WEEKS 29-31 - Radiation Begins

So the Radiation Era begins. The thing I really, really did not want to do! 5 days a week for 7 weeks - away from home. Life will not be normal for a while. On August 17, I had my first Radiation treatment. The first one was much longer than the rest will be. First I went in the dressing room and put on the lovely "cape" on my top half. Then I laid on the table on my own personal "bean bag" pad. Two of my Therapists, Melissa & Bryna drew all over my chest, ribs, armpit, & even up into my neck with Sharpie permanent markers. This was so they would have targets for the beams that come down from the ceiling at all angles. All that just to get me perfectly positioned. They took a few X-rays first, then they did the first treatment. That great big arm you can see on the machine rotates all around. I get dosages from 3 directions - from over by my left ribs, then from straight overhead, then from over by my right ribs. Each dosage only lasts 15 - 20 seconds. Melissa took a picture of me when the machine was lined up ready to go on the right side. When they do the 2 side shots, they lay a "bolus" over my chest. They explained it acts like a 1 cm layer of extra skin to bring the radiation closer to the surface. I guess they want to thoroughly fry my poor skin. The bolus is a weird material made out of gel that most closely has the properties & densities of human skin & tissue. Funny, I watch some of the CSI shows a lot, and they use blocks of that stuff to shoot at or stab when trying to solve crimes. Hmmmmm ....... interesting! After they were done with the treatment, then they tattooed me with 5 little bitty tattoos: (1)Right in the middle of my chest on my sternum (2)Directly below that about 8 inches (3)Right above my right breast (4)Over on my right side on my ribs (5) On my ribs on my left side. Those tattoos are what they will use to line up the beams in all of the rest of the treatments. I am now a tattooed woman! I kind of expected them to have one of those tattoo guns with the little needle that kind of "rat-a-tats" the ink in. No, it was more like a push pin with ink , jammed into each spot just once, but OUCH! that really stung!

I spent the first week staying with Stan & Brenda, and just running back and forth between their home in Rexburg, and the Cancer Radiation Center in Idaho Falls - about a 35-40 minute drive. One good thing about this center, they usually get me right in with no wait. I go straight into one of the little changing rooms, put on my cape, go to the sub-waiting room & watch the TV for a few minutes where they generally get me right away, then down the hall to the Radiation room, I lay on the table, they get me perfectly lined up using the beams on my tattoos, the machine moves around for the first "field" as they call it, the Therapists leave the room, shutting the 1 foot thick metal door, and they watch me from a TV screen in the "control room" while I get the first dose, then they come back in, set the bolus on my chest, tape it in place with a little masking tape, move the machine to the next field, leave the room, give me the next dose, then they come back in, re-position the bolus, tape it, re-position the machine, leave the room, give me the next dose, then the lights come on, and my Therapists come in, they push the button so my table moves on a rail back to the middle of the room , they take off the bolus & tape, help me up off the table, I go change back into my shirt, and I'm outta there! WHEW! That was a mouthful! My appointments have been at 11:45, and it's not unusual to be walking out of there at noon.

That has been my routine for the last several weeks. Tuesdays are a little longer, cause I see the Doctor then, but not for very long. On Friday after my treatment I drive straight home to Dillon where I get to spend the weekend. The weekends go by terribly fast - then Monday I drive back to Idaho Falls for the new week, and back to the routine. I have alternated living with Stan & Brenda for a week, then Russ & Maxine. They have been a lot of fun to get to hang out with. I've had a few other procedures in these last few weeks. On August 25 I ran straight from my Radiation treatment, to the Hospital across the street for an Echo-cardiogram. They want to monitor my heart since the Herceptin can occassionally cause heart problems. (Nice!) I got kind of a kick out of the Cardio Tech who did it. He was a native of Mexico, and he talked my leg off the whole time and told me his whole life story. He was pretty

sweet. On September 1, I had an appointment at Teton Oncology in Rexburg for my Herceptin treatment. Here's a pretty nifty photo of me - back in the chair again, an IV back in my chest! (Notice the fun, soft little beanie that Jamie's mom Cathy made for me) Yeah, I know, I look like I've been drug through the ringer, and believe me, I feel like I have. As soon as that appointment was done, I made the mad dash to Idaho Falls for that days Radiation treatment. Then back to Rexburg. I am so road weary, plus I'm still anemic, plus the Radiation causes

fatigue - so I am still feeling like an 80 year old woman!

