A note about the photo... found this as Amanda's wallpaper when I showed up last Friday, and couldn't resist. They'd taken Tyler & Hailey out for a little fun, and the Kids loved the Merry-go-Round, which was (and still is) always one of my favorites. Ahhh, I remember those glory days in Griffith Park, Santa Monica Pier, and of course Disneyland.
OK - False alarm... Turns out I'm NOT starting Radiation Therapy today, oh, and my apologies for being slow in updating things here. Not really an excuse (truth is I've just been lazy), but this weekend was our annual Board of Governors elections at the Lahaina Yacht Club, and I had the dubious honor of heading the Elections Committee (thank you Amanda, Dan, Skeeter, Jeff & Chuck for the help). Alright, back to the treatment schedule changes...
Last Friday I met with Dr. Paul Coty, a Medical Oncologist (not the same as a Radiation Oncologist I've learned), who had the final say as to treatments. Well, the "short version" is, he's the guy that decides whether or not "additional" modalities (med-speak for treatment) were warranted, and he felt they were. Enter ERBITUX, and now I've crossed over into the dreaded CHEMO therapy arena, which I've since found out simply means "something" besides just Radiation. Please note... if you should research this further, don't wig out... as I'm assured it shouldn't be all that big a deal, in spite of a small percentage of cases which didn't turn out so well. Really.
I guess the ever present "good news" here is, what they're now prescribing is at the "minimalist" end of the spectrum, and while it does increase the side effects (read that pain & discomfort), it's not nearly as bad as numerous other options. Erbitux is an "accelerator" and increases the effects of the radiation. It's given by IV, which I have the first infusion this Thursday, and then once a week, every week until the Radiation treatments are completed. Turns out the significant side effect of this drug is I'll wind up with an extreme case of Acne, something I was never terribly bothered by as an adolescent, so it'll be something different. Again, more good news, I'll have a darned good reason to not have to be shaving! Yea, for that!
During the consultation, Dr. Coty explained he'd just spoken with a Dr. Scott Lippman, of the MD Anderson Clinic at the University of Texas. Turns out he's the Head of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology. So, as far as expertise, I don't see how I could be getting better care. My "team" keeps growing, and everyone on it seems to have checked with somebody more experienced before making their decisions. Ya gotta love Technology.
So, the current "Plan" is, I'll have Blood Tests every Wednesday, then the Erbitux IV's once a week, on Thursday mornings and the Radiation treatments every day starting Dec. 18th, continuing until probably around February 6th. Hold on, more "good news" - I get Christmas & New Years Days off... as their Office is closed! Hurray. On that note - Adios for today, I'm off to the Club, Monday Night Football ya know...
Oh shoot... Almost forgot to let you know, the latest on Classmate Carl Belknap is the Ticker's doing fine, but now they seem to have discovered he's got chronic sleep apnea (sp?) and is either looking at having to sleep with some apparatus or other, or having an operation. I think he's opting for the Op... so please give him a moment or two when you're thinking those healing thoughts. And stay tuned, I've got an important (at least it is for me) announcement I'll be sharing in a future post.
"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." — John Powell
OK - False alarm... Turns out I'm NOT starting Radiation Therapy today, oh, and my apologies for being slow in updating things here. Not really an excuse (truth is I've just been lazy), but this weekend was our annual Board of Governors elections at the Lahaina Yacht Club, and I had the dubious honor of heading the Elections Committee (thank you Amanda, Dan, Skeeter, Jeff & Chuck for the help). Alright, back to the treatment schedule changes...
Last Friday I met with Dr. Paul Coty, a Medical Oncologist (not the same as a Radiation Oncologist I've learned), who had the final say as to treatments. Well, the "short version" is, he's the guy that decides whether or not "additional" modalities (med-speak for treatment) were warranted, and he felt they were. Enter ERBITUX, and now I've crossed over into the dreaded CHEMO therapy arena, which I've since found out simply means "something" besides just Radiation. Please note... if you should research this further, don't wig out... as I'm assured it shouldn't be all that big a deal, in spite of a small percentage of cases which didn't turn out so well. Really.
I guess the ever present "good news" here is, what they're now prescribing is at the "minimalist" end of the spectrum, and while it does increase the side effects (read that pain & discomfort), it's not nearly as bad as numerous other options. Erbitux is an "accelerator" and increases the effects of the radiation. It's given by IV, which I have the first infusion this Thursday, and then once a week, every week until the Radiation treatments are completed. Turns out the significant side effect of this drug is I'll wind up with an extreme case of Acne, something I was never terribly bothered by as an adolescent, so it'll be something different. Again, more good news, I'll have a darned good reason to not have to be shaving! Yea, for that!
During the consultation, Dr. Coty explained he'd just spoken with a Dr. Scott Lippman, of the MD Anderson Clinic at the University of Texas. Turns out he's the Head of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology. So, as far as expertise, I don't see how I could be getting better care. My "team" keeps growing, and everyone on it seems to have checked with somebody more experienced before making their decisions. Ya gotta love Technology.
So, the current "Plan" is, I'll have Blood Tests every Wednesday, then the Erbitux IV's once a week, on Thursday mornings and the Radiation treatments every day starting Dec. 18th, continuing until probably around February 6th. Hold on, more "good news" - I get Christmas & New Years Days off... as their Office is closed! Hurray. On that note - Adios for today, I'm off to the Club, Monday Night Football ya know...
Oh shoot... Almost forgot to let you know, the latest on Classmate Carl Belknap is the Ticker's doing fine, but now they seem to have discovered he's got chronic sleep apnea (sp?) and is either looking at having to sleep with some apparatus or other, or having an operation. I think he's opting for the Op... so please give him a moment or two when you're thinking those healing thoughts. And stay tuned, I've got an important (at least it is for me) announcement I'll be sharing in a future post.
"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." — John Powell
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