Before coming to St. Jude, I had never talked to anyone about radiation therapy or asked what to expect. During my time here at the Ronald McDonald House, I have met 4 families with children who have Medulloblastoma. These families have been here longer than I have and their children are further along in their treatments, so that has allowed me the opportunity to ask them questions and get ideas of what to expect.
I’ve gotten really close to a mother and son here at St. Jude that traveled all the way from Honduras to receive treatment for Medulloblastoma. Carla, a strong loving mother, is here with her son Raul. Raul is 10 years old and is 5 sessions away from finishing up Radiation Therapy. He looks extremely healthy and is always so full of energy. If he weren’t bald due to radiation, I would have never guessed there was something wrong with him. Raul is my motivation and he is constantly reminding to stay strong. Before I lost my appetite, I was always sitting next to him telling him “Raul, you have to eat!” Now that I’ve lost my appetite, it’s Raul sitting next to me telling me the same thing. Poor thing, now I understand what it feels like to not be hungry and having someone constantly tell you “You have to eat!”
I started Radiation, Wednesday June 1st. The day before radiation, I started talking Ondansetron (Zophran) 3 times a day, which is suppose to help me from feeling nauseous the day of radiation. I will be on Zophran until I am done with Radiation.
The day of radiation was a good day. I was a little nervous about going to my radiation appointment, but I knew that it was something that had to be done and with God next to me I would be okay. When I got called back to the radiation room, I was asked to go into a dressing room and change into a gown. I was then taken to the actual radiation table. I was positioned on my tummy and my head into my premade mask. Since for the first two weeks, I will be getting radiation to my back and head, I have to be positioned on my stomach. It took them like 2 minutes to align my tattoos with the machine and after they were done radiation began.
I was alone in the room during the actual radiation. The machine was very quiet. I didn’t feel anything or smell anything. The only thing I could see was a bright flash each time the radiation went off. After like 5 minutes, the nurses came back in and told me that I was done with radiation to my head for the day. Next, would be my upper spine and then lower spine. Each section took about 5 minutes.
When I got home I felt fine. Five hours later, I got a severe headache and nausea. I didn’t expect to feel sick the very first day, but I was prepared. I took some Promethazine, which is to help with any break-through nausea. After the medication took effect, I felt better and then I got very sleepy. I just remember taking a long nap and not waking up until the next day. Day 2 and 3 of Radiation weren’t so bad. I have noticed major changes in my appetite and in my energy levels. I find myself taking naps more often and eating less. I have nausea most of them time, some days more than others, but it’s slowly getting better. It hasn’t been easy, but I know it’s for the best and that I can’t give up.
I pray to God everday to continue giving me the strength to fight this battle. Treatment is not going to be easy, but I know that God has a bright future for me and that he will help me make it through these challenging times…
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