Labor Day weekend was nice cause I got to spend an extra day at home for the weekend. Cynth & Ray came up to spend the weekend, since that's our "big" County Fair weekend. On Saturday we walked the Fairgrounds checking out the pigs, sheep, etc., watched my little niece Laura ride in a few horseback competitions - she even won first place in the Keyhole race! - and then the Rodeo that night. Monday was the "big" parade. Lots of candy! It was fun having Cynth & Ray for the weekend. Nice little break. Tuesday it was back to the grind - dashing to Idaho Falls for treatment, then back to Rexburg to spend the week. Three weeks down, four to go!

WEEK 27 & 28: 3 Doctors in 2 Days & The King Reunion

On Wednesday August 11 we were back on the road again. First to Rexburg for my first Herceptin chemo maintenance treatment. The full chemo treatments used to take 4 to 5 hours for blood testing, anti-nausea injections, then the 3 different drip bags, then the white blood cell injection, etc. This time with just blood tests and then the 1 bag, I was out of there in about an hour. After that we dashed to Idaho Falls where I had my Radiation Simulation appointment with Dr. McAllister at the Cancer Center of Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.

The Simulation was rather interesting. First they had me lay on a kind of "bean bag" pad, with my arms over my head holding on to metal grips. Then they pumped some air into the pad so that my body left an impression in it. They will always have me lay on that pad for each treatment so that I'm in the exact same position during each Radiation treatment. Then they did a series of CAT-scans, and drew several X's on my skin with a Sharpie permanent marker to use for future machine settings. Using the CAT-scans and markings, the doctor and a phycisist will do all of the calculations of dosages and angles that they will want to shoot the radiation. They need about a week to do all of that work, and then I'll start my first treatment next Tuesday. They put a sort of clear tape on my markings so I can't wash them away before my first treatment. At that time they will tattoo 5 little spots on my chest and ribs which they will always use to line up the machine.

After my appointment in I.F. we were off to - where else - Utah, where I had an appointment the next morning with my surgeon, Dr. Neumayer. This was just a follow-up appointment, so nothing too major. I figured that I'd get just one last dose in my expander, but found out that since I had already done my Simulation for Radiation, I couldn't be expanded. Never even thought of it, but my Simulation was based on that exact size, and I couldn't be changing anything without re-doing the whole Simulation process! Oh well, I think I'm close enough to where I need to be anyway. So, with 2 doctor visits Wednesday, and 1 on Thursday, that makes 3 doctor visits in 2 days. I must admit, I am getting so sick of doctors, clinics, & hospitals I could puke! Since I'm not a real big puker though, I guess I'll just keep on chugging!

Later that afternoon we went to the the Oqquirrh Mountain Temple with the whole Hill clan (our totally favorite cousins) since the whole family had gathered from all over the country for Marshall's wedding on Saturday. Then they had a big dinner and party at the Hill house that evening. Always so fun to hang with the Hill's! We left at 10 p.m. that night and drove all the way to Idaho Falls to spend the night since we were renting a trailer there the next morning to go to the King Family reunion for the weekend. (I definitely didn't feel up for sleeping in a tent) It took 4 stops at motels to find one that had a room! It was 3 a.m. before we finally got to bed. Oh my gosh was I ever pooped! Wimpy anemic legs, and we're doing all of this traveling, going to bed late, etc. Needless to say we didn't get up as early as planned, but we managed to get the trailer picked up, though late, and off for the Sun Valley, Idaho area for the reunion. This year was a big push for the reunion of my mom's siblings, their kids (my cousins) and their kids, etc. This could possibly be the last hurrah of the King reunion, so it was important to me to go. It was also a big deal, because this was going to be the first time in probably 30 years that all 7 of the kids in my family would be there. So it was really important to me to be there in spite of the fact that I am getting so very travel weary! Each family clan was assigned a color to wear so everyone could at least tell who you came from. My mom's clan were all in red. So here is a fun pic of me and my parents and siblings in our red shirts. We are standing in order of age - Tim is the oldest, then James, Russ, Stan, then us 3 sweet girls came last - Cynthia, me, and last but not least, Barb.

