Radiation Therapy...or new form of torture??

So – I started radiation treatment this past week. I have to get 18 treatments. When I heard I was going to have radiation treatment I thought…OK…it can’t be as bad as chemo. Well….the side effects may not be as bad…but the actual process of getting the radiation is almost as bad as chemo. Actually…getting chemo was pretty easy…I basically slept the whole time they were giving it to me. Getting radiation is a whole different story.

First – since the cancer was in my neck they had to make a mask of my head. To make the mask they strapped my wrists down – then they put my head in the most uncomfortable position with my chin way in the air - then they took hot plastic mesh and stretched it over my face. Just when I thought it was going to burn the flesh off of my face it started to cool down. After it cooled completely – they took me to another room where they again strapped my wrists down – put the mask back on and bolted that to the table – then took X-Rays to plan out where to shoot the radiation beams into my neck. And this was all before I even started getting any treatments.

Monday was my first actual radiation therapy. I was stuck in the mask for almost 20 minutes as they doubled checked where the beams were going to be shot into my neck. It was torture. I thought..you know…this has to be like one step below water boarding. I mean…my hands were strapped down…my head was bolted to the table….I would have told them anything they wanted. On top of being totally uncomfortable I had one of the nurses (sorry… therapists) yelling at me to stay still. Like…how they hell was I going to move…my God Damn head is bolted to the table.

Thankfully the last 3 treatments have been a lot quicker.

Below are some pictures the therapists took for me to help illustrate the process.

Picture of the mask (i.e Torture Device)

Cancer Free - Almost

Met with the doctor yesterday to review the results of the PET and CT scans. Results were what they had expected - the chemo has worked and killed all the cancer cells. YEA! I will being getting radiation treatment to make sure that the cancer stays dead (Doctor said the cancer could still be there on a microscopic level...that is why I need to get radiation treatment). Meet with the radiation doctor next week to find out more about the treatment.

My hair is taking its sweet ass time growing back. You know...I think it should grow back as fast as it fell out....thats only fair.

No More Chemo - Yea!

Well...today would have normally been a chemo day...but..YEA! I am done with that part of the cancer treatment. I no longer have to dread every 3rd Friday!. I am feeling pretty good right now...finally getting over the cold. And...why does it always take like 10 days to get over a cold..I mean...it doesn't seem to matter what I do...either take a ton of medicine or not....it still takes like 10 days.

I am planning to start working out again starting this coming week. I also signed up for a private hitting session with a tennis pro to get some of the rust out of my system. Hopefully I have enough energy to make it through the 1 hour session.

Post 3rd Chemo Session - Day 18, 19 & 20

There has not been much to write about - Which is a very good thing. I feel like I am in the home stretch with the cancer treatment. I have decided that I will not officially declare myself over the cancer until my hair grows back. It has started to...but..right now its mostly just like peach fuzz.

I had a PET scan done on Wednesday. As I laid there for an hour after they injected me with the radioactive liquid I got to thinking about how amazing it is that our bodies can process all this shit. I mean...when I think about all the chemo chemicals, the cancer pills, and all the dyes for the CT scan and the PET scans....its amazing that a body can process all that and remain relatively normal.

The toe infection has pretty much gone away. I had a friend write to me after reading about my toe infection...and he shared his own story with me. All I can say is NASTY! My toe was never that gross.

