March 25, 2024
Boy were glad to see the start of the final week of radiation. We got to the office and noticed more people in the waiting room than usual. We waited a bit and then one of the techs came out to tell everyone that the radiotherapy machine was down. They were waiting on a technician so radiation was cancelled for today. Because it was Monday, he said we could still wait and see the doctor like we usually do. He explained this happens from time to time in treatment locations. They just add another day onto the backend of your treatment schedule. We were a little disappointed that it would mean treatment would continue to next Monday though. We did see Dr. Wa, and he said he had spoken with Dr. C (the colon surgeon) regarding the treatment progress. Dr. C said he was ready for surgery when the team was. This was good news to us as David’s preference is still to have this tumor removed. This also means that because surgery is a possibility, David would get a few less radiation treatments than scheduled and with the extra day added from the machine being down today, it would mean he would finish up on Thursday. Also good news to us. Dr. Wa explained they would do a “boost” over the next few days which would focus more of the radiation in an even tighter targeted area. He also said using the word boost is sort of a misnomer because this doesn’t mean they increase the amount or dosage of radiation you are given during the treatment. Radiation continues to work over a fews weeks post treatment and side effects could last for years in some cases. We hope that won’t be the case with David as he is in a good bit of pain daily and has started to experience some neuropathy in his fingertips and feet. We hope this will subside once he is finished with the Capecitabine (oral chemo). David also has radiation burns but he says he does not feel them. His blood pressure has been staying normal but his heart rate is running high and can mostly be attributed to the pain he experiences.
