Thursday morning I woke up, couldn't lift my head off the pillow. You have probably had this happen, the massage guy called it a "stinger". You know it is a mad inflamed muscle that is pinching a nerve, and it is temporary. Happened while I was sleeping, just turned the wrong way during the night. And it only hurts when you move a certain way. But OH MAMMA it hurts when you do move a certain way. Mine was from the spine around the left central shoulder blade and up into my neck to behind my ear. The trapezius muscle.

This was the day of the BOOST calibration, where I need to lie still with my arms stretched out over my head for, oh, 45 minutes, not the normal 10 to 15. My arms usually fall asleep in the 10 minutes. I just couldn't picture longer today. Phooey, but oh well. I was really upset for the first five minutes I felt this pain. I thought, oh my what if I can't have the BOOST today? Then I realized, it will all work out. God knows how to handle this, and I need to take His direction. Trust Him to heal this, and to guide me what to do.

I asked Corey to drive me, as driving wasn't going to happen. His last final was Monday, so he is available. Took a hot shower, advil. By 9:30 I was ready to brave it. And it was fine. The new position is fine, similar to the first 25 treatments as I am lying down on my back, arms stretched as flat as I can do it over my head. My head is turned to the right, which was the way I COULD turn my head. It all worked out.

The new BOOST radiations are 4 treatments each visit, 24 to 29 seconds each. They still do two x-rays when I first lie down, the doctor looks at them and they shift the table slightly each time to get the target accurate (IMRT). Now the Trilogy machine does four stops in its orbit from above my right shoulder to below my left shoulder. I stay still and listen to the Christmas Carols.

Guess how they marked me for this BOOST calibration. Out came the Sharpies again. Am I the only one that finds this ironic? Multi-million dollar Trilogy machine, highly paid doctor and technicians, and they use Sharpies to make three X's and two lines so they can line me up the same way each BOOST treatment. They said they usually tattoo these, but they thought I could be careful enough to not wash or scrub these Sharpie marks. OH YES, because those tattoos hurt, and one of the X's is right on the nipple. Yee - ow!

Only 6 more to go, WHO-HOO. I'm getting alittle more sunburned and swollen. No bra, couldn't even think of it. Have my Barely There's and loose fitting shirts. By Friday night, I am tired.

Saturday I woke up, started alittle Christmas Cookie magic, and was exhausted after an hour.EXHAUSTED.

I slept all afternoon.

So we skipped the Christmas party Saturday night, which was really frustrating as I LOVE going to this one ... I know so many of the people. There's always next year....

I am able to feel energetic for a few hours at a time, then I crash. Then energetic again. And crash. I don't seem to have any half speed about me. That might be my personality.