Updates

Fatigue getting better as I plan to sleep the weekend away. But where did the rash and nosebleeds come from?

All done....for now

I finished radiation therapy Tuesday and after the initial exhilaration of hitting the home stretch, I was terribly ill the remainder of the week. I am told that this will improve quickly and I am hopeful it will. Different people have different reactions to the therapy.

On Friday, I was supposed to go with a friend to see one of the last launches of the space shuttle but decided not to go because I was afraid I would be throwing up at the time of the launch.

Midway

I have 14 more radiation sessions to go before this phase of my cancer treatment is wrapped up. I was heading downtown with Gayle when they called and said the machine was down. While I am happy to skip a treatment, I'm a little nervous about what it means when the machine is "down."

Sharpies redux

On Monday, I go back to the cancer clinic to check the alignment of my Sharpie X's on my groin and hips. So far, the first marks have held up well but the docs want to make sure they are correctly aligned before they start zapping me on Tuesday. I am all for proper alignment.

Last week was the best week I've had since the procedure but I am wary of five weeks of external radiation and how it will affect my stamina. Five days a week, five weeks, 52 miles round trip. Let's get on with it.

New technology?

I spent nearly four hours in two clinics yesterday preparing for a second round of radiation that starts in a couple of weeks. First a CT scan, then a MRI. (Nothing like spending half the morning with your pants down below your knees.)

The purpose of the scans, I presume, is to make sure that the machine, which will bombard my prostate with radiation, hits the right spots. So after two hours of being scanned by hundreds of thousands of dollars (if not millions) of the latest technology, the technicians marked three spots on a my body that will be used to line me up for the radiation treatments.

What did they use?

A Sharpie....which you can buy by the dozen at Office Depot for $7.99.

They covered the X-marks-spot with clear tape and told me not to take a bath, go in a hot tub (not a problem there) or go swimming for the next two months.