Chromebook saves the day!

My post yesterday was the inaugural from my new Chromebook that I ordered earlier in the week.  I have wanted to try one out for awhile, and now looked like a good time to try one out.  It will take a little getting used to, but I am liking the concept as of right now.

This is what I see above me when lying on my back.

Radiation was running right on time today, I was in the room a little after 8:30.  I still need to get a picture of the mask, but I keep forgetting when I am in there.  Anyway, usual routine...take my shirt off, pose for the ladies, lay down on the table, put my mouthpiece in, watch them place the mask over my head and chest, wiggle around a little until it slides down over me and then listen to the harsh clamping sounds as they lock me into immobilization.  After that, I lift my arms up and the straps are placed around my wrists and I can then straighten my legs to pull my shoulders down.  A few minor body movements later and they left the room to start the process.  I was a little more anxious today during the radiation due to the mask pressing rather uncomfortably on my right eye, but I was back in my truck by 9 am.  The radiation machine is a pretty amazing piece of equipment.  I can see certain things happening as I am laying there immobilized and the radiation is active, and what I can see moving are small individually motorized "shields" moving around to shape the radiation field as it is applied to my body.  

After radiation treatment, I went in to work for a little while to get a few things accomplished there.  During this time, I had my first moderate case of nausea that was bad enough to make me reach for my medicine I carry with me to deal with that.  It seemed to get rid of a good bit of the nausea, but I definitely did not feel all that normal.  I was able to power down some food at lunch and then I had to head off to meet with my ENT surgeon for a follow up.

Dr. Manish Wani is the surgeon who has operated on my neck twice now and with whom I have met with almost every month since December 2011.  I like him immensely and I also feel that I could not have had a better surgeon to perform the two procedures that I have had.  The one question that I wanted to ask him was whether or not he felt that he removed all of the cancer that was present during surgery, or if he thought there was some still there that he could not surgically remove.  Indeed the latter was the case.  He does not think that he was able to remove the entire tumor as it had invaded quite a large and delicate area.  This is where the Chromebook saved the day.  I was able to pull up reports written by M.D. Anderson doctors regarding my most recent post-operative CT scan and also the PET scan and let Dr. Wani read them while we were sitting in there with him.  He said basically that the reports from the scans indicate as good of news as you could hope for in a situation like this.  My take from this is that the scans show activity in the area, but it can not be distinguished as cancer versus recovery post surgery.  I filled out some forms so that he could get a copy of the actual images from those M.D.A. scans and he could look at them.  

While I was having all of this fun, my dear mother and sister were dealing with the brood of 5 cousins that are all in town enjoying each others company.  The picture at left shows them as they all embark on a long and perilous journey into the heart of Houston to go the the zoo.  I think it is only supposed to be 99 degrees today, so it is a perfect day for it.  Now we are just all chillin' at Hotel Stobb waiting for David to show up and make dinner.  Hurry up, brother!