I am doing pretty well all things considered.

I did not get out of radiation unscathed.  Two days after I finished, I developed a deep red mark in the place between my neck and collar.  The skin was creasing and sticking together and then pulling apart when I moved my head and became quite irritated.  It is still a deep red and is now beginning to peel.  So I guess it’s a burn?  I don’t know.

In the last couple of days, I have some new redness about an inch below.  It’s a bigger area but so far it is not as deep a red.  The first wound looks like I got burned on my neck with a hot poker, this second one looks like a bad sunburn.  The first wound is beginning to peel.  I am not touching it.  I just put aloe and calendula cream on it and the occasional dab of neosporin.  The nurse said it will probably take two or three weeks before anything really heals.  The burn is coming from the inside out.

It looks much worse than it feels.

I am walking for exercise.  I just started yesterday in earnest.  Last week, I did 1 mile walks several times.  Yesterday I walked three miles with my friend and my dog.  Today I did it again with the dog.  Can I just say, the dog is thrilled?  She loves her walkies.  I am hoping to continue these walks daily and increase the mileage weekly.  I have to get ready for that 15k I signed up for that is happening mid-January.

As expected, I gained thirty pounds during treatment.  That is a lot.  I blame it all on the steroids.  It is coming off already and I am not as moon-faced as I was even a week ago.  I didn’t actually know how much I had gained until my last day of radiation.  I looked for the first time in months when I was weighed and even though I knew I had put on a lot (as non of my clothing is fitting me) I was shocked to see how much I weighed.  I weigh more than I did on the day I delivered my second child.  Yikes.

But the good news was that I had already lost two pounds from the previous weigh in the week before.

I am trying not to beat myself up about the huge gain.  I plan to lose it slowly over my recovery.  It stinks that nothing fits but I keep telling myself it is temporary.

My hair is also slowly returning.  I would say it is about 3/4 of an inch long.  Long enough to ditch the wigs and hats.  I am just glad it came back.

My eyebrows originally came in white but are now beginning to darken up.  My eyelashes are back and about half their normal length which is still pretty long.  I feel myself again.  It’s a good thing.

I am eating better, sleeping better and getting exercise so I feel pretty good.

I feel like it’s almost time to get out in the world again.