Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment - Day Ten

**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**

Treatment Day:  10

Arrival Time at Lutheran Hospital Wound Healing Center:  8:45am

Appointment Time:  9:00 - 9:30am (The regular Friday doctor is a bit of a wild card, apparently.)

Stuff chatted about with nurse while waiting:  The fact that most people in for the actual Chamber treatments are either radiation injury peeps or diabetics who don't take care of themselves and end up with wicked wounds on their feet and legs.  The diabetics often don't even end up getting the treatments because they take such poor care of themselves, their blood sugar is too off to dive.  Or they refuse to quit smoking, so the treatments end up being useless, because the effects of smoking counteract what the treatments do to help.  I can't understand this.  WHY would you do this to yourself.  She said they often end up losing a toe, a few toes, a foot, eventually a limb because to them - losing a toe is easier than eating better and quitting smoking.  I just do not understand this.  (No offense, but anyone reading this who still smokes... what the fuck is wrong with you?!!  Get it together.  Give a fuck about yourself.  Seriously.)  She did say, though, that the radiation people are generally in good health to begin with because people who survive cancer treatments very often get their health in order if it previously wasn't, so they go into it generally in good health and the treatments seem to work better.  I like this.  

Doctor arrived and treatment actually started: About 9:10am 

Notable things about self today:  Bladder pain still there, but less than yesterday.  Cold seems to be ALMOST gone.  

Miscellaneous:  Every day they give me a pair of booties.  I wear them for the 6 foot walk from the changing room to the gurney and then have to take them off.  Such a waste.  I am perfectly happy to walk barefoot those 6 feet, but heaven forbid I fall or something.  So silly.

Treatment length:  2.5 hours

Physical things noted during treatment:  Had a bit of a pain in my chest while being brought back up at the end.  Didn't get a chance to ask about it because by the time I got dressed after, the nurse was gone.

Things happening on HGTV today:  Marathon of "You Live in What?".  This was, thus far, my FAVORITE show I have seen during treatment.  It's just a bunch of people who have turned weird things into homes.  The people were less loathsome because, honestly, people who choose to convert and live in things like lighthouses and barns and stuff are generally more creative types and less over-privileged annoying rich kids.  There were so many, but I specifically remember people living in the following: sugar mill, a couple different churches, a couple different fire houses, a horse barn, a collection of vintage trailers, a lighthouse, an old deli, an old supermarket, a WWII bunker, an old underground public bathroom in London, an airplane, bus, train car, and my favorite was a woman named Petra who lives in the pyramid top of Smith Tower in Seattle.  I had no idea there was an apartment up there when I lived there.  

Things I thought about other than TV:  Looking forward to a visit from my old friend Dawn tonight.  Grateful for her constant love and friendship for nearly twenty years.  She is lovely and inspiring and GOOD.

Most difficult moment:  Aforementioned chest pain.  Nobody freak out - it wasn't BAD.  It was just a minor thing.  I will ask about it on Tuesday.

Time Left Lutheran Hospital: 11:48am

Arrival Time at Work:  12:30pm.  

Treatments Left:  30

Number of times I had to pee between end of treatment yesterday and leaving for the treatment this morning:  6

General "How're you feeling?" answer:  Overall, I feel good.  I still can't say that I notice anything that seems to indicate healing is happening, but I'm only 1/4 of the way through the prescribed number of treatments.  So I'm not expecting that.  But in general, I feel like I am sleeping better.  I feel, just, more positive on the whole.  I know this has to do with the fact that I am absolutely filled with hope that these treatments WILL end up helping me get my life back.  I'm struggling with time and money, which does add stress.  I don't have much free time anymore (not that I normally do, but even less now that I get up at 6am and don't get home from work til 6 or 7pm most days) and my depleted hours make my paychecks stink.  Despite feeling vaguely "better" I am still afraid to get too active.  Last time I started to feel like I was recovering from the surgical procedure and started getting back to the activity level I was used to, is when things got so much worse.  So I'm laying low and trying to take it easy and wait it out.  

I will not be getting my treatment this coming Monday, as I will be out of town for my cousin's funeral service.  Treatments will resume on Tuesday.  I may still pop in to write something, but don't count on it.

Xxo, Phoebe Marie