We are now two weeks into chemo and radiation and it is becoming quite the routine for my mom and dad. Don't get me wrong, it's a routine that they won't miss once this first 6 weeks is over. Daily drives to St. Louis from Monday through Friday tend to wear them both out; BIG TIME! I've gone with them each Friday so far just to help mix things up from the monotony.
This last week, my dad asked if I was able to go back with him and watch his radiation. Surprisingly, they said yes! I went in the room with him and watched him lay on the table and put his mask on and have it hooked underneath the table. I was overwhelmed with emotion and empathy for him when they were securing it. I can only imagine what he feels during the whole thing, and totally understand why he takes a Xanax beforehand!
Once he was all set up, we went out of the room and I stayed at the desk and watched the treatment with the people who "do" it. There are two cameras so they can see him from two different angles, and a speaker as well, so if he needed to talk, they would hear him. There are about 8 or 10 pre-set coordinates that he receives the radiation at. The machine starts out underneath his head, and moves around in a half circle until the last coordinate when the machine is straight over his face. I was expecting a "light show", considering that my Uncle and my Dad have both described their treatment as such. When I asked the people about it (since I wasn't seeing any lights), they told me that a lot of people say that. Their best guess is that the radiation triggers some area in the brain and makes them think they see all sorts of colors.
All together, from start to finish, the actual radiation treatment only takes 6-7 minutes. You can imagine how long the drive seems to be at the actual facility for such a short time. One or two days each week, he has an appointment with the oncologist or the radiation oncologist as well. Luckily, those times are close to when his radiation is scheduled. The most recent appointment with his oncologist provided some new information for us. Apparently, at Duke, there is currently a study being done having to do with glioblastoma multiformes and genetic links. My dad's doctor knows the individuals doing the study and was going to let them know of this case with two brothers to see if they are interested in using any information for their study, or if they have any information that may be valuable to my dad's case. We shall wait and see what that brings!
We also received the MRI report from the MRI my dad had just prior to radiation (2 1/2 weeks ago). It stated that although the gross portion of the tumor was removed, there is still some residual present. The gliadel wafers the neurosurgeon put in are still in place as well. The other thing that stuck out to me in the report is that there is a significant blood supply to the area. The reason this tumor is so difficult to "cure" is because it has the ability to create it's own blood supply in order to survive. There was also a slight midline shift in the brain caused from swelling at the time. The good news related to that, is that they have since begun the process of tapering the steroids (which I mentioned last time) which indicates that the swelling is not as much of a fear at this point.
His next MRI will not be until the 6 weeks of radiation are complete. At that point, we will be able to see the results of the radiation by comparing it to the pre-treatment scan. One radiation is done, his chemo will continue at a higher dose. As far as we know, the chemo will continue for the remainder of the time he is fighting the tumor.
As for how my dad is doing, he is holding up well. His main struggle is not trying to do too much and eating the right thing. Certain things do not mesh well with his chemo and when he doesn't take the time to rest and let his body recoup, he feels it. If he listens to his body, he isn't having too much trouble with the treatment at this point. Two weeks down, four to go!!
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