Friends and Family,
Things have evolved pretty quickly. First, the non-existent pain in my cancerous rib went from zero to sixty in the middle of a game of golf. I made it through the game, but pain has been a problem for the past week. I activated the referral that I delayed two months ago for radiation. The radiologist told me that the T-4 vertebrae is also involved, and apparently the cancer is pushing on a nerve. I’m now on steroids to shrink the swelling to take pressure off the nerve, and hoping it kicks in soon. I can’t tilt my head to look down at my phone or read a magazine, or bend over to reach into a shelf, and I can’t do a thing to help around the house.
This is bringing flashbacks to both Genevieve and me of when I was in chemo (both times) and she had to do everything. I’m appreciating just how much work is involved now that she has to do everything again, and she is appreciating how much of the work I’ve taken on around the house since I semi-retired last year. We each found a little gratitude. But that’s enough of this lesson, thank you. We’d both rather go back to our normal give and take as soon as possible.
I had my pre-radiation appointment, which is called a “simulation.” They had me lie on a bean bag on the CT table, then vacuumed the air out of the bean bag so that it retains my body shape. They set it aside for me, so that every time I come in I will lie down and be in almost exactly the same position. After they scanned me, the tech gave me five tiny tattoos. Along with the two from my first time having radiation eight years ago, I now have seven tats. Does that qualify me to be a Millennial, or is it just proof I’m from Oregon? There is one on each side of my rib cage, and three down my chest. They will use these to line up the lasers, so that when they zap me it will be in exactly the right spot each time. We’re hoping to hit close enough to the spine to kill the pain, but since a vertebrae is involved, and the spinal chord is in the middle of the vertebrae, there is a “less than one percent chance” of neurological damage. The radiologist considered that insignificant. Us, not so much. But the alternative of waiting until a new treatment kicks in and hopefully killing off the cancer in the right spot is even less desirable.
So far, this has not been as entertaining - or embarrassing - as when I had radiation to my hips. Click HERE to read that story. Meanwhile, between bulging ‘roid-fueled muscles and the tattoos, this cancer is apparently intent on turning me into a badass.
