I met with Dr. Bloomer today at 2:00 and had my first full brain radiation treatment at 2:30.
Dr. Bloomer has decided to increase the number of full brain raditation treatments to 20 from the original 13. He says this will reduce the risks of long term side effects - I'm all for that, so no argument here. My treatments will be at 10:45 every week day and only take a few minutes each time.
Dr. Bloomer is also cutting back the dosage for my steroids, which should actually reduce my current fatigue (the steroids contribute to sleeplessness at night, and actually increase anxiety as well), so it might get better for me (at least in the short term) rather than worse! Cognitive issues like "where did I put my keys?" are part and parcel of both radiation and chemotherapy but Dr. Bloomer doesn't think it should show up in any more dramatic fashion than what most 40+ people encounter in their daily routine.
They will wait about four weeks after my final radiation treatment to re-scan the brain to see what we accomplished. They have to wait that long to allow the swelling and scarring to subside. They expect that the lesions will shrink and/or disappear. For future lesions, or those stubborn lesions that just won't shrink, they would use a focused radiation therapy treatment targeted at the particular lesions.
1 comment:
Hi sweetie!
Not the best news in the world but you are a fighter and we love you.
The fatigue is a pain. How is Sundance holding up with her mommy out of sorts? What can I do for you?
Driving to the doc is a little hard although at times I would do almost anything to sneak out of work. I would love to see you and Sundance and introduce you to my new family member, Ethel. Along with anything else - I have been along on this journey before. Sending you love and hugs and kisses,
Laurie (Oak Terrace)
708 380 9966
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