Radioactive Pt. 2!!!

"There are no accidents, only nature throwing her weight around. Even the bomb merely releases energy that nature has put there. Nuclear war would be just a spark in the grandeur of space. Nor can radiation "alter" nature: she will absorb it all. After the bomb, nature will pick up the cards we have spilled, shuffle them, and begin her game again."

Camille Paglia

Unspeakable speaks:
In my last post, I spoke about my apprehension concerning getting radiation therapy and how I had to adopt a selfless attitude to the process and move forward. I am now in my third week of radiation treatments and to tell you the truth it isn't that bad despite my feelings towards it. Because of my love for quotes, I felt like the quote above was applicable to my posts on radiation. My interpretation of this quote is simply this, "We don't control anything, despite our efforts." We are given life along with its' gifts, people, passions, pains, and stresses; what we do with it is our responsibility. The rest is up to God (even though this quote refers to mother nature...He directs her too)! The responsibility that rests with us is to live healthy lives from the point of enlightenment forward. This blog is just a tool to help you maintain a positive perspective about the cancer experience and abandon any "radioactive" or cancerous mindsets. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, It is "your" experience and one that can either make you stronger and resilient or fearful and weak.

As I mature, I realize that the more educated that I am on a subject, the less fearful I am of it. Education is power. With that being said, I have put together a little fact list from Duke University Hospital for those interested in what radiation is like. Please take the opportunity to educate and empower yourselves. I did.

What is radiation therapy?
a cancer treatment that uses high does of radiation to kill cancer cells and stop them from spreading. At low doses, radiation is used as an x-ray to see inside your body and take pictures, such as x-rays of your teeth or broken bones. Radiation used in cancer treatments works in much the same way, except that it is given at higher doses.
How is radiation given?
Radiation therapy can be external beam (when a machine outside your body aims radiation at cancer cells) or internal (when radiation is put inside your body, in or near the cancer cells). Sometimes people get both forms of radiation therapy.
*** I receive external beam radiation so therefore much of the information given will be centered around that method.***

What does radiation do to cancer cells?
Given in high doses, radiation kills or slows the growth of cancer cells.

How long does radiation therapy take to work?
Radiation therapy does not kill cancer cells right away. It takes days or weeks of treatment before cancer cells start to die. Then, cancer cells keep dying for weeks or months after radiation therapy ends.

What does radiation therapy do to healthy cells?
Radiation not only kills or slows the growth of cancer cells, it can also affect nearby healthy cells. The healthy cells almost always recover after treatment is over. But sometimes people may have side effects that do not get better or are severe.

Does radiation therapy hurt?

No, radiation therapy does not hurt while it is being given. But the side effects that people may get from radiation therapy can cause pain or discomfort.

****Source of Information is courtesy of****

National Cancer Institute

Call 1-800-4-CANCER (800-422-6237)

www.cancer.gov

NH Publication No. 08-7157