The start of radiation was today. Looks like the actual treatment may take about 10-15 minutes. A tad longer on the days they take x-rays, which is apparently once a week. My assumption is they're double checking their radiation beam calibrations, but I didn't ask. Today was 20 minutes with two x-rays and treatment, so I expect tomorrow to be shorter.
I asked the tech when he thought I could expect to see some side effects...knowing each person is different, of course. He said pretty much two weeks. Some people see it in three and some in one. Probably the earliest I'd experience anything would be by this Friday and it'd probably just be a dry or sore throat. Since I'm already a big water drinker, I'm not sure how much of this I'll see then, but I know I'll experience it by the time it's all said and done.
I did warn the receptionist on the way out that if in three weeks my sunny disposition has turned to shit, she can bet it will be because I'm feeling the effects.
So that's that for the radiation update for now.
I'm hoping to get a prescription for fluoride so I can start my daily fluoride treatments. With luck that will be tomorrow. I know that's going to be a daily thing, but I'm not sure if we're looking at daily for the rest of my life or daily while the treatment and dry mouth side effects are going on. There seems to be some question about that, but I'll get an answer in the next few days, I'm sure.
Now for the really excellent news.
We finally got the bill for my hospital stay back in December. The one where I was in ICU for two days and then a regular room for another two. The hospital is waiving the charges. That is GREAT news because I could just see writing the hospital a check for $10/month for the rest of my life.
That means that right now we're paying the ENT (and he reduced his rate unbelievably) and the anesthesiologists who did the original tongue surgery and then the tooth extraction. We'll have radiation bills, of course, and chemo payments if that ends up being done. But at least the hospital bill isn't hanging over our heads and that is a HUGE relief.
Anyway, I'm cooking up a storm over here since I made the mistake of cleaning out/rearranging our big freezer late last week. Since I'd skipped my biannual expedition last fall, I unfortunately found stuff that I really needed to cook up. So rather than spending a rather leisurely last weekend before radiation, I was madly making soups and stocks. Fortunately that should end tomorrow or Wednesday and Randall will have a few more dishes to add to his freezer for his meals when I'm out of commission.
I'll probably not get another update out here until later this week or maybe the weekend. But all the news from this end is good right now and I hope it stays that way for some time.
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