Delayed Radiation

   Slacking off on the updates again. But most of you probably saw me last week in Charleston so I'm obviously still alive. Our vacation was barely a vacation but I got all my errands done and I finally graduated from college (with honors thanks to my 3.875 GPA, which I'm allowed to brag about).
   I had a job interview the day after we got back, but I don't think I got the job. The guy I was supposed to see had some kind of emergency, but the other guy I talked to said my technical skills weren't where he wanted them, but that my attitude was right. Oh well, it's probably better to wait until after radiation to work anyway.
   I went to the emergency room later that day too. This incision problem has just gotten worse. The doctor there said it looked like an ulcer, but again, not infected. They gave me some antibiotics anyway. And some non-stick bandages that won't irritate it more.
   I saw the radiation oncologist Friday to take some "pictures". I got Dr. B to look at my incision first since I was supposed to start radiation yesterday (Monday). She gave me some Silvadene cream to put on it until I saw my surgeon. I have an appointment to see Dr. B again May 29th, and will probably start radiation then instead. The "pictures" that they kept talking about involved me pretending to get radiated, lying half-naked on a tiny wooden board five feet in the air with this huge scary machine shooting laser beams across my chest. The elaborate tree picture on the ceiling was a nice touch and all but the machine blocks it completely, and instead I had to stare at a reflection of my flat, scarred chest for 30 minutes. Thankfully when I actually get radiated, it won't take so long, because my arms were starting to go numb.
   I finally saw Dr. K Monday. That gross red gooey spot on my incision? Just my skin coming apart. The scar tissue is so thin and weak, it's just splitting open. Apparently the moisturizing cream I've been using wasn't enough, so she told me to go buy ointment and make sure it stays moist. All the time. She said the other side might do the same thing. Great. But I can go ahead and start radiation because there's nothing I can really do about it. The radiation might make it better or worse, so I guess we'll see.
  I'm getting the Herceptin again tomorrow. And I'll find out Thursday about starting physical therapy.