The Treatment (3/20/2013)

This morning everyone but MC went to meet the Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Fred Schwaibold who has a clinic at the new Piedmont Health Center on Howell Mill Road.  The Dr. is a tall, thin prematurely gray fella with a direct manor.  Tomorrow, Patti goes back to be fitted for a ‘mask’ which will be used to direct the lasers and radiation.  We will go every day for the next 30 weekdays at the same time of day to receive the radiation treatment.  This all begins next Tuesday the 26th.  These treatments will only last 30 minutes including all set up and paperwork.

Eventually, Patti will start taking Temodar as chemotherapy.  This will be a simple daily pill which may cause some nausea, but we’ll get a prescription to mitigate that, too.  We will have another MRI at the end of the 30 days and then more every 2-3 months.  We have not discussed treatment further down the road.

The radiation is likely to cause fatigue and we need to be alert to blood clots.  But for the most part this seems rather painless.   There may be some hair loss near where the radiation is targeted, which is front left.

Patti is feeling pretty well though she doesn’t talk about the illness directly very much.  It’s just a big ole elephant taking up all the oxygen and all the room in the house.  Everyone is still getting used to it.  We all talk to Mary Catherine daily and Thomas is around almost every day.  Kiley is doing lots of work scheduling and gathering prescriptions, etc.  She likes that stuff.

Of course Patti wants to see and hear from everyone who loves her.  My suggestion is that you text her or email her to see if she wants to talk.  This will help her filter some of the calls that may not be necessary at this time.  Pth52@bellsouth.net.  Please understand that she may not respond to every message, but she will see them all.