Curly Locks - Maybe?

As you can see from the pictures, my hair has been flooding back in - in waves. I am amazed though at the color of it as I would like to think I didn't have this much grey to start with the past several years. Maybe Lady Clairol has been hiding my secret all along and I just never got around to noticing it.
I always had wavy hair but managed to straighten it each day when it grew to shoulder length so unless it was wet, no one saw much of the wave. It is certainly holding true to form in keeping its curliness.

The big debate at home has been "when" to color it or to leave it grey. People have said, grey is the "new" color. I have seen young movie stars sporting the grey hair and looking quite sheik in it. Then I went to a store and they were having "senior citizen" discount day (their day was Tuesday) and the young man behind the counter gave me the discount without asking me if I was 55. When I got out to the car I called Nick and said it's time for Lady Clairol. I still have 2 years to go before I rightfully get that "discount". He laughed. You know how women can be about getting old!

It will be interesting to see though if I end up with a full head of curly hair or the wire brush look. Might be time to pull that Chi out if its the later of the two. I do have to be thankful they are not doing radiation to my head because I hear that causes permanent baldness. At this point, I will take whatever the Lord gives me to cover this head.

Ya Had A Bad Day

Today was treatment number 5 for radiation. It was nothing out of the ordinary. The techs (all 4) were ready and waiting for me when I got there. I found myself to be extremely uncomfortable in the position I had to be in today which was not anything different from the usual, but my neck hurt having to keep it turned to the left out of the way of the beam.


For some unknown reason I began to feel weepy inside right in the middle of the treatment. I had to keep telling myself - Brenda, don't move, don't move. I wanted to yell out loud to them, TIME OUT, I need to cry here RIGHT NOW! Then a sudden hot flash came upon me and that swarmed me like bees at a hive full of honey. I kept thinking, calm down, it will be over soon. In the back ground, as always, there is music playing and I finally was able to focus on the current song that was playing which was "So you've had a bad day" by Daniel Powter. It was peppy and as I set my sights on listening to it, before I knew it, they drew the machine back and said it was done and time to get off the table.

I had to see Dr. C today and that went very well. He showed me all my "xrays" of where they shoot the beams and how they do the job they are set up to do - kill bad cells. Before I knew it he had me laughing with his wonderful sense of humor and great bedside manor and I was heading home. Another treatment done - 25 to go!

Poster Child for Magic Markers

Today was my first day of radiation treatment at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. I was able to drive myself and got there in plenty of time with not a long wait once I arrived. I got changed into my gown and headed back to the room with the BIG machine. I settled in on the table as the technichians (3) got me into the correct position. Arm up over my head and greatly exposed, I was told to lay still.


The machine looked like something out of Star Wars with rays moving in all different positions and lots of little windows opening with beams falling across my chest at odd angles. Dr. C showed up about half way through and pulled out his magic marker and did some markings. Tape was placed on half of the marks and I will need to keep them in place so they can shoot at those spots each day when I go.

I had to chuckle when I looked at the finished product because it looked like I had run into a kid holding a handful of magic markers with all the lids off in a dark room.

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

Well, today was my consultation with the radiologist to begin 6 weeks of treatments. My new doctor is "Dr. Cmelak" and I will refer to him as "Dr. C" from here on out. For those of you that attend OPC in Florida, he could pass as a brother to Jeff Jakes in both looks and personality. He has a great sense of humor and during the middle of the visit answered his cell phone and talked to his dad while we were sitting there. Both Nick and I laughed at that one.

Lots of information came our way today. Dr. C discussed side effects and remedies for those side effects. My area of radiation will be broader due to the nodes being involved and the risk of lymphedema were discussed again. We walked away with another armful of brochures and paperwork. My "cancer" notebook gets bigger and bigger everyday.

Once the initial exam was done, they did a CT of my breast/chest and taped me up with metal wires to place the "x's" (5) that will guide them when they begin shooting the rays. My first treatment will be next Wednesday the 8th and every weekday till October 19th. My main task for the next week is to keep the marks on they placed with the magic marker and tape. I will be showering gingerly for the next week to say the least!

Fortunately the cancer center is close to the apartment. I will be able to drive myself to and from and Nick will not have to go with me for the visits.

Onto phase three - it's a good thing.