The only ones of my own family that got to come were Collin, Tiffany & Landon. I was so happy that I had one of my kids there with us. We had 4 old red sweatshirts we got at Disney World many years ago. So we were able to match when things cooled off. Cute huh? It really was a good time to see cousins I haven't seen in over 20 years, eat lots of good food, and play lots of crazy "Survivor" games against the other clans (tribes). I'm so glad I got to go! Families are pretty fun! I love my family so much.

WEEKS 25 & 26: Moving More Kids

After I had Chemo #6 , did we go back home so I could get some nice rest? Heck no! We hit the road again! I think out of 6 Chemos, we only went back home 2 times. The other 4 we went south instead. This was a crazy one! Wednesday after my Chemo was done, we went to Logan to help Tasha & Jake get ready for a move to Texas where Tasha will attend Radiation Therapy school. I worked on things like cleaning bathrooms & fridges. My weakness from Anemia made me not as effective as I was when we helped Collin & Tiffany move. The week after our Flathead trip, Conrad & Jamie moved from Rexburg Idaho to Glendale Arizona, where he will start Medical School. We didn't have to help them get moved. They had lots of help from friends to get loaded, and Conrad drove the rental truck while Jamie drove the car. Now with Tasha & Jake moving, this makes the 3rd of our kids to move this summer. Of all summers to have 3 kids move! To add to the craziness of the week we ran to Salt Lake on Friday for Joe Fairbank's wedding & reception. (The pic is Rich and I with Keith & Jean Fairbank at the luncheon.)

Then back to Logan we went to finish helping Tasha. By Monday most everything was boxed up in time to get the Budget rental truck. 4 or 5 guys from their church ward came and helped load it up. We spent all day Tuesday getting the apartment thoroughly cleaned so they can get back lots of deposit. Hope they got some!

Wednesday we took off for Amarillo and spent almost 11 hours in the truck, spending the night in Littleton, Colorado with Jake's family. Then Thursday it was 8 more hours in the truck. We got to Amarillo just in the nick of time, a full half hour before some guys from the Elder's Quorum in their new ward were scheduled to show up and help unload the truck. The 4 guys who came were awesome! They unloaded that full truck, and hauled it up 3 flights of stairs in a few hours! Here's a fun pic of Tasha & Dalyn "posing" on the balcony of their new 3rd floor apartment.

We spent the rest of the week in Amarillo, unloading boxes, checking out the area, and hanging with Tasha, Jake, Dalyn & Braelyn. We even hit an amusement park which the kids really enjoyed.

We flew home the next Tuesday, Aug. 3. We were gone from home for 2 whole weeks. Rich says that's the longest we've ever been away from home, and him from work, in one stretch. A crazy summer in everyone's lives!

WEEKS 23 & 24 Flathead Lake, the "LAST(?)" Chemo, & Radiation is Next!

The week of July 8th -13th was a great one because we got to spend time at our cabin on beautiful Flathead Lake with most of our kids and grandkids. Only Clint & Ashlie and the 4 boys were missing. We love spending time at the cabin, and taking the boat out on the lake. My boys love to waterski, so it's always a good time. Jamie's family, Rick, Cathy & Kelsey came up and spent a few days with us. It was so fun to have them.

The weather did not cooperate at all the few days they were there, though. It was so cold and windy that we didn't even dare put the boat in the water. I was so looking forward to taking them out in the boat to see the sights. Very disappointing that it never happened. The day after they left it was nice again, and the boys waterskiied some more, even though they were

sore!

The next week I was back in Rexburg for Chemo #6, my last chemo - or so I thought. As the nurse was hooking me up to a bag, I asked her when I would get to have the port taken out of my chest (The port is rather sore and uncomfortable at times, so I have really looked forward to

getting it out). The nurse told me, "Oh no, you need to keep that in for the maintenance doses of Herceptin for 7 more months." HUH? Wait a minute - that was never mentioned to me in my consult! The doctor must have inadvertently left that out of his "Chemo spiel." Even though I'm done with the toxic chemo drugs, they want me to stay on the Herceptin for 7 more months (to

get a full year dose) every 3 weeks like usual. I was just so shocked to hear that. I had no idea! That means the trips to Rexburg will continue through the whole winter! They told me that if the hospital in Dillon can get Herceptin in, I could do every other treatment there at home. Then I'd only have to travel to Rexburg every 6 weeks. I guess I'll have to contact Barrett Hospital. Gee, that stinks!

