Moving along

Wednesday morning I had a stress echo-cardiogram. Passed with the heart judged normal. I was kind of proud that they had to take the test to the full conclusion to get my heart rate up to above 129. The cardiologist said he saw no signs of wall thickening that would indicate blockage and if there was any blockage it is insignificant. Good news.

Thursday AM say the radiologist. He is the electricity guy, today the oncologist who is the plumber. The radiologist was a character but gave me an excellent explanation of what will take place. Instead of a pinpoint beam of radiation it will be more of a widespread beam. The radiation kills cancer cells by using their strength against them. Because cancer cells replicate faster then normal cells they do not carry a food reserve to withstand stress. The radiation breaks their DNA strand and they have no reserves so they die. However, normal cells which replicate slower carry reserves and while some may die, some will heal and go on.

I will undergo radiation treatment five days a week for five weeks. I will also receive chemo at the same time. The combination is meant to shrink the tumor and to kill any cancer cells that may have invade surrounding tissue.

I will also encounter some side effects in about the third week of treatment. The side effects will consist of sunburn on the outer skin, some irritation of the small bowel, bladder and the anal area. I will feel the urge to go more often and will feel some pain and skin irritation, however they have medication to relieve the pain.

At the end of the radiation/chemo treatment I will wait about four to six weeks, the surgeon said not that long, so we have a difference, but the reason for the wait is to let the area heal so the surgeon isn't cutting into an already bloody, inflamed area. After six weeks scar tissue starts to build up making the surgery more difficult.

So at this point I have been greatly impressed with the physicians, the clinics and the medical staff. My attitude is good, in fact most days I forget I have cancer. Today we see the oncologist and I'll add that information later in the day.