I'm happy to report that radiation therapy is going well. There are 37 total treatments in the plan. The first 25 of those include the pelvic lymph nodes and the prostate bed. The final 12 treat just the prostate bed. Today was dose #25.
5 days per week I get up and start drinking water. I drink 20 oz between 7:15AM and 8:00AM, plus another 4 to 10 ounces by 8:15AM. This gets my bladder nice and full in time for my 9:00AM radiation treatment. Having the bladder full lifts the bladder and also the colon up and away from the prostate bed, reducing the risk of radiation damage to these structures.
I have a 45-minute drive to town for treatment. I hit the door at about 5 minutes before 9AM. I check in, get dressed in a gown plus a robe, and wait my turn. Within a few minutes I get called back where I jump on the table. The radiation technologists (truly awesome people!) position the "cradle" (blue in the photo) under my legs to immobilize them, then scoot me side to side until the lasers line up perfectly with my three targeting tattoos. When all is properly aligned, they slide me in for a CT scan with 151.5 seconds of exposure. The scan is compared to my targeting scan to ensure the best possible alignment. Once this is done, they recheck alignment and slide me back in for 423.7 seconds of radiation. At the end of each treatment I hustle to the nearest bathroom to let off the pressure of the full bladder.
Starting tomorrow, that second duration should be considerably shorter.
Side effects have been pretty good, but not ideal. I've had a couple of instances of intestinal bleeding on 11 May and 17 May. As a result, I'm slated for a colonoscopy this Wednesday 25 May. I'm bummed that I have to do that on a radiation day, but it is what it is. I'm also bummed that I had to have a root canal this past Thursday, but it is what it is. Props to my dentist for making that root canal no big deal. I'm starting to get used to having some pretty busy days.
And today was one of those busy days, with 5 activities at Carle this morning, taking almost 3 hours. First was my standard radiation treatment. Second was my weekly visit with my radiation oncologist. He's satisfied with my progress. After that came a visit with my medical oncologist. He's also OK with how things are going. He'll be more involved once the radiation is done. Next came 2 injections ordered by the medical oncologist. The first of those was another shot of Lupron to keep my testosterone level at zero for another three months; the plan is to stay on Lupron for a total of 2 years. New this time was a shot of Xgeva, an anti-osteoporosis med necessitated by the bone-thinning effects of the Lupron. Last came a blood draw to check the calcium level in my blood. I'm glad most treatment days aren't like this.
Yesterday I went for a bike ride with my wingman, Mark, who has helped me maintain my sanity throughout this entire ordeal. It was a beautiful day, and I had to comment that, despite the cancer and the treatments, I'm not suffering. It's a big emotional burden, which keeps my stress level up. But really, I'm not in pain, and I'm not debilitated. Life is pretty good.
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