Back in Katy!!

I received a call on Sunday that the machine in Katy was still not fixed and so I had to get my treatment at the medical center again on Monday.  This time, the appointment was later in the morning, so I didn't have to get up and going crazy early.  I also loaded up the whole family for the trip so that I could utilize the HOV portions of the freeways that i would be travelling on.  I also decided to try out the free valet parking service offered to patients receiving radiation where you get to basically drop off your vehicle right by the door that you have to enter to go in to check in for radiation.  That worked out extremely well, I must say.  They got me in and out quickly and back on my way toward Katy with my mask and accessories in tow on the hope that Katy would get their machine fixed.

An image from before surgery showing the lump growing at the base of my neck

Later in the day on Monday, I received a call again with the delightful news that the machine in Katy was back up and functioning and my treatments on Tuesday would be in Katy.  That was welcome news.  This Tuesday was something special as well in that I was going to have a double dose of radiation.  So the schedule was labwork at 8 am, 8:30 radiation treatment #1 followed by a trip upstairs for my chemo administration, then back downstairs after that for radiation treatment #2.  I was there from about 8 am until 3 pm and they did all they could to me for one day.  The double treatment was to make up for one that I missed last wednesday when the machine first broke.  It's interesting the things that I find out when I talk to various people immersed in this world.  Everything is based on statistics.  Everything.  It was a long day at the facility and it feels very good to be propped up in my old-person adjustable bed typing this right now.  Also, I got good news today in that my treatment will actually end on the 25th of July, not the 31st as I was expecting.  Here's to you July 25!

As far as how I feel, everything seems to be going pretty well.  I was extremely tired last week, but have felt better the last couple of days.  Maybe it was the chemo and now I had recovered enough to feel a bit better just in time for them to kick my ass with it again, or maybe Jessica's dengue fever that she gave me last week just dragged me down more than normal.  Either way, I hope to be in better shape as I approach the end of this week.  I can feel changes happening with my skin similar to what I felt last year.  I have such little feeling in my neck in general after all the surgeries that it is hard for me to track the small little changes, but it is definitely starting to feel somewhat burned.  All seems well as we charge head on into what lies ahead.  The picture below is from last year and shows the radiation burns on my neck, but also of note is the hairline on my cheek...that is not shaved, it is the result of radiation.  Where there is hair-no radiation; where there is no hair-radiation.

Picture from last year, showing the radiation burns during treatment