Okay, the final radiation treatment was last week Thursday and naturally it was a relief to finally be able to say good-bye. Never a guarantee that I won’t see these people again, but personally I’d rather not. Funny thing is … they’re quite understanding about this sentiment.

We did exchange hugs and the techs did give me a little parting gift, which I thought was nice. They must have volunteers put little bags together to give to their patients upon their last treatment.

“To Congratulate You on Completion of Your Radiation Treatments”

An Inspiration Kit

A White Ribbon to remind you to keep your hopes tied together
A Rubberband to remind you to be flexible and expand your horizons
A Kit-Kat Bar to remind you to give yourself a break each day
An Eraser to remind you to erase negative thoughts and bad attitudes
A Pencil to remind you to list your blessings each day
A Stick of Gum to remind you to be persistent and stick with it
A Hershey’s Kiss to remind you that everyone needs a kiss each day
A Balloon to remind you to have fun and celebrate your life.

It was a nice gesture and made me smile. Ergo … it accomplished its goal.

I met with Dr. Olson after my last treatment and we went over everything. He appeared pleased with the way I handled them and has officially turned my treatment back over the Dr. D. So now we wait. In a couple of weeks, after my head is done cookin’, we’ll probably do a head scan to see if the radiation was effective. Fingers are crossed, the headaches are presently absent, although that’s with the help of meds since I still get some swelling, and a touch of mange did set in. Right at the temples above my ears. Just a thinning, so I can live with that.

And remember to repeat after me …“YOU ARE A CANCER WINNER”

Today I get to announce the release of my second Samhain Publishing book … A Promise for Tomorrow. Ta-Dah! I just blogged about this over at MagicalMusings, so anyone who has checked that out can just read all about it again here.

I’m very proud of this particular book. It’s the first one I’d ever finished. I think I mentioned in the past that this was an absolute omnibus. I was such a newbie when it came to writing that I didn’t have a clue that you really should bring a single title in at around 100,000 words. When this book was written … oh, I think it was in 1999 … it came in at over 200,000 words. You ever try to cut 100,000 words out of a book? It was an absolute nightmare. I think I printed out and still have that original manuscript. I’ll keep it as a reminder.

I was convinced that this book would never sell and would remain my “under the bed” first attempt. However, with the help of my critique partners, Edie and Michelle, I was able to not only pare down the word count, make this book a hundred percent better, but actually sell it to Samhain Publishing. Its very loosely connected to my first release “Forget About Tomorrow”. The world building is the same and references are made to the same planetary systems. Beyond that, this is a stand alone book.

I plan to one day write a third book for Samhain, tying in the characters of both these books. The idea is there, an actual outline is in the works (which in itself is highly unusual for me) and I hope to have a proposal put together in the very near future for my editor.

Gotta finish my vampire book first, though. That one is calling me and won’t be silent. Which is a good thing, IMO.

And am I relieved. Two more radiation treatments to go … the final one tomorrow morning at 11:45 (not to put too fine a line on it. ) I’m incredibly optimistic about this method of treatment. Yes, I still get the headaches, but they’re the vice-like ones that I associate with the brain swelling which result from the zaps rather than the initial back of the skull irritation that heralded this latest bout of cancer. The swelling will vanish and hopefully I’ll be headache free in the very near future.

According to Dr. O, now we let the radiation continue its work. It’s my understanding that the treatment continues to percolates in my head for a couple of weeks after the final treatment (ick). At that time I’m going to assume that Dr. D will take over and order the necessary scans to see if we got the little buggers outta my head and into oblivion where they belong. That works for me.

Physically and emotionally? Feeling fantastic. Doubling up on the Lorazapan has really helped me get some decent sleep and I wake up feeling optimistic, rested and ready to roll. Gotta admit, it has been years since I’ve had so many “hop out of bed and grab the day by the throat” sorta enthusiasm. Didn’t even notice when I’d lost that joie de vie. However, I’m happy to have it back. No doubt the drugs have a huge play in my emotional outlook, and I’m not about to argue with the end results.

