Radiation Oncologist-April 29th

I am learning more about subjects I had no desire to learn about than you can imagine. We went and saw the radiation oncologist yesterday and she said I still need some more wound healing time before they can start, so I go in May 13th for a CT scan to map the area and then they do some hocus pocus in the computer to figure out the actual radiation plan. The actual treatments should start the following week and she seems to feel at this point I will only need five weeks of daily treatment. She said the actual treatment time will be about 20 minutes but to allow about 45 minutes at the center for changing clothes, set up and stuff like that. The side effects will be similar to sunburn (some people get mild ones, some people get wicked ones, we'll find out when it happens) but she did say I can use straight aloe from aloe plants on it and since Larry has a half-dozen aloe plants, we're well stocked. There will be some lung damage, as they have to irradiate through the chest wall, but she seems to feel it will only mean I can never run a marathon, but will have plenty of lung function for anything short of that.
I attended a class/support group at Kaiser led by a doctor(she made Megan look old) and a physical therapist and all of a sudden the dam broke and information that was in the abstract prior to this was brought into reality. I was the most recent diagnosee and there were women who were five year survivors and I imagine it was very much like walking into heaven. I walked in not knowing a soul and within two hours we were hugging, laughing, crying with each other as if we had known each other forever. Each woman's story was different (and many were much worse than mine) yet we were all the same. By the end of the evening women were showing each other mastectomy scars, women in my situation were telling me how old shoulder pads make great stuffing for your bra, which were the better places to buy bras and stuff I'm not sure I even talk to my daughters about. The physical therapist spent time on that old nemesis of mine-exercise and how and why you really need it after breast surgery. Breast surgery or the treatment affects your balance, your
posture, your bone density (the drug I have to take can lead to osteoporosis) so it is more imperative than ever that I start exercising and she was very clear this is a babysteps issue, but it has to start now-prevention is so much better than treatment later. She gave us stretch bands and showed us arm, chest and back exercises and then some low impact stuff to strengthen bones and again tons of handouts of support organizations, internet web sites, and medical stuff about dealing/coping with cancer.
I am participating in a cancer survivorship study that Kaiser is participating in with several big colleges, UCSF and Georgetown University in DC. They did a three hour interview on medical/family history and lifestyle issues and took blood and saliva samples for DNA studies and will require a six month and 18 month follow-up interview. They've invited me to participate in a Columbia University study also, so this is fair warning, it is people like me they talk to when they start throwing those crazy statistics around saying things like "6 out of 10 women with cancer use soap." Hey, I have nothing better to do this week than answer questions.
Otherwise I am doing pretty good. Still tender, but not much actual pain. Amazingly life goes on, and this too shall pass.