The Loop

And now for a brief vocabulary quiz.....

In which sentence is the term "the loop" correctly used?

A. The Loop is a new show on Fox that will likely be cancelled before I begin radiation.
B. Some tourists get suckered into visiting The Loop, a busy area of Chicago, only to find that its shopping is definitely inferior to that of the Gold Coast.
C. I'm having a hard time keeping you all in the loop because my doctors keep changing the dang treatment plan every day!
D. All of the above.

If you chose the letter D, you are correct!

So, folks, I'm going to make this update brief simply because, if the past is any predictor of the present, the game-plan will change again tomorrow morning and writing at 2:45 in the morning will be all for naught.

Dr. Wheeler (Radiation Oncologist at Center for Cancer Care in Goshen) called today to tell me that he has been discussing my treatment plan with Dr. Thornton (he'll be my doctor in Bloomington). Perhaps there's some unwritten rule that you are ultimately classified as "pathetic" when there are more doctors programmed into your cell phone directory than friends?

Anyway... the docs have decided to work together to tailor a radiation program that will be the most aggressive and effective. There are distinct benefits to each center's radiation. At Goshen, the radiation will be directed by computer, and Dr. Wheeler will be sure that the radiation is hitting the center of the tumor. Proton radiation in Bloomington is just some super-powered radiation that is going to wipe this thing out. They have decided that I will now undergo a combination of IMRT radiation and Proton radiation. Under this plan, I will stay in Goshen for 5 weeks and receive radiation two times a day, two hours apart. Each session will be preceded by a shot that should protect my salivary glands so that my teeth don't fall out (Trust me... I'm cool with it. The prospects of losing a strip of hair and all me teeth screams white trash wonderland). Then, they will ship me off to Bloomington to enjoy a three-week course of Proton Radiation to blast all the cancerous cells that remain.

I'm scheduled for a consult in Bloomington on Monday. They are officially in charge of setting the program. My PET Scan will be administered sometime next week and I will probably start radiation on May 1st. I'm already counting the weeks. This means I will be finishing radiation at Goshen the first week of June and heading to Bloomington from June 5-23. Not my first choice. I plan to ask the doctors if the treatment will be compromised if we flip-flop the plan so that I begin my radiation in Bloomington and am home the last 5 weeks. I would also settle for a plan where we alternate two weeks Goshen/1 week Bloomington. Obviously I don't want to be gone the first three weeks of summer when Corlissa and all of my closest friends are out of school and here to drive my tumor-infested tail around to all these appointments. Furthermore, my birthday falls during this second course of treatment, and for those of you who have gotten a free pass for forgetting in the past, you are hereby warned: This birthday is going to be big. If you all start saving $1 a day, you will have each saved $49 by my birthday (not factoring in interest-bearing checking or savings). To date, 39 people have officially commented on my blog. I anticipate there are at least another 11 who have read and not commented. That is 50 blog readers at $49 each. Essentially, I'm expecting a minimum of $2,500 worth of presents this year. I will be accepting gift cards and cash (ignore those who tell you both are too impersonal.... we're talking about birthday earnings that could account for approximately 5% of the $50,000 of medial bills I will probably be receiving in the next calendar year!)

Okay... that's it for tonight. I'm sure I'll have more to talk about tomorrow. I've got another exciting trip planned to the dentist (I was already there for 2 1/2 hours today) followed by a trip to the Endocrinologist. If you can't reach me via cell, just assume I'm sitting in some doctor's office and text me. I have become quite the sneaky text messenger. They'll never know I'm breaking the "no cellular device within 100 feet of the premises" policy.