Hi all; it's hard to say what week I am in since I didn't start on a Monday!

Today is my 12th session. Starting to get some side effects though swallowing is still good. My tongue is not as happy.

I see the doctor today as part of our weekly meeting and will make her check it out.

Staying positive - watching a lot of comedy, hanging out with friends, and working hard to not let pain get ahead of me.
Still working but not putting in a full 40, more like 30. I nap a bit and need more sleep than before.

My boss has been very understanding.

Bracing myself for more side effects and trying not to stress.

Thanks to all for the support.
Stef

Stef, sounds like you are doing great!!! I hope you are making sure you are hitting your daily numbers for calories and fluids. If you begin to have trouble taking in enough water speak up and tell your physicians or nurses and get extra fluids in the chemo lab. That will make a big difference in how you feel. I always felt so much better after a couple bags of extra fluids.

Hang in there!!!

Thanks! Great idea. They test my fluid levels with blood pressure - lying down and then standing up.

Is it my imagination or do they vary the amount of radiation? Feels like Wednesdays when they do the weekly CT scan that day has more radiation - seems like I have more symptoms. I will ask the techs; they have shown me how all the equipment and software works. Very open!)

Stef, when I did my rads in 2007 I started out by being on the table for only a few minutes. By the time I was at the end of my treatments, the time I was there was considerably longer than when I first started. To me I thought as treatments progressed they were extended. Im interested in hearing what your techs have to say about this. Im much too far out since rads finished to always remember all the details. Chemo brain is a very real thing!!!

I was told what they do si to divide the total greys by the number of days; so, 20 greys over 5 days will be 4 greys per day, 70 greys over 35 days will be 2 greys per day. John's RO told me that was why he might feel a bit worse when he was getting 20 greys than when he was getting 70 greys. I never got a sense that it was incremental.

I was the caregiver, so I never had chemo, but I can tell you that one and a half years out, my brain really cannot remember all the details that I knew and lived through. Someone suggested it was probably a case of the mind not wanting to remember.

Doing great Stef! I just finished my 8th! Lets hope this journey is smooth sailing!

Wendy, thanks. Have been thinking about you!

Gmcraft is correct; the techs told me it is the same dose every time.

Christine - was set up taking longer? My mask is getting tighter and it takes a little longer for them to "pin me down." Definitely less comfortable and the mouthpiece is more cumbersome due to tongue/tooth pain.

The tightness could be from inflammation. Check this with your doctor next time you see them. Some patients lose so much weight they need to have the mask redone due to it becoming too loose.

The set up towards the end of rads was not taking any longer. I was on the table at least 15 minutes longer during the last week than when I first began. When strapped down a few minutes can feel like its forever!!!

That's so weird - and awful - that you had to wait so long! Very curious as to what they were doing!