Patty is managing a baroque scheduling of the daily pills, including a big cluster at the beginning and end of the day, two intermediate clusters taken with food for the steroid pills, an anti-nausea pill precisely one hour before the chemo, two (different dosage) chemo pills at home precisely one hour before the radiation appointment at 3:30, and then a quickie 3-minute trip down the road on Interstate to Kaiser. It is a huge bonus to be so close to Kaiser's radiation oncology center, which many people deal with by destroying an entire day in the car or getting motels nearby for several weeks, etc. NoPo rules!
Dad describes radiation as 13 unremarkable minutes in the mask/cage, with an initial 3 minutes of zap-free calibration maneuvers where the machine is checking stuff, followed by ten minutes of full-on zappage with rotating robot arms and two plastic cookie sheet shield thingies moving around. Apparently the only sensation during the entire robot radiation sequence is a mild pulsing in his head, along with bright blue flashes when he closes his eyes, as predicted by the radiation doctor dude. That part is kinda trippy and he smiles while describing the experience.
Anyway, everything is chugging along pretty good right now, and dad is in good spirits. Special appreciation to all our dear friends helping out with Dale dates and yummy food and stuff, and all the amazing cards. Keep the good thoughts coming and we'll keep the updates coming.
Go Blazers!
Mark
Dale: It sounds like a busy life for Patty and a pretty satisfying one for you, all things considered. News from Arizona: It's windy and that is keeping it slightly cooler. B and I headed out for a Big Ride on Saturday and everything went wrong. I forgot my cycling shoes -- had to drive back home to get them. We were hit with rain -- yes, RAIN -- and wind -- yes WIND that comes from the side and blows you into traffic. We survived.
ReplyDeleteBruce has been working in the yard -- a first for him -- re routing the irrigation system for when we are gone. He found free soft dirt through Craig's List and hauled a lot of it home to create a berm around our lemon tree. How I wish you and Patty had stopped here on your way through in February. Little did we know.
We leave May 20 and should be back in time to see you folks before you head off to Calif. Very good plan.
Love,
Stephanie
It sounds as though Dale is handling things in true Dale style. I envy those pretend cat naps while listening to the conversation going on. I can just hear those chuckles. Thanks, too, to Mark for keeping us all informed.
ReplyDeleteI'm coming to Portland 07-14 May to see Rosina who is recovering from a broken hip. I haven't signed up for visits but sure hope I can squeeze in a quick one. Love you guys so much, sarah