Radiation therapy

I've had yet another experience that is unique to people who have been blessed with cancer. 

I had a radiation treatment on October 7th.  It was interesting, and a little scary.  The procedure itself was not nearly as invasive as the biopsy was, but it was equally thorough.
They line you up with lasers and mark "cross-hairs" on your skin before you get sent to the actual machine that they use to expose you to the radiation.  It's very precise.  They can irradiate  very specific body parts and regions.  I didn't see any spiders so I don't think there's much chance of me becoming Spider-man, but one can always hope.


The pain has been far too much for me to deal with so I had to do something to try and improve my quality of life and my Doctors have assured me that the radiation will diminish the pain.  So far, their predictions have proven true.  Even more than they predicted, and sooner.  I was told that I would feel the effects in as little as two weeks or possibly after four but I felt a positive change in the pain almost immediately.  The next day it began to lessen and as of now I'm almost entirely off of my pain medication.  I still need a little bit, usually in the mornings and the evenings, but I'd estimate my consumption overall to be less than half of what I was taking two weeks ago.  There are, however, other side effects which I was told would be felt mostly in the beginning and then would taper off but I have only just started to feel those side effects in the past two or three days. Not much appetite, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, y'know...the usual suspects. Overall I would call the treatment a success.

November 1st we decide which therapy to try that will have more long term effects, like the hormone therapy was supposed to do. As long as it keeps the pain at bay I'll be happy.