Day One Radiation: Over!

Thank you for your prayers today. Dad, Mom and I left home at 7:30 AM and Kevin and I returned home at 5:30 PM. IVIG went well today and our Nurse Practitioner daughter spent the day with me and brought me a healthy vegetarian lunch to enjoy. At the end of the day, our daughter who is the dietitian at the hospital where the cancer center is located, stopped by and the twins went with me to Day One of radiation. Well, more specifically, they sat in the waiting room - I guess they didn't embrace the idea of going into the treatment room with me to be nuked! Where is their sense of adventure? Our youngest daughter checked in with phone calls and sending me "medicine" (aka pics of Lil Man) to my cell phone.

Speaking of "nuked", last night our family held our annual Fall Costume Party and Bonfire. I decided that the opportunity to dress as the "Radiation Princess" might only present itself once in a lifetime. So I purchased a long, flowing black wig with fluorescent highlights. I added fluorescent green nail polish and lipstick. I printed radiation warning signs off of the Internet and onto iron-on transfer paper and ironed them all over my clothes (See Photo Above). I told my oncology nurses this morning that if I had not received IVIG all day before radiation, the "Radiation Princess" might have shown up for Day One of radiation. The nurse told me, "If you had walked in like that, Stac, we would have thought you finally cracked!"

After the many times I have received treatment for the leukemia, the first radiation was a bit anti-climatic. The actual radiation process is completely painless. I thought I might feel warmth on my skin since I was told that I might develop like a sunburn on my skin from the treatments and I have to apply aloe vera gel twice daily. But I felt nothing. My son-in-law had uploaded my favorite praise and worship music on my smart phone and I put in my ear buds, held an anointed prayer cloth from Israel in my hands, and prayed for the few minutes that the radiation was administered. The bulk of the time was spent with the radiation technicians placing me in the precise position for the radiation. We are talking moving me by centimeters until my tattoo markings line up specifically with their lasers and other placement techniques.

The radiation oncologist told me that side effects will be cumulative as the amount of radiation I have received increases. He tended to think by next week, we will need to begin watching my counts more closely. My counts were a bit lower today and I was slightly neutropenic, so I am hopeful that the counts will improve and not nose-dive. Again, the doctor mentioned the possibility of fatigue, nausea, diarrhea and skin irritation. I am focused on the benefits - not side effects - nuking leukemia cells and driving them from my spleen, lymph nodes, bone marrow and blood. I pray this radiation has the ability of a smart bomb and can hone in on the leukemia cells, annihilate them, and leave no collateral damage. That is how I am envisioning this attack that we have launched.

So far tonight, the only thing I can report is a nagging unrest. The first drips of chemotherapy into my veins triggered an unexpected flow of tears and emotions over eight years ago. Radiation is a new territory for me to explore and I believe there is always some unrest with the unknown. And although my limited, physical mind does not know or understand everything that is happening with the radiation, my spiritual mind is trusting that the God who created my body is still in control.

Interestingly, this morning, the manager of the cancer infusion center approached me and asked me to participate in a study being conducted by a local university. The study, "Spirituality and Cancer" sounded intriguing to me, so I signed the consent form. One of the principal investigators arrived with questionnaires in tow. I spent an hour or two this morning completing them - the entire time I was being reminded of what a tremendous role God has played in my life and my cancer journey. The investigator returned and asked to proceed and complete a 30 minute interview, which is also part of the study. So, for 30 minutes, I sat and shared about the Lord and all the many ways He has guided, blessed, comforted, strengthened and healed me during this journey. Upon reflection, I realized this God-opportunity came on just the right day as it provided a time of distraction for me as I awaited my first radiation treatment. I was able to share about the Lord in a very unique manner. I am blessed.