Swallow This

My first side-effects from radiation appear to have arrived; difficulty swallowing. It feels like my throat is about 1/4 of the size it is normally and it makes it very uncomfortable to eat. Foods that are dry or sharp (chips, bread) are particularly difficult, and even a swig of water that's a little too big can cause some pain. In the grand scheme it's a small price to pay to have my cancer cured, but it certainly makes meals interesting.

Weekend was good, with a trip to King Richard's Faire, a win by BC and another thorough stomping by the Pats - plus unseasonable heat in the area - it all added up to a nice break from work. Had my 9th radiation appointment first thing this morning, which only leaves 6 - be done a week from tomorrow.

All else is well, hope you all enjoyed your weekends - Gary

Another Short One

The Sox lost 2 of 3 from the Yanks and appear to be heading towards a monumental collapse to end the season…at a minimum their chances to succeed in the playoffs look bleak.  Meanwhile BC and the Pats are whipping up a storm, so it’s on to football right now.

Radiation marches on, every day…I am through 4 treatments of 15 and still not noticing any side effects.  I remain busy and the once daily trip to Cape Cod Hospital for treatment has become a mere annoyance at this point.  My whole experience with cancer is something I think about in the past tense and I am looking forward to actually completing all the necessary treatments and moving ahead. 

Other than that, things are going well, keeping busy, feeling good and living life.

Hope you all are well - Gary

 

Update

Been pretty busy lately but things are going really well; started radiation Wednesday afternoon and it’s a piece of cake – you truly cannot tell you are having anything done.  Having my head locked down to the table is not all that pleasant, but a small price to pay. 

Best perk of radiation; free massages in the waiting room – part of the hospitals “holistic” approach to healthcare, and now part of my daily routine for the next few weeks.

Feel great, can’t stress that enough, and I’ve been keeping really busy…conference in Boston Monday and Tuesday, hit the Sox Monday night and watched them lose to the D-Rays, had a big event last night here on the Cape that went tremendously well, going up to Suffolk Downs tomorrow night from my grandfather’s 80^th b-day, and hitting up the Red Sox Sunday night, hopefully to watch them complete a devastating sweep of the Yankees. 

Chemo barely slowed me down, I am not going to let radiation slow me down and I am looking forward to a great September here on Cape Cod.

All the best, enjoy your weekends - Gary

Radiation

Had my appointment yesterday afternoon to get mapped out for radiation; pretty interesting stuff. They essentially put me in a CT Scan like device to get imagery and then use those images, as well as some markings they made, to map the treatment area on the computer. They put a mask on me, which is exactly like what you see here; the idea of the mask is to keep my head still while I receive treatments and also to pull my head slightly back so they can get at the area around the neck. They are trying as much as possible to keep away from the salivary glands and some other areas, because the adverse reaction from radiation in those areas is a little more severe.
I will begin radiation next Wednesday, 9/12, and am scheduled for 15 visits, which has me done on October 2nd, 2007. In the process of being there they gave me some permanent markings, tattoos, essentially...they're small dots on my chest area. Now that I'm bald and have some tats I figure it's time to buck-up and get a Harley to go along with the look.
All else is well, looking forward to starting/finishing radiation and happy to be so close to the end. All the best and enjoy your weekends - Gary

Dana Farber

Went up to Dana-Farber this morning for a second opinion on the radiation treatment and it was a quick and simple trip.  Initially I met with a resident and an intern and went over the entirety of my identification of the disease, diagnosis, treatment, etc.  It’s a little bazaar to sit in a room with people while one is actually learning about medicine, treatment, etc.  We actually witnessed this interaction, which was a little embarrassing;

Resident; “Did you have any numbness in your hands during chemo?”

Me; “No.”

Resident; “It’s a strange phenomenon, we see particularly in younger men, some hand neuropathy from the chemo,” (to intern) “what drug would cause that?”

Intern; …..silence….”The….” 

I don’t remember what she answered, but she did answer and she was wrong, but he was good about it and used it as a productive teaching moment.  I understand it is a necessary and important part of modern medicine to work in this fashion; it’s just a little weird when you’re the patient and they’re sort of quizzing each other over you.

