Tomorrow is radiation simulation day. I’ll head to Mayo for radiation planning and get an updated chest CT since my previous scans were already 6 weeks ago. The rad onc wants the most up-to-date imaging before beginning treatment.
The current plan is to start radiation next Monday, continue daily on weekdays, and finish on January 31st, for a total of 8 treatments. To say I’m dreading it is an understatement.
I’ve been pushing hard with my protocol, praying and hoping every day that it’s Miracle time. That the scans will show shrinkage of lung nodules and I can call to cancel treatments. Am I crazy? Maybe. But I think I’d be crazier to not try, to not hope and pray for healing.
I’ve been doing my very best to stay present with my kids and husband. To distract myself and not spiral every single day while feeling defeated and overwhelmed. I’m struggling with a lot of continued issues from surgery and spinal radiation… but feeling a little bit stronger overall… which is a big reason I don’t want to do any more treatments! I just want to continue to get and feel better.
But I want to live. So I will do what I must to make that the most likely outcome.
I’ll update later this week if anything changes, otherwise you’ll probably hear from me next week. Thank you in advance for the prayers and support! 💜
Welcome! Thank you for being here! My name is Lauren Doyle. My husband and I have been married since 2013, and together since 2011. We have 2 wonderful kids and live in the Twin Cities suburbs. I have both a Master’s and a Doctorate and am a board-certified Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. I also have the student loans to prove it.
In 2019 our lives were turned upside down. Our daughter was born with a serious heart defect that required open heart surgery when she was just 5 days old. A couple weeks after her birth (while she was still in the hospital), I found a mass in my abdomen which required major emergency surgery to remove. At first, we were told it was just a fibroid; we learned about a week later that the mass was a rare and aggressive type of cancer – leiomyosarcoma. Through multiple surgeries and chemo, I have come out the other side, changed in many ways. I am now considered Stage IV, with a chemo-induced heart condition, and struggle with several other severe side effects from treatments.
I continue to work and live and love as best as I can. I will not claim to have all the answers about anything, but I can tell you I have learned a LOT in my 35+ years of life thus far. My passion has always been helping and educating people in whatever ways possible. I am hoping this blog will allow me to do that for a broader population beyond the patients I see at work, share my unique journey, and help keep friends and family in the loop along the way.
Thank you again for being here.
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One thought on “Radiation Plans”
Seriously, I wish you all the luck and will be pulling for you.
My father had terminal 4 colon cancer. He also did a lot with Mayo clinic, as we were right across the river from Minnesota. Somehow, he ended up pulling through. So if that grumpy, old bastard can do it, then I believe you will have a heck of a shot as well.
Lauren MG Doyle 
Seriously, I wish you all the luck and will be pulling for you.
My father had terminal 4 colon cancer. He also did a lot with Mayo clinic, as we were right across the river from Minnesota. Somehow, he ended up pulling through. So if that grumpy, old bastard can do it, then I believe you will have a heck of a shot as well.
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