Crazy day. Got drunk and got a tattoo. Except without the getting drunk part. I had my first dose of radiation for the lymph nodes, and because of its location, they couldn't just draw on me with a sharpie as they did last time; they are going after a smaller target, with more things in the way, so I have three new tattoos. They are just little black dots, pretty hard to notice. I have lost my place in the ranks of people with un-inked skin, but I don't think that I have yet fallen to autohypergraphia (the compulsion to mark yourself).
The radiation went well. Side effects are expected to look like a sun-burn and itch, which is a little bit rough, since those are one of the key side effects that I am supposed to check for to make sure I am not having an outbreak of donor vs host disease. Yesterday and this morning - before getting any radiation - I have had a bit of itching on my torso, and I can not tell if it is red from the scratching, or whether this is the start of some mild donor vs. host. I can not stop scratching completely, because I scratch in my sleep.
The other side effect that is expected from the radiation is irritation of my esophagus. I may have trouble swallowing crunchy things for a while. These both seem pretty mild as far as side effects go. Especially if this is enough to throw the lymphoma back into remission. Go Donor cells!
I am looking forward to this weekend. We are headed back up to Brooks to stay at the camp. It is so relaxing up there. Another good thing is that I will not be getting my port accessed, and it is getting pretty sore. I think that it has been accessed 10 times in the last 10 days. The skin is getting sore from the adhesive covers for the needle being constantly ripped off it, as well as the skin around the port itself, from being stuck so often. It will be nice to have a two day break from that. Additionally, I am hoping to see some of my friends.
The people at the radiation clinic were really nice, and answered all my questions, both before and after the treatment. It was a good experience. I hope this works as expected.
Leif
The radiation went well. Side effects are expected to look like a sun-burn and itch, which is a little bit rough, since those are one of the key side effects that I am supposed to check for to make sure I am not having an outbreak of donor vs host disease. Yesterday and this morning - before getting any radiation - I have had a bit of itching on my torso, and I can not tell if it is red from the scratching, or whether this is the start of some mild donor vs. host. I can not stop scratching completely, because I scratch in my sleep.
The other side effect that is expected from the radiation is irritation of my esophagus. I may have trouble swallowing crunchy things for a while. These both seem pretty mild as far as side effects go. Especially if this is enough to throw the lymphoma back into remission. Go Donor cells!
I am looking forward to this weekend. We are headed back up to Brooks to stay at the camp. It is so relaxing up there. Another good thing is that I will not be getting my port accessed, and it is getting pretty sore. I think that it has been accessed 10 times in the last 10 days. The skin is getting sore from the adhesive covers for the needle being constantly ripped off it, as well as the skin around the port itself, from being stuck so often. It will be nice to have a two day break from that. Additionally, I am hoping to see some of my friends.
The people at the radiation clinic were really nice, and answered all my questions, both before and after the treatment. It was a good experience. I hope this works as expected.
Leif
I am so grateful that we got to see you on this trip up to Brooks and surrounds! much love, Larkspur
ReplyDelete