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.
Love Letter to my Body
How can you love your body post-cancer?
With Practice and Patience.
Self-love is not something that magically grows within me. It does not come easily and it is not permanent. Yet, our society treats it as if it is as natural as breathing rather than a skill that can be learned and strengthened.
Towards the end of my cancer treatment, I wrote this love/apology letter to my body, and I found that it healed me more than any medication.
Cancer Grad Tip- Neuropathy
Do you deal with neuropathy? It's a common long term effect for those who have endured chemotherapy. Nora shares a tip on how she manages the numbness and soreness in her feet. What are your Cancer Grad tips? Share them in the comments, or reach out to us at info@cancergrad.org !
Cancer Costumes...Halloween FUN
Halloween is for kids and cancer patients! There is a joy that overflows from a child when asked, “What do you want to be for Halloween?” With its endless possibilities to express who they want to become, who they idolize. As a cancer patient, the opportunity returns.
It is a time to embrace the changes, the baldness, the scars. A time to laugh at the hand you have been dealt.
It is a day off from taking CANCER seriously.
It is a time to take charge of YOUR identity, even if it is just for a day.
Halloween 2014 -a week after my double mastectomy- there was no party but there was an appointment to remove my final drain bag. Circumstance made my costume…I was the Bride of Frankenstein, cut up and put back together. My amazing husband dressed as Dr. Frankenstein to support my crazy.
It brought joy to what could have been an otherwise traumatizing situation. I had not seen my bare chest until that appointment and when I did my first thought was “What a F*CKING badass”. It set the tone for my journey to follow.
Love,
What do you want to be for Halloween?
Comment below.
P.ink- Tattoos for breast cancer grads!
We love seeing cancer grads reclaim their bodies! Check out this initiative to pair cancer grads up with tattoo artists! Check out more by P.ink! Do you have a mastectomy tattoo? Would you get one?