Dear Family and Friends,

I’ve completed a week of daily radiation treatments (excluding weekends). All is going fine. I really can’t notice any skin problems like burning or sensation. The time goes quickly. Treatment was only delayed one day out of seven (I’m not sure, is that good?). The staff said it was the usual monthly testing held every third Thursday of the month or something like that. I was in a hurry to get to work for an 8:30 am meeting, so the delay was an unwelcome surprise. The main thing I’m noticing is my fatigue, of which I can’t really say how much is due to radiation treatment itself. I think now it more has to do with the extra energy it takes to drive and change at the hospital, and then drive home to dress for work.

I made it through the weekend with my cast and they kindly replaced it on Wednesday. The new one feels like it fits better (if that makes sense). It isn’t too tight, too close to the bend on my arm and my wrist doesn’t feel pinched. The doctor shared that I have two more weeks with a cast and then two weeks with a splint. The cast still slows me down considerably. Yesterday I was totally dressed for my work day and just adding my earrings, when I dropped it down my suite jacket and shirt. The earring went down my front and I couldn’t get my casted arm inside my shirt to pull the ear ring out, so I had to take everything off, find the earring and re-dress. I was exhausted by the time I was heading out the door for work. Something as simple as dropping an earring is frustrating and can really drain my energy.

If you’ve read my blog for a while you know I’m very sensitive about my weight gain. I finally felt well enough to make a decision on how to lose the weight I put on since the diagnosis. I’m using a daily calorie counting program on the web. It’s a user friendly program and is helping me to be mindful of what I’m eating and how much exercise I’m getting. It's time-consuming for me and not just because it takes time to track my intake / exercise but also because when I’m at work all day I have to plan foods ahead of time, so I don’t end up eating a high calorie ‘snack’. I hope it works.

Thoughts and prayers for you.

Love,

Veronica