Thursday, September 11, 2008

On Wednesday, Sept. 10, Stan and Carol used a "Patient Advocate" to be able to get in with their radiologist Dr. Mary Francis McAleer, rather than the previous one Dr. Chen. Dr. McAleer was very thorough and was able to give them a great deal of information in order to help them make some crucial decisions.

They found out that 3 of the 4 biopsies came back positive. While this is not good news, it was not entirely unexpected. Dr. McAleer was not very enthusiastic about the idea of surgery anyway because there was a chance that the cancer could cross over into the other lung, and that would not help. So the next step is a very positive one. Stan is a good candidate for the Proton Radiation which would be done here in Houston.

As they were "fleeing" from League City on Thursday, they stopped at MD Anderson to see if it would be possible to do a CT scan this morning. This scan is for the purpose of “mapping” the locations for the proton radiation. Unfortunately, the hospital was already in the process of slowing down operations in anticipation of Hurricane Ike.

So most likely, Stan will get a CT scan on Monday or Tuesday -- and then they will fly/flee to Albuquerque to get away from the HEAT, HUMIDITY, HURRICANES, Humph! Really Houston isn’t that bad...well maybe it is a little.

After a little rest and relaxation at HOME - they will fly back to Houston to begin treatment. It will probably be about 10 days before the Proton Radiation begins. Once it begins they will be in Houston for about 7 weeks - and then home again.