Even though I was very bummed to hear about the continued treatments, I guess the good news is that I am officially done with the toxic stuff, so I can look forward to some of the side effects to start wearing off. I am most looking forward to the anemia going away, so I can lose the 80 year-old legs, and getting my hair to grow back! Oh man, am I ever tired of wearing scarves and such all of the time! So in honor of my last "long" chemo day, I am including a picture of two of my chemo nurses (my drug pushers) abusing me. Christy is pushing a "flushing" agent with a syringe in my port on one side, and Brenda is giving me the "white blood cell" shot in the arm on the other side. Fun stuff!After my "last" Chemo, we dashed to Idaho Falls where I had a consult appointment with Dr. Calvin McAllister, a Radiation Oncologist. Having had months now to resign myself to the probability of having Radiation treatments, I was prepared for the doctor recommending the Radiation, which, of course, he did. This was based on the proximity of the tumor to the chest wall, and the aggressive nature of the tumor, even though it wasn't real big yet. It's still pretty discouraging though, because there will be 33 treatments, Monday thru Friday for about 7 weeks. Such an imposition on my life! So much driving! This is the one time that living in a small town is really inconvenient (I'm not one who cares too much about good shopping & the other amenities big towns have to offer.). If I had to just drive across town for my treatments, it wouldn't be so bad. Even though Chemo is considered a lot more "nasty," at least for me there were only 6 treatments, 3 weeks apart.

For anyone who's really interested - here's a list (starting from the top of my head & working down) of all of the annoying little side effects I have experienced from chemo. I am genuine when I call these side effects "little," because chemo is nothing like it was 20 years ago when it caused people to be so sick, nauseous, and weak that they would rather crawl in a hole and die than take the next treatment. I feel very blessed and fortunate that I'm doing it now instead of then. Also, 20 years ago I would have had five little kids at home. I can't imagine how hard that would be! Anyway, here's my list attempt:

1. The Bald Head: Yep - I have hated the hair loss. Not just the bald head, but the super tender bald head. Hair has been so protective of that skin, that when it gets exposed, it is very tender, wimpy skin. Scarves, bandana's, wigs and such cause pressure points on the head that make it very sore. When I'm at home, I don't wear any of them. Poor Rich has to look at my ugly bald head all of the time!

2. Folliculitis: A few months ago after my hair fell out, my head broke out all over in these icky sores. I found out it was folliculitis, an infection of the hair follicles. Nice! So I had to rub an antibiotic lotion on my head for a couple of weeks. It finally cleared up, but the little pink scars seem to be hanging in there.
3. Drippy Eyes & Nose: Totally annoying! Out of the blue my eyes and/or nose would start to just run water. I had to buy boxes of lotion tissues so my nose wouldn't get too sore wiping it all of the time. The runnyness has made my eyes gooey and blurry, so reading the newspaper and books is a lot harder.

