Indianapolis received 11.4 inches of snow on Sunday, January 5th, and below-zero temperatures were forecasted for the following two days. I received a call Sunday afternoon informing me that the radiation oncology department would be closed on Monday. Work was also called off for Monday – a rarity for the State – so I was happy to not have to get out. However, that did mean a delay of my last treatment from Tuesday to Wednesday.
Even though the treatments have gone well and the people at the cancer center have been great, I was happy that Wednesday was my last treatment. I was congratulated by a number of people at the center, beginning with Sheila, one of the receptionists. After changing into a gown, I had to wait a few minutes for a radiation therapist to arrive. Brandon, one of the guys I see about twice a week, came in and said “There’s the graduate”. Afterwards I had my weekly appointment with Dr. Langer, my radiation oncologist. The nurse who checked my vital signs congratulated me as did Dr. Langer when he came into the room. I’m sure all those folks are genuinely happy to see a patient get through a treatment regime. It’s probably even better when they have a patient like me who has minimal complaints.
I was warned that the side effects I have already experienced will continue and could get worse over the next two or three weeks. In addition, new side effects could arise. That doesn’t worry me. The fatigue continued through the weekend much like it has been the past few weeks. The irritation on my backside was only marginally better at the middle of the week after using the prescription gel three or four times a day. Once the radiation was completed I could use anything on the area, so I switched to petroleum jelly. That began to provide a noticeable improvement after two days. It will probably take another week for the irritation to disappear.
Reaching this milestone provides a great sense of accomplishment, although I can’t take much credit for it. I was just along for the ride. The fact that it went so well gives me greater confidence moving forward.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Treatments 23 - 26
The treatments and side effects were much the same as the previous weeks. I had New Year’s Day off. Friday was the first of three booster treatments that will finish off the regime. Booster is a bit misleading as the last three actually have a reduced dose of radiation. However, the radiation is more narrowly aimed at the tumor. Normally a treatment session begins with the therapist taking one image to ensure I am properly positioned. If necessary, the table is moved remotely from the control room and then the treatments begin. On Friday some extra images were taken. While I laid there waiting impatiently (and very still) my radiation oncologist examined them and then determined the details of the booster treatments. It added about five minutes to the normal routine but having to lay there with nothing happening made it seem longer.
I met my new medical oncologist, Dr. Safi Shahda, after Monday’s treatment. He seems like a good guy and will likely do a fine job, but no one can replace Dr. Clark. I didn’t get a good vibe from his nurse. I’ll assume it was only because our meeting was brief. Maybe next time will be better. I don’t expect to see either of them until after I return from surgery.
On Monday I also saw Dr. Langer, my radiation oncologist. I told him about the irritation at the radiation site which had gotten worse since I saw Dr. McMullen the previous week. He provided a tube of gel made for that purpose (RadiaPlexRx). It is helping, but is not working as quickly as I would like. Everything else was fine. I had blood drawn that day, so he didn’t have results to discuss with me. I did see them later in the week. My hemoglobin count increased again and was at 13.2 Monday. The low end of the recommended range is 13.4, so I am almost “normal”. It still could decrease as a result of the cumulative effects of the radiation. A couple of other measures were slightly out of their recommended ranges, like lymphocytes, but those are the result of the treatments. My white blood count, one measure that garners a lot of attention, is well within its preferred range.
I called Dr. Geiger’s office Tuesday. When I saw him in October, he said to call about a week before my last treatment to discuss scheduling surgery. I have an appointment to see him on January 30. At that time he will look at the rectal tumor with a sigmoidoscope (what fun!) to see what effect the radiation has had. He will also evaluate my general health. During the same visit I will go to another office in the building for some pre-op tests. I was given a tentative surgery date of March 4. The woman I talked with said their standard is to schedule surgery eight weeks after the last treatment. I didn’t bother asking for an earlier date, figuring Dr. Geiger will have to determine that. I will ask when I am there on the 30th.
I met my new medical oncologist, Dr. Safi Shahda, after Monday’s treatment. He seems like a good guy and will likely do a fine job, but no one can replace Dr. Clark. I didn’t get a good vibe from his nurse. I’ll assume it was only because our meeting was brief. Maybe next time will be better. I don’t expect to see either of them until after I return from surgery.
On Monday I also saw Dr. Langer, my radiation oncologist. I told him about the irritation at the radiation site which had gotten worse since I saw Dr. McMullen the previous week. He provided a tube of gel made for that purpose (RadiaPlexRx). It is helping, but is not working as quickly as I would like. Everything else was fine. I had blood drawn that day, so he didn’t have results to discuss with me. I did see them later in the week. My hemoglobin count increased again and was at 13.2 Monday. The low end of the recommended range is 13.4, so I am almost “normal”. It still could decrease as a result of the cumulative effects of the radiation. A couple of other measures were slightly out of their recommended ranges, like lymphocytes, but those are the result of the treatments. My white blood count, one measure that garners a lot of attention, is well within its preferred range.
I called Dr. Geiger’s office Tuesday. When I saw him in October, he said to call about a week before my last treatment to discuss scheduling surgery. I have an appointment to see him on January 30. At that time he will look at the rectal tumor with a sigmoidoscope (what fun!) to see what effect the radiation has had. He will also evaluate my general health. During the same visit I will go to another office in the building for some pre-op tests. I was given a tentative surgery date of March 4. The woman I talked with said their standard is to schedule surgery eight weeks after the last treatment. I didn’t bother asking for an earlier date, figuring Dr. Geiger will have to determine that. I will ask when I am there on the 30th.
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