The Gun Counter

49 more trips to the dungeon and get strapped to the torture table.

Photon radiation this time as opposed to proton radiation last time.

Twice a day, Monday through Friday, for 5 weeks. When I pull up the appointments on my website portal, it shows 76 appointments pending...

They do play music while I am strapped to the table. The mask is a tight fit and I cannot open my eyes. Even worse, there is pressure on my eyeballs for the whole time and I have difficulty focusing for a period of time when they release me.

The good news is the American Cancer Society is providing me lodging at the Hope Lodge in Phoenix. I have a private bedroom/bath and share the kitchen, dining and living area with 5 other couples. So I am here on the Mayo Campus. I do get to go home on weekends.

Hang in there!

Keep in touch when you can, let us know if we can help with anything.

+1

Weetabix wrote:+1

+2

randy wrote:Hang in there!

Keep in touch when you can, let us know if we can help with anything.

ABSOLUTELY!!! Please keep in touch, and let us know if we can help in any way!!

I mis-stated above. I am undergoing Proton radiation, last time was Photon.

Went on the "Glow Club" tour today and had the lead Physicist as our guide. There are 22 facilities similar to this one in the country, several of which are under construction. Pretty amazing stuff. They start with producing hydrogen, strip the proton from the molecule, accelerate it in the syncrotron and shoot it down to the 4 treatment room gantries. Each gantry has to wait their turn for the "beam."

The tour took us behind the scene to see the actual gantry that is where the beam is presented to the patient. The each gantry is over 100 tons!

Damned amazing stuff.

7 treatments behind me, 43 to go. I started getting "sun burned" yesterday. I think I can feel it in my throat when I eat. Hope it isn't much worse, will be nice to have the weekend break.

You know Rumpshot, they say that no man is an island unto himself.

Except for you. You're a Three Mile Island unto yourself.

Seriously though hang in there, we are all pulling for you.

God Bless you Brother; it's a hard road. May you see it through and prosper!

Seriously, if there's anything we can do, let us know.

Other than sending whiskey and women by mail. The whiskey gets stolen and the women don't always show up in the best of moods.

Hang tight man, I'm praying for you.