Side affects of the radiation? Not too shabby. Yes, I was tired (initially). Getting zapped by radiation is an exhausting process. It saps your strength. However, if you take it easy, go to bed when your flagging and let yourself indulge ‘pon occasion, you should be good to go. Didn’t even have to pull a “crash and burn” day with work, which sorta surprised me. Still might, just on principal, though … and to give myself a day off. Didn’t get the mange I feared in the areas they zapped. My SIL says there are a few thinner spots, but not that I’ve noticed. Did get a slight breakout on my face, but I think Dee mentioned that happened to her during radiation treatment. Geeez! I hadn’t had zits since I was a kid. Barely noticeable and easily covered with makeup.

So that’s the latest and the greatest. To those who may be facing radiation … it ain’t so bad. If you’re getting it in the head, yes, I got the ick feeling knowing that I’m being zapped in the head, but squeamishness is a small price to pay when you consider the end results.

I think my last treatment on Thursday is gonna call for a visit to Suzy’s Cheesecake Factory to bring my wonderful radiation techs, nurses and even the valet parkers a “thank you” treat for all the fantastic service they provided.

Repeat after me …“YOU ARE A CANCER WINNER”

Not too sure what’s going on, but the writing is going smoothly. I’m feeling inspired, productive, on top of my game. Anyone who knows my past history knows that a struggle this can be for me. But for some reason, this current WIP is practically writing itself … well, I won’t go that far … but I feel more like I’m being channeled into this story.

It has got to be the fact that its currently 3:00 in the flippin’ morning and I’m wide awake. Yes, I blame the meds that I’m on and you know what? This works for me. For the past week or so, I’ve been waking around this time, alert, productive and all brain cells are a’snappin’. I’m able to get some pretty decent writing done (sometimes a good portion of a chapter) in an hours time, and am still able to go right back to bed to catch a couple of more hours sleep. Go figure. Added bonus? I’m not even a walking zombie the next day.

Is this my new writing routine? Who knows? At this point, I kinda like it. What happens when I go off this particular brand of meds is anyone’s guess but I suspect I’ll lose this opportunity … so I guess I had best take advantage of it while I can. Night Owl might actually be my best time to write, so hopefully I can re-wire myself into a brief nighttime writing routine.

It’ll be an interesting experiment.

Not too sure what to think of this, but it appears that cancer is becoming fashionable. Now … I get up early in the morning (around 5:00 a.m.) in order to get anything type of writing done. Its quiet, the little darlin’ is still in bed and I generally listen to the radio while doing all those things that get shuffled to the back of my work day.

I want to say that a good 50% of the commercials involving some sort of health care issue has zeroed in on cancer. How their hospital or health care facility is your only hope when you begin your treatment, how they have the latest technology and the impeccable track record … yadda, yadda, yadda. Maybe it’s the radio station I listen to … classic rock and the demographics are obviously aimed at the aging Baby Boomers, but the health care industry has certainly glommed onto the cancer trend.

Now, I’m all about having it out in the open. I do not look like I have cancer. I was chatting with a volunteer in the waiting room before radiation the other day and when I told her that this was my sixth time around, she was ready to hand me her volunteer coat and let me talk to people about my experience. LOL. Still, I never hesitate to share my views, my experience and recommendations. I’ve been doing this for 13 years and think I have a pretty good handle on the ins and outs of treatment.

It is important to know where to go and what facility is best to handle your cancer. I just don’t like the feel that if you don’t go “here” for your treatment, that you’re automatically doomed and frankly, that’s what a couple of these ads sound like. Then again, maybe I’m a cynic.

On a side note. Still feeling like crap through the radiation, but its manageable. Dr. O has doubled up on my Lorazapan, which allows me to get a better night sleep … so I’m not the walking zombie during the day. However, we passed the halfway mark with radiation treatment and keeping fingers crossed that all of this is being effective. I’ll probably have to check with Dr. O this Thursday about setting up the scans to have a look/see.

Repeat after me …“YOU ARE A CANCER WINNER”