Nothing much has changed since last time we "spoke" - except I haven't had a cigarette since that evening. All Hail Chantix. I don't know if it was just finally my time or if this miracle drug really is all that. It doesn't really matter. It's working.
A couple days ago we splurged on new bedding. Tomorrow (Monday) is Lori's quit date so tomorrow night we sleep on the new stuff... including new pillows! And the new sewing machine will be ready to start pumping out goodies that are untainted by the foul stench of the demon weed. (I'm really trying to not become one of those obnoxious ex-smokers. How am I doing so far?)
Five days left of WMD and morning handfuls of poison. The end is well in sight but it still can't end soon enough.
Beth, who handles dosimetry on Team Jeffrey, was kind enough to email me some screen shots that show how her teammates have been blasting my brain with radiation. (Just kidding, Beth. Y'all are the best! :)) Unfortunately, I'm not completely clear on what they all mean, so here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to go ahead and put the images up so you can see them. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to spend a minute with Beth and she can clear up the unclear parts. I will update this post later in the day.
UPDATE: OK, so here we are updating with more data on the imaging images.
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beam1
beam2
beam4 - You're looking straight down my spine as if you're looking down from the top of my head. Freak show.
These first 3 images are what Beth uses to map out which angles to zap from and how to focus those beams. In each of these 3 shots, you can see nice, smooth lines showing the inner (tumor bed) and outer (margins) areas of focus. The jagged line just outside those areas shows the actual lead "leaves" that are used to focus the beam. (When I'm lying there on the table every day, I hear them changing those leaves between zaps. I didn't know that's what that sound was until today.)
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dose1
dose2
These next 2 shots are kind of like models Beth uses to plan how to get the required dosages to the areas that need it and for keeping the WMD away from healthy tissue as much as possible. The purple is the tumor bed and the orange is the margins.
I need to see if my SAG card is up-to-date. I feel like I'm in sci-fi movie.
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dosedvh
This is a chart showing the actual dosage that will be delivered to each area. Each colored line represents a specific area. Unfortunately, you can't see all of the areas, but some are listed at the top (right eye ball, right eye lens).
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portfilm1
This shot shows a comparison of the plan (left) and what is actually getting zapped (right). You can also see the chunk of my skull they removed to get the tumor out. Yes, the surgeon "missed" the tumor when he pried open my skull. But judging by the rave reviews of the results of the surgery, I gotta believe he was well within the margin of error.
Yes, that is indeed me as the Michelin Man in the lower corners of some of the shots. Those are to show my body's position in relation to the WMD machine.
And here's a turn-of-the-century French postcard my wife just found in a book she has. Kind of blurry but you get the idea.
So there you have it. I never cease to marvel at how smart we humans can be. How do people figure all this stuff out? It's only been about 4000 years since we spent every waking moment thinking about where to find some food. Now look at us.
Tonight I'm celebrating relatively unimpeded breath.
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