The Calm Before the Storm

This has been a pretty quiet week. Just a couple of appointments and some paperwork.

Today I went to have my "dry run" and the radiology center. This is when they make sure all the rays and pointed towards the right places. The techs were very nice and told me I'll get my tattoos next week. Up until a couple of days ago I had no idea that these plastic circles with permanent marker under them were going to turn into tattoos. This is so I can bathe ( good plan) while undergoing radiation and not erase the all important marks. I checked into how they do these tattoos, I had visions of the guys from LA Ink showing up , but that's not the way it's done. Apparently the skin is broken a bit and then some India ink is added and you get a fake wrong colored freckle. All I can relate it to is when I was in 8th grade and I had to get vaccinated and the Dr. scraped my arm and then put the medicine in it and it got a huge scab on it but I didn't feel badly because everyone had one as it was part of the High School physical procedure. Well anyway they tell me they're permanent and hardly noticeable and it's recommended that you don't get them removed just in case you need to be radiated again someday because I guess the can't radiate the same spots twice. Maybe when it's all over I'll have them connected ( connect the dots la la la la ) OK probably not.

So on Tuesday we start the chemo - radiation combo pack, on Tues-Thurs I have chemo and then go straight to radiation, then I have 2 weeks with just radiation, then we do the chemo-radiation thing again. If I said I wasn't a bit nervous about this I'd be lying, but I also have to work hard to keep a positive attitude and think of those radiation beams as life saving beams of light.

Speaking of chemo, they gave me this prescription for pills to take on chemo days to help keep nausea away. So before I start chemo I go and get this 3 pack of pills, one for every day. I have insurance so I've been paying my usual co-pay for these pills and not thinking anything of it. Then the other day just by chance I looked at the paper that came with them from the pharmacy...are you ready? 3 pills= 353.00. What the heck are they made of ,gold? This then freaked me out because I have a 3,000.00 yearly cap on my rx insurance. I have a feeling we'll have blown through that before long. I'm telling you for 115.00 plus a pill they should walk to your house introduce themselves, promise that you will never feel the least bit queasy again in your lifetime and then side down your throat while singing " On Top of Spaghetti". And the drug companies have the nerve to complain..ugh. I live 20 miles from Canada they're probably sold over the counter up there.

Anyway that's been my week so far, I can actually taste food this week so I think I'll go out for a nice dinner, heaven knows once the radiation/chemo thing starts there's no way to tell how things will taste.

Oh yes one more thing, I have to tell you that if you use a thermal mug for anything hot or cold like coffee in the AM or whatever in the PM the best ones I have ever used are made by Contigo. Margie bough me a couple from QVC and I was a total skeptic ( who me?) but I have to say ,you can turn one of these things upside down in your tote bag and it won't spill and it keeps coffee hot almost all day and ice cubes will still be there in the morning ( I use it for my bedside because I wake up with a dry mouth a lot at night). So now I feel like Oprah but I can't afford to send you all one, although I wish I could :)