This week I had my "dry run" for radiation treatments. They had me lay down on the table with all the adjustments they'd made last week, then they took an x-ray to make sure I was positioned properly. I was, and the whole appointment took about 10 minutes.
I asked them a couple questions: can I wear a UV shirt sometimes rather than put sunscreen on the breast area beneath my regular shirt (Yes), when do I have longer appointments to see doctor (weekly - they gave me a schedule), can they trim off a stitch that hasn't yet dissolved and is poking out (no - I have to ask the surgeon at Dana Farber to do it), and does it matter which sunscreen I use (no). They were very specific about which lotions I could use though, so I thought that was weird.
I got a bit dizzy when I was on the table and the x-ray machine started going around me, so I closed my eyes and it was OK. This was after another bout of dizziness earlier. I had awakened at 3 that morning and turned to my side with my eyes open and noticed that the room was spinning. I'd always heard people say that and thought it was just a colorful way of saying they were dizzy, but no: the room really looked as though it was spinning! At a rate of going across the horizon about three times a second. Very disorienting. I had queasiness, but nothing worse. I closed my eyes and waited 30 minutes, then I got up and drank water and ate a sandwich, thinking it might have something to do with dehydration or low blood sugar. I was fine then until the x-ray machine, and again later once that afternoon and again once the next day.
I walked slowly with my sister Janet on the phone that morning, and we remembered that our brother-in-law Bill had some severe dizziness years ago. I got in contact with Bill and my sister Ruth who were on vacation, and Bill told me he'd fixed his with the Epley Maneuver and to look up those videos online and do that. It's a series of ways to tilt your head to reposition loose crystals in your inner ear. They are supposed to stay in one place, but sometimes they dislodge and go in places that make you very dizzy! The maneuver puts them back in the right place, and then you sleep propped up for 2 days to let them settle back in place. So I did that 3 times over that day and the next, propped up to sleep for 2 days, and have been fine since. Thanks, Bill!
Physically, I am continuing to get more energy. This week I played sand volleyball Tuesday and did OK; I played one game then sat down and watched for one game while my rubbery arms recovered! Then repeated the rest of the evening. I played Ultimate frisbee Thursday at close to full effort for 90 minutes and did well, able to throw far and accurately and run, so I was quite happy. I swam one day at our neighbors' pool and that's still exhausting, but it didn't affect me as much as last time, so improvement! I also kept up my walking with friends 6 days this week.
I continue to do a lot of zoom activities, like church, our weekly family call, a weekly glass art call, and a weekly racial justice call. I also did more outdoor social events, like seeing a frisbee dog demonstration at the library, seeing a movie at the drive-in, playing a crime-solving walking mystery tour of Nashua with friends, and attending a town women's group 5-year anniversary party. Oh, and going to the dump and running into two neighbors! Yes, I know it sounds weird to many, but going to the dump is a social event here!
I've also started catching up on some of my medical appointments. I went to the eye doctor for a checkup and to order new glasses, did a cologuard test (at-home stool sample rather than having colonoscopy), and scheduled 2 upcoming appointments for finally finishing my root canal.
This is the table I go on. My calves go in the green slotted foam.
All the gray things behind the table are the x-ray machine that rotates around me on that blueish circle.
A closeup. My head rests on the green circle, my upper arms rest on the raised green supports, and my hands grasp the vertical posts down near the bottom.
At the drive-in for Thor movie. We didn't last to the double feature!
Studying our game app to figure out the clues!
Our sleuthing team - we got the answer right and came in 12th out of 60!
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