Just another SuperBat Cancer Patient to the rescue (email)

Hey there! 

Guess what?!  It appears my tumor got homesick (like a mini third grade Megan) on its way to CA and decided it wasn’t quite ready for the trek.  No, that doesn’t mean it wanted to go back “home” to my body, it means it wanted to stay in MI.  Due to the fact it was low grade and mucinous, the entire Tumor Board found chemotherapy NOT necessary!  So, radiation it is!  You might be asking yourself, “But why radiation, didn’t they already cut the cancer out of Leftie, Megan?”  Well, yes, but radiation therapy reduces the risk of recurrence by 2/3.  Since I am so young, any preventative measures are good! 

I am currently in the “take a breather” phase of cancer, the time in-between surgery and radiation where I only have a couple of appointments each week.  What will my next couple of months look like?  Next Thursday, Leftie will pose for a CT Scan (She’s quite popular these days, it seems.  Yesterday she got felt up by three separate doctors!). After that, I'll receive my very first tattoo, in fact I'll get three!  A set of three tiny tattoos will mark where treatments will be targeted.  Then I’ll undergo 30 days of radiation treatments, with weekends off!  (I know, right?  Don’t be too jealous of my radiation free weekends, okay?) 

I will be going to the hospital at the same time of day, every day, and will be in and out (including parking time) in about 30-45 minutes for each treatment.  Holy cats!  That’s fast!  Well, it is, in part, speedy delivery because Mr. Roger’s mailman greets patients at the door… and radiation has its own separate location where patients can park with ease.  I’ll get my own special parking pass and will park in their fancy underground parking lot (like the Batcave).  In an earlier email I was talking about becoming a superhero, looks like the type of superhero has been chosen for me...  If you come to A2, be sure to watch out for a troop of covert SuperBat Cancer Patients (SBCP for short).  Their three tiny tattoos will be both their dead giveaway and their Bat-Signal :) 

Undergoing radiation therapy sounds like it is a cross between snorkeling and playing a new age simulation game.  Since the cancer was on my left side, special precautions will be taken to protect my heart.  I’ll have a snorkel-like mouthpiece which will be synced up with a pair of goggles.  The two together will monitor my breathing and I’ll be able to watch when I take deep breaths.  When I take deep breaths my heart will move away from my chest wall leaving space for the radiation to safely treat the intended area. 

The first 4 weeks will be targeting the entirety of Leftie.  The final two weeks will focus specifically on the area where the tumor was located.  Finally, there are two main side effects of treatments and both are temporary - fatigue and sensitivity/discoloration/change of skin on the treated area.

Alright, well I think that’s all for now, folks!

Hoot!  Hoot!
Megan