My cool new mask!

Today I completed 5 out of 25 radiation treatments for the tumor in my spinal cord. 20 more to go! So far, so good. I’m not feeling any side effects from it yet. Dr Grant, my radiation doctor said I probably won’t feel them til closer to the end of treatments. I’m praying they’re minor🙏 I go in every morning for a VERY short treatment. My team is adorable, they always ask what I want to listen to. I usually barely make it through 2 songs before they come in to take my mask off and lower the table. It’s less than 10 minutes. Sometimes it seems silly to drive that far for a 10 minute treatment…but it’s worth it if it prolongs my life for sure. You can’t see the radiation going in, or feel anything at all. The table is very hard and the mask was made just for me, it’s pretty hard too and not very comfortable. They put pins in the sides of it so that I can’t move my head or neck. Then they lock my shoulders in so they can’t move either. I’m super glad it’s a short treatment! The reason it is so short is because since they are doing radiation on a sensitive area (head/neck) they give a lower dose each day and spread it out over several treatments. Whereas last time I had 5 treatments total and was done.  (Different area of the body though and not quite as sensitive.) The other picture is of the radiation table. That big eye looking thing and the arms move around the table and shoot the radiation in. Modern medicine is quite amazing! 

I think the best part of the treatment is the warm sheet they put on me. What is it about warm things that make everything better? 

I get to keep the mask when I finish this round! What the heck are you supposed to do with something like that? 

I continue to have stupid side effects from chemo and having an immunosuppressed system. It’s so dumb and I wish it would stop. I hate that the medicine that shrinks and stabilizes my tumors wreaks havoc elsewhere. My prayer requests are that 

1- the radiation is working to shrink that sucker in my spinal cord. Having it go away would be even better ;)  2-that the tumors elsewhere are staying stable until we can start chemo again. 3-that the dumb side effects of chemo will

subside soon. Thank you family and friends for being the best prayer warriors! I feel your prayers and am so thankful.

We had the best escape to London earlier this month before radiation started. I can honestly say that while there I felt like a normal person. I didn’t feel like I had cancer. I felt great. I wish that feeling could last longer. 

Loves to all!

The back of Buckingham Palace