Sunday, September 29, 2013

Radiation week 5

God continues to bless us. The side effects are becoming more prominent but, the treatments continue and will soon be over. I look forward to recovery. Sorry I don't have any jokes.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

radiation week 4

Effects of radiation as shown on my beard.

I am NOT thinking of radiation in terms of weeks but treatments. I have done 15 treatments out of total of 33 scheduled. The last few miles of A marathon are sometimes tough. Keeping the goal in mind makes it easier. Killing all the cancer is our goal.

My awesome friends and family help carry me through. My is wife is at the center of the whirlwind and fighting hard. God strengthens and sustains us. Please keep praying. Please pray for my wife, my children and my parents. I know this is tougher on them and it is on me.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Radiation week 3



A sunburned throat is an accurate description of the radiation effects. This makes swallowing harder and adds to the challenge of maintaining proper nutrition. Chemotherapy changes the way things taste and makes you nauseous. A large part my fight is to eat as much as I can. This exercises the very parts that will need rehabilitation. The burn spots inside your mouth and throat can be soothed by paying close attention to oral hygiene. One day I had hiccups for about 6 hours.

They gave me a drink that numbs your throat. That seemed to help but I ran out over the weekend. From about 8 o'clock Sunday night and into Monday morning I had the dry heaves and was unable to keep down even water. Monday morning they hooked me up to an IV and begin hydration process and gave me pain and nausea medicine. I was able to eat.

I got a feeding tube on Tuesday. It is strange but allows me to keep up with nutrition.

I am very blessed to have such great friends and family. We visited the club on second Saturday and were able to make Luke Van Dorsten’s retirement party.

Radiation week 2

We are blessed. The side effects radiation and chemotherapy are becoming more prominent but, manageable. I continue to be inspired by God's grace.

The process: after a CT scan and consultation with my health care team we determined the area to irradiate. It is basically the area that they would have irradiated using standard of care. So the left side of my throat/jaw is being treated with radiation. There are a lot of very sensitive and important structures on your neck. In order to insure precise targeting they make sure your head and body are in the same position every time.
They make you a Hannibal Lecter/Jason mask constructed of plastic mesh.



Then they tie the mask to the table and you have arm and leg straps to make sure you don't move.


Then slide you back give you a CT scan.

After calibrating the exact dosage and confirming the aimpoints you slide back into the machine and it fires radiation precisely.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Nausea and relief

I am NOT someone who normally got motion sick. I have learned a lot about it during my cancer journey. My wife gets motion sick very easy.  I love hear and would like to share my passion for flight. I had sympathy but I have gained empathy. We have learned some techniques that may be helpful.


Ginger including ginger snaps and ginger ale. Chewing gum and proper hydration help. Cool temperatures seem to help. Looking outside the window may help. Stimulation of the acupressure point Nei-Kuan helps.  I have used the brand "seabands" to good effect.  My wife used the brand "relief band" with little alleviation although two other people I know use them.
Vicks vapor rub if the nausea is triggered by smell.
My wife has a prescription patch that we have not tried.
There are many drugs that help unfortunately many of them have side effects that would preclude someone from operating heavy machinery...but not heavy metal.

The cause of the nausea probably has a huge factor on counter measures.  The inner ear, chemo, radiation, bad food, texture, alcohol, smell and  psychology are a potential sources. Some people take anti-anxiety in order to fly...some of them would get physically ill.  How much relief could be achieved with a convincing placebo?  That could be a human factors study. 

I know we are deal with environmental changes differently.  I have several aerobatic friends that are only good for about ten spins but can loop, roll and hammer all day. 

Perspective.  Life is good.  I start physical therapy tomorrow.