Radiation is like Ella Fitzgerald

What should I say about 2007.
It was a year full of memorable events and drastic change.

Here are some of the most notable things that happened in my life in 2007 in no particular order...

-I had the best birthday party ever at Geno's.... and if by best I mean, falling off the stage and not remembering it, singing horribly, punching my sister and passing out on the floor upstairs at Geno's.

-Michael and I renewed our vows in Vegas, celebrated with close friends and drove around a 1956 Chevy Bel Air.

-I fostered many new and close friendships

-I was diagnosed with breast cancer, had a major operation and finished chemotherapy

-Learned to be humble and accept help

-I discoverd that everyone around me is filled with compassion and love

-My band, By Blood Alone recorded and released a full length CD, Seas of Blood.

-I conceptualized,designed and decorated Geno's for the best party ever, Half-way to Halloween Horror Ball. Mars Attacks!

-I stopped drinking vodka.

-I said goodbye to my '94 Honda Civic (she was a good kitty... that's what I liked to call her).

-My dad was diagnosed with Lymphoma.

-I made over 70 pieces of art work.

-I started writing a book.

I am sure there are things that I am forgetting... but that is good enough.

Let's see, What is going on now?

Just before the Holidays I was "Mapped" for my radiation therapy.
The Radiation Therapy room is so Sci-Fi and cold ... but I kind of like it.
When they did this mapping my doctor and the radio-tech made me lie on a cold table where I had to be COMPLETELY still and not move at all for a whole 1/2 hour while my left breast was completely exposed, analysed and xrayed by a computer.
Why is it that whenever you are supposed to be completely still... you suddenly have to sneeze, you get uncontrollable iches, spasms, have to cough.... etc etc? It was a bit torturous but I got thru it. After the still torture my tech came in an tatooed registration marks on me... so they know where to set the computer and the lasers.
They are 3 little blue beauty marks triangulated around my breast.

When I am all done... and the proper healing is done after all my treatments...
Cyndi said that she would turn them into little stars or hearts or something like that.

So I start with radiation tomorrow! I will be going 5 days a week at 2:15pm for six weeks. My doctor says that if the machine doesn't break and I don't miss any of my appointments... I will be done on Feb 14th. 2 days before my next birthday!
How cool is that! Definitely cause to celebrate when I am done.

I will never forget what Jenny said about Radiation... she said that she learned this in nursing class.

"Radiation is like Ella Fitzgerald."

I know you might be thinking? What the hell does Ella F. have to do with Radiation...

Fitzgerald appeared in a TV commercials for Memorex. In the commercials, she sang a note that shattered a glass while being recorded to a Memorex cassette tape. The tape was played back and the recording also broke the glass, asking "Is it live, or is it Memorex?"

Every piece of glass has a natural resonant frequency—the speed at which it will vibrate if bumped or otherwise disturbed by some stimulus, such as a sound wave—as does every other material on Earth. Glass wine goblets are especially resonant because of their hollow tubular shape, which is why they make a pleasant ringing sound when clinked. If a person sings the same tone as that ringing note—a high C in legend but in reality the matching pitch could be any note—the sound of her voice will vibrate the air molecules around the glass at its resonant frequency, causing the glass to start vibrating as well. And if you sing loudly enough, the glass will vibrate itself to smithereens.

Radiation is to DNA as Ella is to glass.

Get it?

Anyway... it is a bit oversimplfying it... basically radiation doesn't shatter DNA but kind of breaks the ladders and yada yada yada...
but

I just like thinking of it that way.


Anyway...
so after the mapping... Michael and I went home, visited with our families and ate lots of good food.
I also got to see alot of my nieces and nephews (on Michael's side) They are mostly in their 20's and 30's which means we have grand nephews and grand nieces as well.

It is a little strange having very large men calling me auntie... but I like it.

So, we had a great visit.

Today, I went for my dry run for radiation at Maine Med.
It is definitely more cold and sterile than Mercy Hospital...
but I like the idea of being in and out of there in 20 minutes. Which is what they said would happen every day for treatment.
However... when I was there today... I don't think that there was anyone else there under the age of 60.

I am sure everything will go well.
I have been very sick, sneezing and coughing the past week....so I hope that I can lay still during my treatment without a sneeze sneaking up on me.

I am so looking forward to putting all of this treatment behind me.
Soon enough. January 8th I am getting my Medi-Port taken out... That is the thing they implanted in my chest to administer the chemo drugs. I wonder if they will let me keep it? Not in my body silly... I would put it in a jar or something....

I have a feeling that 2008 is going to be great.

xo
M