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.