Radiation II, Minneapolis, Radiation III

The second round of radiation went much better than the first (although I did end up opting for the chemical assistance along with the music). Now that I know what to expect it doesn't seem quite so bad. Following Tuesday's session and a planning meeting for a spring course at BSU I headed to Minneapolis. Long drive with the residual effects of the sedative. I stopped for supper in Motley and gulped a pot of coffee which got me to Jack & Cindy's for the night. I usually do 'books-on-tape' on the drive and for something different on the first leg I decided to listen to 60+ Shakespeare sonnets. I have got to admit that most of them really didn't do much for me (and contributed to my drowsiness). After that, I switched to Steinbeck's "Mice and Men" and the rest of the trip flew by -- a near perfect story for a book on tape. Got my work accomplished at the U yesterday thanks to Jessie Eastman (Graduate Program secretary in my department) and Cynthia McGill (Institution Review Board officer). Both went above and beyond the call of duty so it looks like my research is still on track. I got back at 3:00 pm yesterday and went directly to the clinic for round III. After some initial anxiety, things went pretty well and very quickly (didn't even last through two songs!) so I think the worst might be behind me. I also had my weekly meeting with Dr. Bollinger (my radiation oncologist) who assured me again that everything is going well. Today I have followup blood work from my last round of chemo and meet with Dr. Shahidi (my chemo oncologist). I am curious to see how my red and white blood cell counts are doing. I am generally feeling pretty good although I still tire quickly and have had a minor but persistent cold for the past couple weeks -- I suspect that both red and white counts have yet to rebound fully. They will also measure levels of the LDH enzyme in the blood. Unusually high levels of this enzyme are associated with tumor activity somewhere in the body so here's to hoping LDH levels are normal. On the positive side, my hair is starting to grow again (not really noticeably unless you really look close) so that is reassuring. On the other hand, I am getting used to the convenience of a shaved head -- no 'hat hair' or 'bed head' and it saves on the shampoo budget! /dps