Sing Along With Me..."I'm Radioactive, Radioactive!"

"You are Radioactive?" you ask...Well, for a very short time I was...And, my husband says I kept him awake at night  because I "glowed in the dark" and that "my toothbrush made a wonderful nightlight"!  If not for my husband's humor and quick wit,  I might not have survived the 72 hr. quarantines imposed on me after EACH of the treatments I recently received.  

My absence from this blog for the last few months has been due to procedures to shrink or eradicate the largest tumors in my liver using a fairly new treatment.  It is called SIRT or Y-90, during which radioactive beads are implanted into the liver to destroy the tumors.  People have had success with this treatment, when traditional options such as chemotherapy have failed.  The "quarantines" I mentioned, required that I stay away from my kids, grandkids, and anyone who was or might be pregnant.  So basically, I was confined to my bedroom and bathroom...

Now, most women I know would have been grateful for a 3 day/night break from the kids, carpools, schedules, work, errands, and household chores.  But there is only so much reading, television watching, online shopping, listening to music, checking emails/facebook updates, etc. that a person can do before total boredom sets in...I promise!  Although, getting most of my Christmas shopping done without leaving the house was kind of nice.  What would you do with all that alone time on your hands?  

Really the only drawback to these procedures (besides some annoying side effects) is the fact that we will not know whether they were successful, for several months.  And, until we can do an MRI, we can't tell what, if anything is happening...So, because I cannot do any other treatments it is like living with a "ticking time bomb" inside me!  Kind of a Catch 22, if you know what I mean...

But, Life goes on and each day, I am thankful for all the Blessings I have received on this journey... the love and support of family and friends, all the new friends I have made, the wonderful medical professionals who have cared for me, and all those that have prayed for me!  And, for the small gestures that have meant so much to me and brightened some of the hardest days I have had to endure...cards of encouragement in my mailbox, flowers from my husband (for no particular reason), friends dropping by to say "hello", etc.  I was especially surprised and delighted just the other day, in fact.  I opened the door to my friend's daughter who is in Kindergarten.  She was trying to surprise 
me by placing a hand-made card under the doormat.  It was a tissue paper rainbow with tiny hearts, and she wanted me to know she has been praying for me!  It was so precious!!!  

So, I think "being radioactive" even for a short time was worth every second...my body is not having to endure the long lasting side effects that chemotherapy heaped on it, and I get to spend more of my time feeling pretty good in comparison.  I feel more like myself, again...and I am In It For The Long Haul!