Monthly Archives: June 2013

I’ve mostly stopped wearing my wig.  It’s just too hot.  I told myself that once I had full coverage, I would ditch the damn thing.  It has been nice, but I admit to feeling self-concious about it.  I have never had hair this short before.  I feel naked without my hair to hide behind. 

Surprisingly, I have actually been getting a lot of compliments.  Complete strangers approach to tell me my hair looks great.  I met a lady this afternoon who told me she loves my hair and that I have a face that can pull off a short cut.  I explained to her that it was growing out after chemo, and that I used to have much longer hair.  She thinks I should keep it short, and that it is, “Fabulous.”  That made me smile. 

I was also told today that I look like some porn star, a hot fem lesbian, and a riot grrrl.  

It has been an interesting day. 

I am finished with my regular radiation treatments, and today I started boosts.  I have four treatments remaining.  My skin is mostly red, though some of it in the axilla area is brown, itchy, peeling, raw, and horribly painful.  I’m hoping the axilla will start healing now that it will not be receiving anymore radiation.  My radiation oncologist prescribed silver sulfadiazine cream to prevent infection.  Otherwise, I am using Vanicream and Aquaphor. 

It looks bad, and it feels worse than it looks.  There is a picture under the cut.  Don’t click it if you don’t want to see what a radiation wound looks like.

That’s the axilla (armpit/under arm), which received a lot of treatment because I had cancer cells in my lymph nodes, and those lymph nodes were leaking into the surrounding area.  

The boosts are fast.  I think it took five minutes, and most of that time was spent getting me properly situated on the table. 

Have I mentioned that I’m ready to be done?  It’s so close, yet so far away. 

Some stuff –

  • I love this apartment.  LOVE.  
  • I have U-verse now, and that’s excellent. I spent last night sitting on the couch and watching movies on HBO.  It was delightfully normal, and just what I needed.
  • I saw World War Z today and I really liked it.  I was a little worried it would suck, but it didn’t. So yay.  It wasn’t scary, but neither was the book. I saw a preview for Insidious 2, which seems unnecessary. Why does everything need a sequel nowadays? 
  • My skin. It’s bad.  It’s peeling and freaking me out.  It hurts.  Percoset is my friend.
  • Six more treatments. 1 regular, 5 boosts.  I need this to be over now. I’m so over cancer treatment. Unfortunately, while radiation will be over, treatment won’t be.  I have (at least) 5 years of Tamoxifen to go, starting in August.  Of course, that will be a fucking cake walk comparatively.
  • I finally saw the new episode of True Blood. I’m interested in seeing where they are going with the Bill situation.  I hate Bill, but bad Bill is a lot more intriguing. 
  • Defending Jacob.  I loved it.  You should read it. 
  • I dyed my hair and it looks a lot better.  Oh and my eyelashes are looking pretty decent. I’m starting to feel kind of normal.  Well except for the skin nonsense.Â