What wonderful family and friends I have. Thanks to all for your wonderful posts here and your personal e-mails. I so appreciate the prayers, encouragement, love and hope.
As was posted last week, the news wasn’t great. Discovering that the cancer has spread to my lungs and to my spine was a little disheartening for us. This complicates the treatment and prolongs my recovery. I would so like to go back to work.
We met with the radiation oncologist yesterday, a very wonderful lady by the name of Dr. Hitchcock and her resident, Dr. Chen (yes, another Dr. Chen). After their exam and questions and discussion, I was scheduled back in the afternoon for another CT scan of my chest. This one was for mapping of the tumors they are going to treat, the primary tumor under my right arm and the lesion discovered in my spine.
The process was fascinating. I undressed from the waist up and was asked to lie down on this pillow looking device. The pillow was very warm and began to expand up around my head and arms. They determined that they want me to lie on my back with my arms above my head for treatment. This puts the primary tumor in the best position for the radiation treatment. This pillow thing filled in all the space around my head, shoulders and arms and then began to harden to make a mold of me. I discovered (by asking lots of questions) that this pillow device is filled with a substance very similar to the expanding foam in a can that I have used many times to fill cracks and gaps and such. You know, the stuff you buy at Home Depot. Anyway, it was a pretty cool experience.
Once this mold had hardened sufficiently, I was run in and out of the CT scanner a couple of times as measurements were taken, then a gentleman called a “Dosimetrist” came into the room with the technicians as measurements were taken. The Dosimetrist is responsible for calculating the dose of radiation.
There were laser sights on the walls and ceiling that projected target lines on me. The technicians used magic markers to draw plotting targets in various places for both tumors. Once all of their calculations were finalized, they tattooed me (yes, permanent tattoos) in the center of each of the targets. These tattoos will now serve as the guides, as does the mold, so that I am in the exact same position for all of my radiation treatments. They keep the mold for my use every time. They tell me that they have a big room where they store them for all the patients. Pretty cool.
So now, they have to do more calculations and such. I am scheduled to return next Wednesday for a dry run simulation to see if all the calculations and measurements are correct. If so, my treatments start the next day (May 1st) and go for 25 days, Monday through Friday.
If all goes well and no further treatments are needed, there will be a couple of weeks of calm down time and then surgery on the primary tumor. The radiation messes with the skin’s ability to heal well, so the surgeon wants to wait 2-3 weeks after radiation before operating to that there will be less issue with wound healing. I appreciate that!
Finally, once all of that is completed, the plan is to return to the oncologist to discuss additional chemotherapy for the lung lesions. I asked about radiation therapy for the lungs. The response I got to that question was that irradiating lungs isn’t a good thing. I guess that makes sense. I do like to breathe.
Oh yes, thanks to those of you with excellent advise about the insurance company issue. I contacted them Tuesday morning and after being transferred from customer service to a policy “specialist,” I discovered that the hospital had submitted a “corrected” bill for the date of service. So, the insurance company “took back” what they had already paid on the claim for that service and they were reprocessing the claim. Of course, the statement they sent me didn’t say that. It simply stated that the $5,218.06 was not covered and was my responsibility. I suggested that they consider including a little more detail in their memo in the future.
God bless you all!
Jim
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2 comments:
How are you doing? I am so sorry to hear the chemo didn't do the job. It saddens me to know you and your family are trying to cope with all the uncertainties that lay ahead. Know that I am thinking about you daily and that you are in my prayers. My congregation (Wasatch Presbytarian Church) has you on their prayer list also, so that adds another 500 people supporting you.
Let me know if I can help you or Patti in any way.
Amy
Dear Uncle
IM sorry to hear all of this and hope that as Robin, Karden, and I try to keep you in our prayers that there will a great healing upon you. My dad wanted me to submit a picture of him on line for you. Because he shaved his head so you wouldn't fill left out. I just haven't had time to post it. Hope all is well with you and your family and that the news will get better. Thank you also for keeping the posts up we really care to know and hear about you.
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