Dr. Ng finally came in and after reviewing everything from Canaday and the PET reports basically said everything he suggested is how they would handle it there and she was very comfortable with the recommended course of treatment.  She was very pleasant and from what we understand she has been instrumental in reviewing several clinical trials currently being conducted in Germany on the treatment of Hodgkins, more specifically the elimination of some treatments, or the shortening of the treatment times.  It was comforting to get their sign-off and we were happy to know they had such universal agreement with the treatment plan prescribed here on the Cape.

At this point I have an appointment on Wednesday of next week to further plan out the treatment and make some surgical markings that will be used during the delivery of radiation, and I believe September 17^th will be the eventual start date, though that is not official.  Side effects from radiation remain minimal but could include problems swallowing, some loss of taste, thickening of saliva, fatigue, and some other surface skin issues in the treatment area.  I’m anxious to get started and work through it.

Labor Day weekend is looking good, BC football tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 (ABC) and a lot of relaxing.  Enjoy your weekends and thanks for the visit - Gary

Livestrong Presidential Cancer Forum

I failed to note the event earlier, however it remains an important and relevant part of political discourse...the Livestrong Presidential Cancer Forum took place this week in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with a host of Democratic and Republican Presidential hopefuls discussing their views, experiences, and ultimately their proposed solutions for Cancer. Many of the proposals were predictably vague, however the idea of making the debate more public and helping raise additional awareness is a good one and working with policy makers, particularly the possible next leader of the free-world, is a great start.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation continues to work hard to raise awareness, raise money for cures, and bring a level of pride and comfort to those struggling with cancer, their families and loved ones. I admire the work he has done to turn his own struggle into a public crusade and the effort he has spent to help improve the situation. I hope to be able to participate in LAF events in the future and look forward to seeing the foundations continuing progress.

Update on Appointments/GO SOX!

Yesterday was the big day of the month with appointments with both my Radiation Oncologist (Dr. Canaday) and Oncologist (Dr. Aviles) to first discuss the radiation process and then review the results of the PET Scan from last week. I was running a fever when I got to the radiation appointment so they sent me for blood-work...no concern as it just appears to be a little sickness, nothing related to cancer. Canaday explained the whole radiation process to me, which currently looks like a 3 week treatment process (15 visits) and should have mild side-effects, if any. I enjoyed the meeting with Canaday, who was very informative, knowledgeable, and seems to be very easy to work with.

There were no results in for the PET Scan, however preliminary indications from the physician who was reading it were very positive, with no signs of any issues at the moment. The appointment with Aviles was basically to go over those results, so without them we were essentially able to reflect on things and further discuss what radiation might be like. I am very appreciative for the care and expertise he offered throughout the process; from calling me shortly after I was diagnosed, to meeting with me bi-weekly to review things, the whole experience was very smooth and I feel fortunate to have doctors like the ones I have had the pleasure of dealing with here on Cape Cod.

Friday I return to Dana-Farber to see a Radiation Oncologist there for a second opinion, which I expect to be a non-event as the Hodgkin's plan of care continues to be very predictable. It's daunting to visit Dana-Farber, as it is a very visible and tragic reminder that not all fare so well and that my experience is far from the norm when it comes to dealing with this disease. You find yourself thankful that the resources are there, but sad that they need to be, and that so many are forced to use them.

After that I go back next Wednesday for some additional radiation planning and the current schedule looks to have me starting in mid-September, around the 17th. So, by October 5th I may well be completely done with treatment and ready to move into the monitoring program, which will last 10 years and consist of periodic scans, blood work, etc.

Red Sox Nation is fully fixated on the upcoming 3 game set in the Bronx with the hated Yanks, though this weekend brought some much needed breathing room - with the Sox now sporting an 8 game cushion in the AL East. A sweep in NY, while unlikely, would all but bury the Yanks chance at the Division and severely impair their shot at the Wild Card, which they are currently 2 games back. I am extremely excited for the match-up; no matter the difference in games, standings, etc. a Sox/Yanks series is always exciting - it will be a fun three days. Then we have BC Football starting on Saturday v. Wake Forest - 3:30, ABC which means I'll be on the couch, AGAIN.

Other than that life proceeds as normal; we had a blast on MV, very relaxing and great weather. Looking forward to another long weekend this weekend - with no plans to speak of, probably some BBQ's and a lot of beach/relaxation. Enjoy yourselves - Gary