This was probably one of my best experiences throughout my Grave’s ordeal. My radiation oncologist was my greatest advocate in starting my treatment. Although I too was frightened by the thought of this, going daily and seeing people with cancer actually feel better. At least I wasn’t going to die from Grave’s, at least I only had to go daily for two weeks and not months, at least I wasn’t vomiting and hairless. Our conditions are all relative, and it could be a lot worse. But back to the real issue . . . the radiation treatment is quick and painless . . . and they let me keep that weird mask I had to wear every day during the treatment (which only takes about 5 minutes a day). That mask may come in handy next Halloween. All the people at the cancer center where I went for treatment become cheerleaders for you. They support you and make you feel good . . . at least mine did. They really offered a lot of encouragement. It’s now been two months since my treatment. The redness is gone, the swelling has been reduced dramatically. I still can’t see worth a darn . . . double vision which prohibits me from driving, but I’m not as self conscious about going outside and letting other people see me. I don’t get quite as many stares as I used to. I posted a question the other day to which ABSOLUTELY NO ONE HAS RESPONDED . . . about prisms. I tried them for only a couple days and have decided it’s not worth it. They made my eyes water all the times, made me feel like I was in a fish bowl looking out, and really screwed up my close-up vision which until the prisms, I hadn’t had a problem with.
anyway . . . good luck and don’t be afraid. The radiation therapy will help, I promise. Well, OK, I can’t promise . . . but it did help me.
