RADIATION THERAPY - MOM'S AND MINE
It was in the early sixties when my Mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was a teenager and did not realize the severity of what was going on. We were not as informed back then. She had a radical mastectomy at Riverview and went for cobalt treatments in Long Branch. Mom was very brave through the whole procedure. The only time I remember her being very upset was when she came home with big purple dashes outlining the treatment areas of her body. She was a tough lady, a hard worker and very giving.
After her cobalt treatment she continued to smoke. I don’t believe there were many follow up treatments. I remember the cobalt equipment looking like a massive x ray machine. They still use cobalt 60 today but it is very limited. Mom remained cancer free for 30 years before the cancer came back. We fought it for 3 years before she passed away in 1992. The radiation treatment I started this week at Riverview is a whole new world. The equipment there is regarded as cutting edge and uses a linear accelerator which is electromagnetic radiation with pinpoint accuracy compared to older cobalt units.
Because the treatment is to the neck a mask is molded to hold you in place for each treatment. It was a little claustrophobic at first but that was mostly from nerves. Dr. Kaufman and the staff at Riverview are very informative and there are dozens of medicines to help you through the process while protecting vital functions. The treatment only takes 10 minutes but will take place five days a week for seven weeks along with three chemotherapy treatments over that same seven weeks. I started that yesterday and the treatment was now as bad as I anticipated but my energy level is only about 70 percent. Knowing me… that is like putting me in chains.
There will be a lot of side affects from all these treatments and drugs being put into me. Considering this was caught so early and there is only a small cluster of cancer cells I ask my Doctor if I needed the chemotherapy as well as the radiation. His answer was “Yes, we would feel negligent if we did not do everything that was called for as well as following up on the holistically as will as with regular exercise and follow up check ups.” I will try to write about the chemotherapy next week and all the people I am meeting in the new to me cancer club.