4. Mouth Sores - My Medical Oncologist (Chemo doctor) gave me a folder that listed all of the possible side effects of Chemo. One of them was mouth sores. I thought that sounded awful. I got them, but I was lucky because mine weren't painful. Whenever I eat, I will often get a big bubbly blister in the back of my mouth, which will then pop and break open, but the resulting sore never seemed to hurt. So mouth sores ended up no big deal, thank goodness!
5. Fried Taste Buds: Oh Yeah - Chemo has definitely ruined my love affair with food! It would be easier if it just wrecked the appetite, but no. I have still felt hungry, even starved at times, but food just tastes so metallic, so bland, so off, it's downright hard to eat it no matter how hungry I feel. So my weight has been on a yo-yo. I have lost about 20 pounds at the lowest, but then the tastebuds start to improve on week 3, so I start putting a little weight back on. Then it's time for the next chemo, and my tastebuds & weight go back down again. OK, let's get real, I have been packing an extra 25+ pounds for a number of years, so I haven't missed the 15-20 pounds. I'm just afraid that when my tastes finally come back, I will eat with a vengeance and put it all back on and even more. Now that would be a bummer!
6. Fried Fingers: One of the toxic chemo drugs causes sort of burns on the palms of the hands. I used ice packs on my hands quite a bit during chemo to help keep that down. It wasn't too bad, but a little weird. The only place I had a problem was on the tips of my fingers, where my skin did look kind of burned, and it would split into these little cuts that were just like paper cuts. Pretty sore and slow to heal. My fingertips are shiny and smooth, and the fingerprints seem to be gone. It is crazy how hard it is to turn the pages of a book without fingerprints! My fingertips are also numb. I'm hoping that goes away some day.
7. Bruised Fingernails: The info in my folder advises keeping the fingernails trimmed short. That's because they can start to detach from the quick of the finger, and catch on something, getting easily torn off. I've tried to keep mine short, but my fingernails have been very bruised looking & sore. They are also growing with these little ridges in them. Like the rings of a tree for each new year, I think each ridge on my fingernails represents a new Chemo treatment. Strange!
8. Stomach Issues & Diarrhea: After some of the Chemos, I have had issues with stomach pain & diarrhea. That contributes to the weight loss as well. The info say some women experience diarrhea, & others experience constipation. Both are crummy, but I'll take the diarrhea over constipation any day!

9. Nausea: Hey, I'm counting my blessings here! For me, a better word would be queasiness. After 5 months of chemo, I only threw up one time. Sometimes I felt pretty yucky, but real nausea was never a big issue. They just have pretty good anti-nausea medications these days, thank goodness!
10. Chemo Brain: As a Math teacher, seeing this side effect on the lists just thrilled me. "Impairment in memory & cognitive skills". That's just great! Problem is, I think I have experienced it some. The fact that I get easily confused & forgetful (even more that usual) is cause for concern. I hope that clears up before I start teaching again, because I was already a bit of a Space Cadet as a teacher as it was!
11. Menopause: Before treatments started, I hadn't started a single symptom of menopause. Chemo pretty well took care of that. The menstrual periods are gone, and the hot flashes have kicked in. I certainly don't miss the periods, but the flashes are obnoxious. The doctor told me though, that sometimes after the Chemo clears out of the system, the menopause goes away, and the periods start up again. Hmmmmm! Not so sure if I want that.
12. Anemia: Along with my bald head, the anemia has been one of my most unfavorite things to put up with. Feeling so weak & fatigued has really been a challenge. I guess it takes time for the red blood cells to come back. I guess I'll wait it out, but not very patiently.
13. Unannoying: Every single side effect can't be annoying, right? Well, besides weight loss, which hasn't caused me to shed any tears, there are a few other things that have been A-OK with me. My baby smooth arms & legs! I haven't missed shaving my legs a single bit! And it's been kind of fun to have such smooth, hairless arms. I'll even admit, with the bald head, I've

gotten to experience what it's like to be a guy when it comes to showering. Just get out, dry off, throw on your clothes, and you're good to go! No blow drying, no curling irons. Men have it made! But...... when my hair does come back, I am not going to complain about having to spend

time fixing it!

Now what everyone (?) has been waiting for - the BALD PHOTOS! Well, not 100% bald. I had a few little tough hairs hang in there, about 3 of them per square inch. I know, these are pretty creepy, but it's definitely part of the experience!

First: Before and after! Which do you like better?! Arf!

Next: "Clayface" - after my head broke out in sores, and before I knew it was Folliculitis, I thought maybe they were zits, so I put a clay mask all over my face & head to see if it would dry up the zits. I looked so funny (don't know if that's the right word) I decided to take a picture. To heck with the "Blue Man Group", "Green Woman Solo" is way cooler!

Last: "Dramatic" lighting shot taken by Chase. Notice the "angelic" glow he gave me. Also notice the "conehead" bone bump on top of my head! Arf again!

