Radiation Update and an Unexpected Birthday Gift!

So, last Tuesday the 15th, my rad onc said that she wanted to do 5 booster radiation treatments. I decided to go along with it because of her explanation:

Apparently, the 28 treatments she gave me were at a low dose, meant to kill "microscopic" disease in the lymph channels. However, it wasn't big even to treat "visible" disease. So, she wanted to do 5 booster treatments at a higher dose to get at the visible disease (I had a rather largish area and about 10-12 smallish tumors in my skin).

I was to start the 5 booster treatments yesterday - but the area under my armpit has been burned - it's looking pretty raw. The top layer of skin has fallen away and the area is red, swollen, and somewhat painful. It hurts to lift my arm above my head and made it hard to play softball. So, the rad onc yesterday is giving me a week's reprieve! I don't have to start the boosters until next Monday! IN the meantime, I'm soaking the area 3x/day with a washcloth soaked in a water/baking soda/salt mixture and then slathering on Silvadine cream to help it heal. Whew! I think it's helping, although it's still painful. They offered to write me a script for pain meds, but I turned them down. Me and pain meds don't mix well. Rather be slightly uncomfortable with pain than throwing up.

YAY!

In the meantime, those last four little tumors that I felt a couple of weeks ago are gone. Yup. Hasta la vista, baby!

So, the radiation is doing what's it's supposed to be doing. I can handle a bit of discomfort. As long as it heals quickly!