A very busy week

This is Ed's son Bob writing.

It has been very busy the last week or so. The next week will be just as busy. Dad asked me to update the blog so everyone can get the news in his treatment.

Over the last two weeks, Dad had been getting weaker and more tired. He was able to handle less and less of his own care. We weren't sure exactly what was going on. A call to the oncologist on Saturday got us a recommendation to adjust one of Dad's medications. We also had Dad's sister Judy come to town to help care for Dad at home, make sure he got to his radiation treatments and doctors appointments, and keep a close eye on his condition. She arrived on a Sunday evening and took Dad to his radiation appointment Monday the 28th at which point he was too tired to walk. They had the radiation oncologist check him out and do blood work. Later that evening (just before dinner, in fact) the doctor called and said Dad's blood test showed his blood sugar was way too high at 600 (100 is normal) and he needed to go to the emergency room immediately.

The doctor called ahead to the ER. Upon Dad's arrival, they quickly got us through to the doctors. Ed, Judy and I spent all Monday night in the ER where they checked blood sugar again (it was then down to a still-alarming 400) and started him on an IV with insulin. About 11:00pm they said they were going to admit him to the hospital. It was about midnight when they finally had a room ready for him. The ER doctor told us that based on his history and current medications, Dad probably was headed toward diabetes already and the treatment (in particular a steroid used to control swelling in the brain that comes with radiation) had likely pushed him beyond his bodies ability to control his blood sugar. Over the next several days, Dad was extremely tired but gained some more energy each day. His blood sugar levels bounced around quite a bit but they seem to be under more control. Dad's energy levels are now headed back in a good direction.

Last Saturday, the released Dad from the hospital with not a lot more energy than a couple days before he was admitted and additional medications for the diabetes. Dad now requires regular insulin shots and blood sugar tests. While in the hospital, they resumed his radiation treatments. He has a couple weeks to go before the radiation is finished and he gets four weeks off of all the tumor treatment to recover.

Because of the level of care Dad now needs, we have had to face some tough alternatives. He (and family) are finding that some sort of assisted living center will best help him get through the remaining treatments while ensuring he gets good nutrition, regular doses of medicine, and a minimal amount of stress.

Dad's energy level is growing day by day. We are hopeful that he will be able to manage the insulin injections on his own. If not, we will need to figure out a way to make sure that he gets his shots and testing on a regular, 4 times daily schedule. This will be a very busy week as we work to get Dad's strength back.

We very much appreciate the assistance we have received so far. While he recovers, Dad is limiting his use of the phone and computer as they tend to drain his energy that he needs to recover.

I will try to keep this site updated more regularly as we get more news.

The Radiation machine

The picture left is the machine I have named Freda. The whole mechanism rotates 360 degrees aound me. Below is the  spaghetti mask that holds  me within a millimeter of where I am  supposed to be. Also is shown the operator console where she does the final alignment using Xrays before the machine starts zapping me.

The Radiation process

We got the radiologist to give us a little extra time.The process turned out to be quite interesting. It all starts when he gets a 3D MRI. At that point he has to come up with a strategy to paint the sides of the cavity where the tumor was with radiation, changing beam shapes, directions, and intensity. He starts this with a computer program that in his case turned out to be using 10 different Xray beams, and then the computer program simulates it and gives him feed back on how well it works. He does this several times to make sure he gets the results he is looking for. He showed us some of the plots. When he is satisfied with that he goes through a test run with the machine. This is done with some kind of a water vessel that contains sensors of the areas he is trying to hit. If that proves satisfactory they start the therapy. I was impressed how much planning work was in the process. I had accused him of being in slow motion, I was wrong.

The plan is for 33 sessions.

The Radiation process

I do use aloe vera

Update

I really didn't want to spend much on this blog, but it is the best place to answer the continual questions of ' how are you doing.".

I saw the surgeon this AM. He is pleased the way thing are moving. He says the protcol of radiation and temodar is the exact right one with proven results. I mentioned radiation burns on my body, and he says that it one of the meds causing that. I mentioned slight paralysis on the left side of my face, he says that it is weakness, not paralysis.

Tomorrow I get some time with the Radiologist.

I had said that I wouldn't get too much on this blog. I hereby change my mind, just once.

I am now into radiation and chemo and I am not sure yet what to look forward to. The chemo for me is to take a pill at night and I am not sure what to expect beyond that. I have noticed some things from the radiation like tightening up the skin on my face. My razor doesn't work as well and the barber noticcd it too. The nurse told me to use only baby shampoo and to use an aloe type of skin softener Also to use Ivory soap.

My energy level is very low, but everybody tells me to expect that. The Dr. tells me that will reverse in a few weeks.

Part of my problem is paralysis on the left side of my face. ONe disturbing result is trying to brush my teeth. I cant get all the food out. I can't feel it and find hours later that there are still bits of food there. The dentist says to use a rotary tooth brush and I think that helps.

The radiation sessions are nothings. They take11 minutes and I am out of there.

So that is a summary. Do not expect much more from me for a while.

Radiation has commenced

Today I met the radioloist. He had done a lot of work. He had a stack of 3D MRIs that showed the different beam strategies he was going to use. These were all run through computer simulation to make sure they were accurate and had no bad side effects. He said I may see some improvement in the paralysis in my face. He also may reduce some of the meds as things progress. He wants the chemo to be in my system for each radiation treatment. The drug store screwed it up and didn't have it ready for me today, rather tomorrow at ten.

They spent over 30 minutes lining up the machine, taking XRays to verify the alignment, etc. The operator has a ten screen console she operates during the treatment. This was a very precision process. They put a mask on me with sensors that the machine picks up to ensure alignment. Regular daily treatments will go a lot faster.

I will go in every weekday at 3:30 PM excluding labor day.