Another 10 Days in the Hospital

I sure was ready to come home today.  That was half as long as the first stay in December.  We got a lot of things addressed and we think the radiation may be working already.

It is a proton device and only takes 10 minutes but I have difficulty holding still that long but I think I can do it.  It is not as envasive as other forms of radiation but five times stronger than most forms.  It is aimed at cancer cells only.

Unlike other types of radiation therapy that use x-rays to destroy cancer cells, proton therapy uses a beam of special particles called protons. Doctors can better aim proton beams onto a tumor, so there is less damage to the surrounding healthy tissue. This allows doctors to use a higher dose of radiation with proton therapy than they can use with x-rays.
Proton therapy is used to treat cancers that have not spread. Because it causes less damage to healthy tissue, proton therapy is often used for cancers that are very close to critical parts of the body.
Doctors may use proton therapy to treat the following types of cancer:

• Brain (acoustic neuroma, childhood brain tumors)
• Eye (ocular melanoma, retinoblastoma)
• Head and neck
• Lung
• Spine (chordoma, chondrosarcoma)
• Prostate
• Lymph system cancer

I go back every day next week and the following Monday and then I have equal to 60 treatments completed.  I have hopes this is going to give me more quality time at home and make it easier on me and my caregivers, mainly LuAnn.

I met some more mighty fine people serving those of us in need.  They really know what they are doing at this this hospital so I think I am getting the best care I can get in the region.

They have changed my medicine for regularity but the pains are much more severe.  I was beginning to wonder if I could even come home today at 10 AM this morning but here I am.  LuAnn is cooking up some dinner though I am back to tiny bites of specific foods to keep my regularity.

Thanks again for the thoughts and prayers, they were surely needed and much appreciated.  My troubles seem small compared to mom's right now.  She was doing so well and now she has had the rug pulled out from under her, too.

The blue sky is a welcome sight but it's supposed to get down to 19 degrees F again tonight.  It was cold today but forecast near 55 tomorrow which would be great.

I hope I can get some sleep tonight and can post this in the morning.

Ed