RADiation

So radiation starts on Monday. At first I was really hoping for a miracle that we wouldn't even have to do radiation, but when both Oncologists came into our room last week to tell us that they wanted to start it in a couple of weeks I felt really good about it. Dr. Thompson, the radiation physician also came and visited with us on Friday evening and gave us a thorough description on the procedure. Intensive Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) is the mode of radiation that will be used for Spence. Click on the link and it will tell you all about it. It is so precise and pretty dang cool. In the section under "Is there any special preparation needed for the procedure?" it describes the simulation we did today including the "special device mold". He did not, however, have to undergo any tattoos today! The mask is put into a fluid that makes it flexible and then they put it against his face and stretched it and locked it into place on the scanner. They then put cool, wet clothes over the mask to harden it into place. It looked pretty dang uncomfortable, and the poor guy cried. BUT he does get to keep the mask after he is done with treatments, we will have to be extra creative for Halloween! We have one more simulation/dry run for all of this on Thursday (along with a PET scan and more chemo) and then we start his radiation treatments on Monday. His protocol for radiation is 5 days a week for 5.5 weeks. Radiation is measured in centigrays (Gray is named after the doctor who pioneered the technology) . Each session is 180 centigrays and his prescription is for a total of 5400 centigrays which equals out to 30 treatments of radiation. The actual session itself takes only 2-3 min but with prep it takes a total of 15 min. I just feel sorry for the little guy and I hope he understands how important it is to zap the crap out of this horrible tumor. I asked him how he felt about the Rhabdo and he said "I HATE it". He never says hate. After the simulation he wanted to get a hot dog and a BIG Icee at Target. He also wanted 3 bags of Cheddar Chex Mix. We also ended up getting Chocolate Sundae PopTarts and caramel corn. The first day he really started feeling better in the hospital he wanted his Cheddar Chex Mix and he said "I found paradise in Cheddar Chex Mix". LOL! If Cheddar Chex Mix is what he wants, then that is what he will get. I will buy him an hundred bags if I have too!