WEEK 21 & 22: Chemo #5, Stadium of Fire, & "Why We Need Red Blood Cells"

June 25 & 26 were fun days. I went to Rexburg (again) for another cute niece's wedding. This time it was Stan's daughter Ashley getting married. I stayed for a couple days to hang with some of my siblings again. This time instead of sharing a bed in a motel, Cynth and I shared a bed at Russ & Maxine's house. We hung out thru Sunday since Russ & Maxine happened to be speaking in church Sunday, so we went and listened to them. They were awesome, of course!

Four days later, I was back in Rexburg for Chemo #5. Stan & Jordan came back again for some game time. Russ & Maxine also came to visit during lunch hour. Since Stan is a self-employed computer engineer, he gets to come hang as long as he wants. Russ is still a regular working-stiff as a Finanacial Director at BYU-Idaho, so he gets the typical one hour lunch. So thanks for using that to come visit, Russ! Thanks again for game time, Stan & Jordan!

Right after Chemo #5 we were off to Provo for the big 4th of July Show at BYU's LaVell Edwards Stadium. Seems like we rarely go back home after I have a Chemo. Crazy! Before we went to the show, Collin, Tiffany, Chase, his friend, Caitlin Jenne, Rich and I went to the street fair on Center Street and had some delicious food and listened to live music.

After eating, we headed to the stadium for the concert. It was a pretty great show though. Rich got (expensive) front row seats for us two and Chase and Caitlin Jenne. Why would Rich do that? Because Carrie Underwood was the headliner, and he has a slight crush! But the stadium of fire is a big show with lots of different entertainers before the Carrie concert part, then finishing up with a pretty spectacular fireworks show. So it was very cool.

I have been discovering the last few weeks why Red Blood Cells are important. My blood test at this last chemo still showed the red cell count as low. I really have a greater appreciation for the little red buggers this last month. I guess with low RBC, not enough oxygen is getting to the larger muscles in my legs to support them. (You mean I actually have muscles in these legs? Who knew?!) Walking around, particularly up stairs, or even at a gradual incline - just kills me off! My legs just burn, then turn to rubber, and I stagger around like a drunk. Holy cow - I feel like an 80 year old woman! (Course, when I see myself with my bald head, I actually think I look like an 80 year old MAN!) The fatigue has been a bit of a frustrating challenge. I'll keep taking the vitamin's & supplements.

WEEKS 19 & 20: Family Time & Chemo #4

June 12th -14th was a great weekend because we got to see Clint and Ashlie and their four boys. With them down in Tucson, we don't get to see them very often. We got together at the house we own down in Provo with everyone except Conrad and Jamie, who are doing summer sales of security systems down in Houston. So, 4 of my 5 kids, and 7 of my 9 grandkids ain't bad! We played games, ate, and visited (What else do you do at Family get-together's?). Since it was a few weeks after my last Chemo, I felt pretty good, thankfully. I love my family so much, and cherish the moments we get to spend together.










First pic: Collin & the boys playing a game on the Wii.

Second pic: Me, Chase, Clint & Tasha playing "Ticket to Ride".

The very next day, Tuesday, June 15, we had to get up very early, and drive the 4 1/2 hours from Provo to Rexburg for Chemo #5 at 10 a.m. Did we manage to make it on time? Well, not quite - but pretty close! The long day sitting in the "Chemo Chair" went faster than usual thanks to my brother Stan, and nephew Jordan coming to spend the day playing games. They even hauled in a card table & chairs! We played Settlers of Catan, Peurto Rico, and then finished up with some Rook. Thanks, Stan and Jordan!

One new issue to deal with came up in Chemo#4. After they drew & tested my blood, they told me that my red blood cell count was down, so I would feel some fatigue. I thought, "Okay, no problem, I'll just take a nap during the day," which I hadn't really done much so far. Well, as the week progressed after the Chemo, I found out the fatigue didn't mean sleepy, it meant rubber legs. Just walking up my stairs made my legs feel like I had just climbed a mountain. Tasha did a little research for me, and told me I might try taking iron, folic acid, vitamin B-12, and vitamin C to help the anemia. So I went and stocked up on all of those. Tasha put things into perspective nicely: "If it doesn't work for you, the only thing you have to lose is more expensive pee." Good point Tasha! I'll give it a try!