Friends Story:
I was reading your post from 10/30. A quick note on it - last Nov I went to Costa Rica. A short time after getting back my big toe started to itch and turned red. I went through it for about a month when things changed and the toe hurt like hell. I went to the doctor finally when I could not walk on it or sleep at night. The doctor thought it was Gout. I started a medication, while they waited for a uric acid blood test to come back. When it came in, my uric acid level was normal. The pain started to reduce and a week later I noticed a strip down my toe nail. When I pressed the toe liquid shot out from under the nail. Real disgusting. I called the doctor and when I could not get a quick appointment I called a podiatrist. I went to him and was told it was likely a toe nail fungus. He took a sample and had it tested and in the mean time put me on some sort of cream. The toe nail fell off within a week. I stopped using the cream. The toe nail test came back negative - no fungus. A few months later a new nail started to grow in and the toe started to hurt like hell. I went back to the podiatrist and he took a new sample. He stuck a probe under the nail and liquid shot out again. Another infection. He prescribed a nasty pill, which required a blood test to make sure the liver could take it. The new nail fell off and I got the blood test and started taking the pill. After 30 days I thought I was done, but no. I had to go for another blood test and had 60 more days of pills to take. I stalled on the blood test and finally took it when I was about 75 days into the 90 days of pills. The doctor called and said to stop taking the pills because the blood test came back with elevated liver enzymes. I go back to him tomorrow and will be going back for another blood test to see what's happening to my liver.

I've heard that there are toe nail polish alternatives to the pill I took, which are not harmful. My new toe nail is growing in, very slowly. Its not hurting, but I think the toe is more red than my normal big toe. If you have a fungus, you need to be careful as it can spread to your good toes, according to my doctor. Everyone that I've told this story to, who has a toe nail fungus, said they would never take the pills, due to the dangers. They also have not had a problem of their toe nails falling off. I can't believe I have a fungus, unless I caught it in Costa Rica walking through the rain forest or the streams. You can catch a fungus at a gym, etc. I don't go to a gym. I think its something else, but time will tell.

Post 3rd Chemo - Day 17

Ugh....had to work today! Couldn't lay on the couch anymore. Actually started to feel better today. Still congested and coughing, but, its becoming more manageable. I even ventured out of the house for a walk around the park today (Biggest mistake was not bringing tissues...OMG...my nose was like a faucet....would not stop running).

I am starting think this cancer shit is behind me (I know..a little premature). I am feeling better (other than the cold).....and I think my energy level is starting to come back. And its really nice to be done with the chemo...to not have to dread every 3rd Friday anymore. I can't imagine the radiation making me feel as bad as the chemo. I guess I will really start to feel like the cancer is done after meeting with the doctors on the 12th to review the CT and PET scans.

Post 3rd Chemo - Day 15 & 16

Jim and I laid on the couch the WHOLE weekend. Jim got the cold that I have had...and we both turned into the biggest couch potatoes you have ever seen. I am not kidding when I say we were on the couch the whole weekend. Jim ventured out of the house on Saturday for some food....and I ventured out on Sunday. Other than that 1 or 2 hours....the rest of the days were spent on the couch.

Oh...we did get up every once and awhile to give candy to the trick or treaters. Thankfully we did not get that many of them. One little bastard scared the shit out of me. I was on the couch with the front door open (the glass storm door was closed) - and all of sudden there was this Jason masked kid standing in front of the door - made me jump. One of the kids had a pretty morbid costume...he was dressed up like a cop...with a bullet wound to his head. Thinking his parents came up with that costume.

Oh...and someone left popcorn balls on our neighborhood doorsteps. There was one left on our doorstep...and I noticed our neighbors were also left one on their doorstep. Uh..No Thank you. Like..really? Who is going to eat a popcorn ball left overnight on their doorstep by God knows who.

Post 3rd Chemo Session - Day 14

Had blood work done today. Everything is normal. The nurse looked at my toe...ended up giving me a prescription for some antibiotics. Apparently they are pretty damn good antibiotics too...when you read the description it says that they are used to treat Anthrax.

Also got the CT scan done today. They only scanned my neck where the lymph node was removed..which kind of bothered me. I mean...why not go ahead and do the whole upper body again just to make sure? I mean come on...is it that much more work for the machine to scan my upper body? Does it cost that much more? I asked the nurse why the scan was not for the whole upper body and she said the doctor only requested the neck. I guess I shouldn't worry about it to much, I am getting at PET scan next week and that will be for the whole upper body.
To me though...it would have made more sense to do the whole upper body to make sure everything was checking out OK.