Radiation and Potty Training

Welcome back to the wild world of Betty's cancer treatment!  On today's agenda we are covering my radiation therapy thus far!  Are you excited? I'm excited.  I've also started trying to potty train my 2 year old daughter... I am telling you, my life is just an explosion of awesome.

I've got a full week and a half of radiation down, and four more weeks to go.  My skin has begun to darken in a square shape, and I get periodic sharp pains under my arm throughout the day.  The most noticeable side effect is the fatigue.  By around 7:00 PM every night, I just about fall asleep standing up. 

All in all radiation itself is easy.  I lay down on a table for about ten minutes, on occasion holding my breath for 20 seconds at a time.  The whole ordeal, with changing my clothes and talking to the radiology technicians (mostly women, and one man), takes 15-20 minutes total.  If it took any longer, I swear I'd fall asleep on the table.

The girls; Michelle, Michelle, and April, are all extremely friendly.  They make me very comfortable when I go, which is half the battle in healthcare, isn't it?  I've only seen the man once, and to be honest I cannot remember his name... Keith maybe? Kyle?  Something with a K.  The thing I remember most was our conversation about how much each of us like beer.  He did my planning session where they fitted me with an air pillow so my positioning is correct every time I go.  I haven't seen him since.  My cousin Kathleen came with to that appointment and pointed out that he wasn't hard on the eyes.

I have a lotion they gave me to apply multiple times a day to help with my skin irritation that radiation causes. I haven't noticed if it helps or not, really.  I just put it on as directed.

As far as potty training, I forgot how much dedication it takes from a parent standpoint.  I know I have to watch her like a hawk, and I try, but I am really the only one doing it so it's not easy.  With the older two kids, distractions come easy.  On Saturday my daughter was prancing around in her birthday suit, doing really well as far as making it to the potty, but we sat at the kitchen table with the boys and while I was trying to help Desmond find a Lego piece for the set he was working on, a waterfall of urine covered the kitchen chair she was on, as well as the surrounding floor.  GROSS!  She thought it was the funniest thing... which isn't a good sign.

By Saturday night she used the potty herself, same with Sunday morning, but by Sunday afternoon she was crabby and had no interest in using the toilet.  She decorated many a diaper that night.  I did send her potty chair to the baby sitters this week... I sure hope she gets the hang of it soon!  The last few nights have been hit or miss. No real success.  Any and all pointers, advice, and suggestions are welcome.