Gari's Journey

  April 22, 2021   CHEMO DAY  I've had one week of daily radiation treatments, so it's time for the next chemo treatment. This is round 2 of 6 weeks of chemo. Apparently I still haven't become accustomed to the liquid Benadryl injection. I disagree with this nurse who said it's just like the pink pill, but goes in faster. A bottle of pink pills maybe. Here I am about a minute after the Benadryl injection when I asked Glenn to help me find my glasses...they were on my face the whole time!  My conversation sounded like I had either spent time at the bar or the dentist so I snoozed and tried to read. Glenn did his usual great job of handing me things and being patient during the 2 1/2 hour process. So, 2 of 6 treatments = 1/3 = 33.3%.  33% of these treatments behind me. Pretty exciting.  Nothing about this week would be complete without mentioning the 3.5" of snow on Wednesday that required knocking the snow off the new tree. It looks like it's going to survive af

 APRIL 20, 2021 Visited with the radiation oncologist yesterday, the top of the doctor pyramid. When he came in, he said "well, I have news--(uh oh, I think)--it's good news but it means more tests."  Not a problem for me, tests are fine.  The fluid in my lung has reduced by almost half since April 2, the date of  the original simulation and markings for radiation machine to zap me! That's the good news, but the reduction of fluid means the lung has moved. So I will go through the simulation again. Not really a big deal-It's a matter of laying in a machine and getting marked with sharpies and then getting the marks covered in clear tape.  I hope they switch to pink sharpie this time!  While this planning is taking place they will be able to continue the daily treatment. I'm still in the range of the original markings. And it won't take the full 10 days to do the calibration  for new markings.  Oh, and I went mushroom hunting before my appointment. This pic

April 15-Tax Day and Taxing Day Today was the first of the 30 radiation treatments and 6 chemo treatments, which began with a visit to the Interventional Pulmonologist. Did a sonogram and confirmed that there remains insufficient fluid in my lung to test again, which is a good sign. I will follow up in 3 months with him. There was a sonogram which he was so good about showing me and explaining. It looked something like this and I couldn't sort out anything on it so I said, OH..I SEE.. a lot and nodded I did find out what is his role is--it's to perform minimally invasive tests and treatments of lungs, but not surgery. Thank God Glenn did not ask him if he was at the bottom of the pyramid of doctors. He was trying to figure out the array of doctors and with one of them, he asked if the other guy was at the top of the pyramid. Glenn was quickly corrected by the one who sees himself as the kingpin. CHEMO-Then moved on to the chemo infusion. Started with about 40 minutes of "