September 29, 2008

Banner Day Today for me!!! Wish I could say the same for the stock market!!

Went to my first Radiation treatment today!! This Proton Radiation Center is really the Star Wars place on the Campus!! As Modern as Buck Rogers (for the older crowd on the list). Unlike most of the rest of the operations we have had experience with here at MDA, this group seems to operate nearly on time. They even apologized for being 15 min. late. The complete thing took only about 50 minutes and they say that mostly the rest will only take 30 to 40 because the machine now has memorized my position and will automatically put me in the same position from now on. (The Computer Age!!) There are three places that they are radiating. 1. the Mass in the left lung, 2. The lymph node in the left center of the chest, 3. the two lymph nodes on the right side of the middle of the chest. So therefore there are three different sets of radiation applied.

In between each radiation they have to change the "Blocks." The "Blocks" are 9" x 9" square blocks of clear glass or acrylic looking material and each are about 4" thick. These "Blocks" have been cut from behind in numerous layers to different depths (none all the way thru) and shaped to the exact shape of the tumor or node to be targeted on that application. The Proton Beam is then shot thru these "Blocks" in order to produce the correct shape. All three blocks have my name and patient # on them as they are cut out in this way to fit my exact problem shapes.

Even though the process takes about 30 to 45 minutes, the actual radiation in each application takes only 11 seconds!!

I did not feel a thing!! Only problem was that all this time I was lying on my back with my arms and hands above my head and must remain totally still. When you do that, your nose begins to itch, you need to scratch your knee, your foot goes to sleep, and all manner of things that you "NEED" to do that you must not!!

The Banner Day part is because the healing process has now started!!

Keep the Faith and thank you so much for the prayers - Stan