Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Went today to get all mapped out and marked up (always wanted a tattoo but not this way). Found out he is using IMRT radiation. Is this considered precision? Wishing I didn’t have to do 30 days. Anybody have experience with this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LexieCat Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 It's one of a few types of precision radiation. This article, from three years ago, is rather encouraging: https://www.mdanderson.org/newsroom/for-lung-cancer-patients-imrt-associated-with-lesser-side-effect.h00-158991390.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb1260 Posted January 7, 2019 Author Share Posted January 7, 2019 Thank you ma’am. I read about so much stuff I sometimes can’t keep it all straight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb1260 Posted January 7, 2019 Author Share Posted January 7, 2019 LexieCat-thanks for the link. Very informative and definitely is encouraging. You know a lot about all this. So glad you are here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LexieCat Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 I know what you mean. I don't have personal experience with radiation of any kind, but I know lots of our members here have had it (though not sure how many had IMRT). Thirty days shouldn't be so bad (I know, easy for ME to say, eh? ). You can do this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb1260 Posted January 7, 2019 Author Share Posted January 7, 2019 Hey it’s been exactly 30 days since I first went to the docs for my cough. 30 days flies by, of course it’s actually 6 weeks because of weekends. I can do this!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LexieCat Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 ATTAGIRL!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Macaulay Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Six weeks ten minutes a day just flies bye and now i cannot even find my tattoo. lol Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBinOregon Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Hey, Barb, I did 5.5 weeks of IMRT last June-July. By 3rd week, I was dragging my tired butt, but I went into work everyday (I do have an option of working from home, but I soldiered on) and drove myself to radiation everyday. That tiredness radiation brought on needed a new term - the "extreme fatigue" didn't even start to describe how I felt. If 1pm feels like 1am, it's not a fatigue realm, it's in "WTF" realm. In addition, my throat felt like an entire peach (not just a peach pit) or two got stuck there, so that was fun too... but can't complain since I didn't have any other side effects (but I did/do complain! LOL) Honestly, for me, the radiation kicked my butt harder than pneumonectomy. I hope you get to breeze through your radiation treatments! MB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Macaulay Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 That was my second bout of radiation and never had any side effects on either. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rower Michelle Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Hey Barb- Maybe you can get a real tattoo when you beat the snot out of this! We’re routing for you! Michelle PS- saw a post a while back about the benefits of Manuca Honey (from New Zeland) to help with sore throats & boost immunity. Go get ‘em girl! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb1260 Posted January 7, 2019 Author Share Posted January 7, 2019 At this point I don’t care about the side effects, I just want to get to it. I’ve decided to take short term disability from day 1. I can work from home but my job is stressful and I don’t have 3 computers at home as in work which makes working at home more stressful. I’ve also been working at home between all these appointments and I can see already that it’s not a good idea-emails to call the office for minor questions that can be handled by someone else. Plus the fact that I tire easily already and find myself laying down mid afternoon-I can imagine that will definitely get worse. Very weird that one day I feel normal and the next I’m too tired to get out of bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb1260 Posted January 7, 2019 Author Share Posted January 7, 2019 Michelle-my son in law is a tattoo artist, I’ve been chicken to get one. I saw that about the honey, I’m allergic to so much stuff that I’m going to skip that one. I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb1260 Posted January 7, 2019 Author Share Posted January 7, 2019 Is Maruca Honey related to Varuca Salt? Just joking-ask if you don’t know who she was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Macaulay Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 I asked the radiation technician about side effects slight fatique on weekends. and her reply it was the body getting used to radiation for five days and then the pause on weekends, She said similar to alcohol. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb1260 Posted January 7, 2019 Author Share Posted January 7, 2019 Thanks Robert! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rower Michelle Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 The fatigue you are experiencing is probably Cancer Related Fatigue which typically occurs between 1pm-3pm but not consistently. My onc emphasizes the importance of doing at least 30 minutes of exercise every day to minimize the CRF. This is hard to do when you feel like you’re in a fog. I started with walking a little bit every day. Some days it just feels like a giant slog fest. I like the acupuncture it seems to help the CRF & the only effort involved is finding a parking space downtown. The other thing we did before my treatment plan was finalized was cook a lot soft foods (like broccoli soup) & froze them. It came in handy when the IV chemo started. We’re still dipping into the cook-a-thon freezer goodies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Macaulay Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 This might help http://chemocare.com/chemotherapy/side-effects/fatigue-and-cancer.aspx?fbclid=IwAR2IHiqHbEgGHFZ7PmrY03waARHPPdwBAvEiwQRAqFyFtksIA-9ztSsj7vM Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kleo Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 Hi Barb! Everyone tolerates radiation so differently. Hoping it's an easy one for you... I ended up going to the beach for the last week of my radiation...I called it my Radiation Staycation....ran around the beach here with my cousin the whole time. I had very little side effects. I got tired easily but it didn't stop me much...just rested a bit more often than I usually would. I think how you do depends alot on the area they are aiming at too. I was told I might not be able to swallow and I'd get a sore throat and all that. Luckily I didn't get any of it! And the weeks actually go pretty fast! They tattooed me too...I have actually DONE tattoos...two on myself and a few on friends. They REALLY need to invest in a tattoo machine at my radiation center. That old school jail tattooing with a needle dipped in ink is pretty ridiculous. 🤨 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb1260 Posted January 8, 2019 Author Share Posted January 8, 2019 Hi Kleo-yes I chuckled at the jail tattoo. I’m going to talk myself out of all side effects. Let’s see if mind over matter works. I will be OK😎 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb1260 Posted January 23, 2019 Author Share Posted January 23, 2019 Just a little update. The radiologist showed me scans from my treatments (I guess they take pics while zapping?). After 8 treatments the tumor is shrinking. Kind of gives some hope that this feeling awful 6 days of the week is worth it. Today is prechemo steroid day-Eating and house chores. I feel almost human. 😎 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Galli Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 Barb, Very happy to hear that things are moving in the right direction. Stay the course. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rower Michelle Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 That’s great news. Thanks for sharing! I learned of a resource from my ALK peer mentor last night you might want to check out- Cleaning For A Reason. It’s a free cleaning service while people undergo treatment. Put your steroid energy into something more fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sally Lash Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Went to have my tattoo and mapping for radiation with the CT they use to line up everything when they stopped and the doctor came in. He said my tumor has grown significantly and they needed to do a diagnostic CT ASAP. With this being the holidays and COVID I have to wait ten days before I can get an appt. My tumor was found in September, biopsied in November and I still haven’t had any treatment. Does it usually take this long to start treatment? Getting freaked out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb1260 Posted January 4, 2021 Author Share Posted January 4, 2021 I started treatment a month after diagnosis. Tell your doc to get the CT moved up. Are you in the US? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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