Crazy lunch hour!
From facebook:Taken out of context, I’m having a wild lunch hour: tattoos and nudie pics while playing with expensive toys.
What the hell, let’s stick with that.
Treatment plan sounds manageable, I’m in a much better place than I was on March 4 when I wanted to break shit after I was told, “you’re going to gain weight” with the new medication. Well lady, I guess we’re going to work on that too. My remedy was to eat pretzels naked while dancing to Queen’s Hot Space album.
You do your therapy, I’ll do mine.
I was given 20 days of radiation therapy over the course of 4 1/2 weeks: 16 treatments for the whole breast, and 4 boosters, which were concentrated shots directly to the space where the cancer had been, to make sure all those little bastards were dead and gone.
So for 20 days, I was to check in, get zapped, and slather the breast with Radiaplex gel or Aquaphor for the health of my skin. How was I going to get through this? Chicken recipes I found on Pinterest and hard rock soundtracks featuring Queen.
Why chicken? Because I found, and still find, talking about my breast bordering on absurd. And while people may also be uncomfortable talking about cancer, everyone likes food.
The radiation therapy team also tuned Spotify to the Queen/Hard Rock channel just for me, and this gave me something to look forward to.
"Ok, get ready to hold your breath..."
Day 1: Baked Firecracker Chicken. Soundtrack: Don't Stop Me Now.
Day 2: Buttermilk Hot Sauce Chicken. Soundtrack: Another One Bites the Dust, Hotel California, Sweet Child o' Mine.
Day 3: Slow Cooker Crack Chicken. Soundtrack: The Great Pretender, Rock you Like a Hurricane, Sweet Emotion.
Day 4: Bone broth. Soundtrack: Killer Queen, Stairway to Heaven, Every Breath to Take. First date with Dr. T, who I had dubbed the Radioactive Man. He told me I was progressing as normal.
Day 5: In the words of Freddie Mercury, "gimme gimme gimme fried chicken!" Soundtrack: Fat Bottomed Girls, '39, Sheer Heart Attack.
Day 6: Chicken roll ups. Soundtrack: Killer Queen, Don't Stop Believin', Here Comes the Sun.
Day 7: Sweet and sour chicken. Soundtrack: She Will be Loved, Another One Bites the Dust, Paint it Black.
Day 8: Chili lime chicken. Soundtrack: Bohemian Rhapsody, Walk this Way. BoRap is a long song. Dr. T glad to hear I'm experiencing no fatigue.
Day 9: Rosemary lemon chicken patties. Soundtrack: Save Me, Old Time Rock n' Roll, Killer Queen.
Day 10: Spatchcock chicken. Soundtrack: Calling All Girls, White Queen, March of the Black Queen.
I'm sure this wasn't a hallucination...
Day 11: Grilled chicken sandwiches. Soundtrack: Body Language, Save Me, Sweet Emotion, Paint it Black. There's some repeats happening.
Day 12: The BEST CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE EVER! Soundtrack: It's a Kind of Magic, Las Palabras de Amour.
Day13, take one: a chicken in ice skates, dedicated to my skating friends on the opening day of Adult Nationals. The machine broke while I was on the slab, so the soundtrack was long: We Are the Champions, Killer Queen, Friends Will Be Friends, Innuendo, Getting Better. First time I've ever been pissed at a Beatles song.
Day 13, take two: machine still down, so they moved my radiation appointment to the afternoon. I had to shuffle my chiropractor appointment from PM to AM. Having followed my journey, the chiro office wanted in on the chicken action. They got chicken enchiladas.
Day 13, take three: frozen bag of chicken breasts, make up appointment cancelled. Peg helpfully recommends I watch Queen at the Rainbow, '74.
Day 13, take four! chicken nuggets, for a late-night run. I was the last appointment of the day, even saw Dr. T. Gave him a Simpsons Radioactive Man figurine, based on the conversation that he wanted a tattoo, but he's not cool, and can't think of something cool to get. This might be one of the first patient presents he ever got, he was jazzed. Myrna, his nurse, later told me it has a place of honor in his office. He also said, "You're in treatment for breast cancer and your primary concern is missing a skating competition? I think you're doing ok." Soundtrack: Liar, Back in Black, Take it to the Limit, Last Dance with Mary Jane.
Day 14: Snoop Dogg's Fried Chicken and Waffles. Soundtrack: Don't Stop Me Now, Heard it Through the Grapevine, Kiss, The Show Must Go On.
Day 15: Slow cooker Russian apricot chicken. Soundtrack: Sail Away Sweet Sister, Radio Gaga, I Love Rock n Roll.
Day 16: Chicken and rice casserole. Soundtrack: I Want to Break Free, Spread Your Wings, You're My Best Friend.
Day 17: First day of booster shots, so a little longer than usual. Nashville hot chicken. Soundtrack: She Makes Me, Don't Stop Me Now, Shallow, Mr. Blue Sky, Listen to the Music, Hey Jude.
Day 18: Chicken tortilla soup. Soundtrack: Fool in the Rain, Save Me, Seven Seas of Rhye, And I Love Her.
Day 19: Beer can chicken. Soundtrack: Hitman, Calling All Girls, Shallow, You're My Best Friend.
Day 20: THE LAST DAY! Champagne chicken. Soundtrack: It's a Miracle, Keep Yourself Alive, Body Language, We Will Rock You, Build Me Up Buttercup.
Cheers!
What do you think my celebration meal was for the last day of treatment? A bucket of KFC and a bottle of Moet and Chandon champagne, kept in a pretty cabinet: a Kenmore fridge for us modern yet practical Killer Queens. I may have been temporarily out of action, but I'm guaranteed to blow your mind.
Anytime.
