Tag: radiation treatment
7 OTC Items That Help During Head and Neck Radiation Therapy
Along the way, through my 30 radiation treatments, I gathered a few tips and tricks that helped to ease or lessen some of the side effects and symptoms that come with head and neck cancer treatments. This list includes my top 7 items that… Continue Reading “7 OTC Items That Help During Head and Neck Radiation Therapy”
Treatment’s Over…What now?
This period, often called “the lull” is BY FAR the hardest period of time you will experience in comparison to all the others. It’s the time immediately following treatment, and for most, it’s the first time that you are without any kind of active… Continue Reading “Treatment’s Over…What now?”
Cancer is Confusing
There are things about cancer that only cancer patients comprehend and fully understand. And because of that, there are things about cancer that us surviviors wish you knew. Cancer is something I felt to the aboslute depths of my bones and it has recently… Continue Reading “Cancer is Confusing”
Radiation Treatment: Who’s on your care team?
It’s not surprising that a lot goes on behind the scenes of radiation therapy, and it’s definitely not surprising to you that there are many different people that have a hand in your care. With all the people that you see during your visits,… Continue Reading “Radiation Treatment: Who’s on your care team?”
Halfway to (more) Freedom
Today marks 6 whole months since my final radiation treatment, and I woke up feeling all kinds of things. I always imagined that each and every milestone would bring indescribable joy and thankfulness for my healing and for life and just for the crazy… Continue Reading “Halfway to (more) Freedom”
Post-Radiation Life is…
Fill in the blank and that probably describes what it’s like on this side of things. It’s scary, it’s different, it’s confusing, it’s an adjustment, it’s a new normal, it’s freeing, and it’s a daily effort to keep my mind and heart focused on… Continue Reading “Post-Radiation Life is…”
Time to Celebrate
Happy 6 months to meeeee! It’s been 6 months since I went in for surgery to remove a benign salivary gland tumor and received path results just 6 days later that it was cancer they took out. Since then I’ve endured surgery recovery, 4… Continue Reading “Time to Celebrate”
5 Radiation Misconceptions
1) Radiation skin damage is just a sunburn While radiation skin toxicity looks like a sunburn and can often feel like a sunburn, the skin itself is not actually burned as if from a heat source. Radiation treatment is used to destroy the bad… Continue Reading “5 Radiation Misconceptions”
All the Gross Things
WARNING: Gross pictures included Many of you have heard my stories about radiation and others actually watched it happen, but what you may not have seen unless you work with me or live with me is all the disgusting things that happened to my… Continue Reading “All the Gross Things”
A Dose of Reality
Life is way scarier these days than I remember it. I remember sitting on our swing just a few days after surgery back in July and wondering how I was ever going to trust my body with normal aches, pains, and sickness again. And… Continue Reading “A Dose of Reality”
Gone, Glanda, Gone 