Work, Doctors appointments, and weariness

So here's the short of it,
I worked most of the day today, had a consultation with my radiation oncologist, and the whole day was overlaid with a deep weariness.

And here's the long

I made it to the office almost on time today and spent most of the day on the phone and the computer doing those things I can without being in the schools.   The office was chilly today, so tomorrow I'm going to take the little ceramic heater that Russ brought and keep my feet warm that way.  Two or three times I got very weary and almost thought I'd be able to close my eyes and sleep sitting there in my chair! 

I had a doctor appointment this afternoon for a consultation with my radiation oncologist, Dr. Gefter.  It was a very informative appointment.  Alan, who takes notes while I listen, got two pages of notes!  He reviewed my pathology reports, discussed the way radiation will be administered, and talked about my current  state.  The basic jist of the appointment is this - I'll have to have 36 radiation treatments.  I'll go every day Monday through Friday.  The last 8 treatments are a boost, where a higher level of radiation is directed right at the surgical bed.  He eased my mind about the place where there is no margin.  He agrees with Dr. Witherspoon that since she took all the tissue right up to the skin that there is not a concern that there's not a margin. He says that he doesn't want to start the treatments until my blood counts are way back up and I'm feeling much stronger.  With that in mind he's anticipating that we won't start until the week after Thanksgiving.  That means that I'll be here with no overnight traveling until the middle of January.  

Apparently after the first two initial visits which last an hour and a half or two hours while he maps out everything and makes sure all the settings are correct.  After those visits, the actual time in the radiation itself only takes about 15 or 20 minutes.  So Dr. Gefter says that radiation actually just gets boring and annoying - that patients just get tired of having to come every day for so long.  He did say that the radiation will make me very fatigued, but he thinks I won't be nearly as tired as Chemotherapy has made me. Apparently blood counts can be affected by radiation, but he thinks it would be unusual if I were affected as much as I have been by the chemo. He says that most radiation patients should plan to take a nap in the afternoons to help with the fatigue.  You know with chemo I sometimes take the naps, but it doesn't help the overwhelming weariness.  He also talked to me about the neuropathy and said that most patients have improvement but that it often takes as much as 18 months. Dr. Gefter encouraged me to stack my diet with lots of iron rich foods, to begin to walk as soon as my feet can stand it, and to buy some diabetic type shoes.  He recommended a New Balance shoe. 

So I have a few weeks to work on getting my strength back before I start the radiation.  I imagine that I'll also have that surgical procedure to correct my port done beforehand.  I am still so tired.  I don't feel like I could even sleep enough to make get rejuvenated. 

All in all today has been a good day.  There was a time when I first began chemotherapy that I couldn't imagine getting to this point.  I am so grateful to think about my strength just returning bit by bit every day.