An Eventful Week

It's been a very busy four days (in a good way).

On Friday, I had my radiation simulation. They did CT scans a week or two ago so that Dr. Champion could plan my treatment. Then on Friday, the radiation "therapists" (I tend to think of them more as "technicians", but if they need to call themselves "therapists", who am I to argue?) took x-rays to verify that the plans made based on the CT scans were appropriate. And they were.

Not only is my heart completely out of scope for the radiation treatment, but my lungs are only about 1 to 1.5 centimeters in range. The therapist was trying to tell me--without sounding weird about it--that I have a good build for this. Of course, that is good news, but what a strange thing to have a good build for, don't you think?

They also gave me a schedule of all my radiation appointments. I had my first of 35 treatments today. I'll go everyday (4:30 p.m. today, Wednesday, and Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. each day thereafter) for about 30 minutes.

I checked myself in today, changed into the gown, and waited for the therapist to come get me. Then Joel and (Andrew?) lined me up to match the photos and tattoo matrices (I have three pin dot tattoos surrounding the area), and then they zapped me three times: first was the lymph node area, then the left side of the breast and then the right side. And I was done. One down, 34 to go. :-)

This weekend Maggie and I had a really wonderful time with some really wonderful people. Deirdre Bauer and I drove up to North Lake Tahoe on Friday afternoon with Maggie and Celia. Carla and Deirdre Greene joined us Saturday with Siobhan and Lila. It was a little late to start skiing, so we went to some hot springs just beyond Carson City, where we all sat in the very warm, pleasantly smelly water (about 105 degrees Fahrenheit). That night, after dinner, I got a bit tipsy for the first time since August.

The next day, the girls all went skiing/boarding (after a lesson for each--three on snowboard and Siobhan on skis) and the moms went for a walk near the lake and ended up in the bar at the Hyatt (who could have foreseen *that*?). After dinner, the girls went to see 27 Dresses and Carla taught us how to play Bridge (and more wine was drunk).

Coming home was a bit eventful: the battery on the Mercedes took issue with the 22 degree external temperature, and this is why we pay for AAA each year. Deirdre Greene and I enjoyed an eight hour drive home yesterday, but we were fairly Zen about it. It was easy to be Zen when Carla had all four of the 13-year old girls in her car. I'd say that Carla has some serious karma in her favor right now.