Kickin’ It with Breast Cancer Grad, Rachel Park
Mom By Design
In the diagnosis daze of figuring out my game plan – and looking ahead to what would be over a long year of chemotherapy, surgeries and radiation – which included a litany of tests before I had to start treatment, I heard her nonchalantly ask, "By the way…do you want children? You should decide that NOW.” What, in the next ten minutes???
If I DID want children, I would have to see a fertility expert ASAP to either freeze my eggs or embryos before chemotherapy would temporarily shut down my ovaries. All I could think was, “When the hell am I going to fit in THAT appointment??”
What I Wish I'd Known Before Starting Radiation: The Breast Cancer Edition
You are Going to Get a Tattoo
The goal of TARGETED radiation is to get as much of your cancer site as possible and as LITTLE of the rest of you. There is a lot of geometry involved looking for the best angles. They scan your body so they know where everything is, especially your heart and lungs. You REALLY don't want to irradiate your heart. They measure everything down to the millimeter and they tattoo you so that you are in the EXACT SAME position with every treatment. After they get you into the perfect position, they tattoo you with six tiny dots so that you are precisely lined up every time. The tattoos are tiny, like little blue freckles. Since I did my “dress rehearsal” right after my last inflation, it was hard to get into position. My tattoos for the vertical line up aren’t in a straight line in relation to my body, so now every treatment, I’m a little crooked on the table. In that “dress rehearsal” appointment, get as comfortable as possible. Wiggle around a little bit and try to find a good position; you will be lying that way for a month or two.