Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Staying persistent

Today was both helpful and mildly frustrating regarding medical procedures. Jen and I went to the radiation oncologist and I got a CAT scan to give the doctor information on which to base the treatment regimen. The CAT scan operator was very helpful and informative. She also put a few "tattoos" on my belly to guide the radiation machine operators when the treatment begins. All fine and dandy.

We're still not absolutely sure when the actual treatment will begin, however. Next Wednesday I'll go in for orientation with the radiation technicians, and presumably the first treatment will take place either that day or the next -- but they're not quite sure of that. The treatment cold be postponed until the first week of September, which could potentially pose problems. Due to disability law and the like, I have to be ready to return to work, even if it is working from home, by the first week in October. If radiation isn't quite done by then, it could pose problems if my reaction to radiation is negative. Since my response to chemotherapy has been generally positive, I have high hopes for a reasonably unremarkable bout with radiation, but the effects of radiation are cumulative, which could mean it will be worse toward the end than at the beginning. I don't understand what strikes me as a fairly lackadaisical approach from the radiation folks; we may have to push to get it started earlier.

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