Update

I finished radiation about five weeks ago. I have felt pretty crappy ever since. Lots of headaches, nausea and fatigue. This past week they put me on some new drugs to help out. Basically consisting of steroids and a different nausea medication. I have felt much better the last two or three days. I received another CT scan and and another MRI. Results showed that the spots on the brain are still there, but they are small and not growing. The spots on the lungs are also still there but seem to be about the same. So the oncologist says we are stable right now and we will continue with the same treatments. So things are good right now. Take care. -Eric

hanging in there.

I had to shave off what was left of the hair. it kept falling out in spots, so I am back to bald for the time being. I keep telling myself that I am feeling a little better each day and then a bad day hits, so I am not so sure, but hopefully it is just a matter of time until things get better. Not much more to say right now. I have another doctors appointment this week, and some scans in a couple of weeks to check the progress of things. Take care. -Eric

hair today, gone tomorrow

Lost my hair again. Most of it fell out in the shower, so we finished it off which the razor. I still have a military style patch on top, but I'm not sure how long that will stay around. I'm still nauseous and very fatigued. I hope this all goes away soon, I can't remember what it's like to feel good anymore.

I made it - sort of

I finished the radiation treatments on Friday. I am sure glad that is over. The nurses sent me home with my radiation mask as a souvenir, and a certificate of completion. It seems a little odd to get a certificate of completion but I guess now that I think about it, it's probably a select few who have one of those hanging on their wall. My mom always told me that I was special I guess she was right. They say the sides affects could linger for a few weeks. I still have headaches, nausea and vomiting so I guess they weren't kidding. So it's a little anti-climatic to be done and still feel crappy. I woke up this morning and my hair-hurt. This is not a good sign since I had the same sensation when I lost my hair during chemo. We'll do more scans to check the success of the radiation in a few weeks. Looking forward to feeling better soon. Take care. -Eric

Radiation 2

I have received 5 doses of radiation, I am half way done. 5 more to go next week. I won't receive radiation on Saturday or Sunday so I am hoping that the two day respite will help me to feel better. Monica asked me which was worst the chemo or the radiation. The chemo was definitely worse but the radiation is not far behind. The only word that really describes how I feel is "crappy". Hoping for better days ahead. Take care. -Eric

Radiation

It's day 3 of the radiation treatments. 7 more to go. It's not going as smoothly as I had hoped. Day 1: I recieved the first radiation dose. They are radiating my entire head, and a small area on my left lung where the cancer is the most dense. I went to work after the first dose, 4 hours later I got a really bad headache, 2 hours after the headache I came home from work and started vomiting and feeling pretty crappy, I didn't sleep well that night. Day 2: More vomiting. I received the second dose of radiation. The doctor put me on steroids to reduce the swelling in my head and help with the headaches, and naseau medication to help with the vomiting. Day 3: More vomitting. I recieved the third dose of radiation. The headaches seem to be gone after starting the regime of steroids, but the naseua is still around. The doctor suggested a different naseua medication. I am also feeling a little fatigue, but the naseua is the worst. Fun stuff. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. Take care. -Eric

what's up

It took a while to get the radiation procedure setup and appointments scheduled. I went in today for the first treatment. This first treatment is called a dry run. This means that there was no radiation given, just a test of the setup and procedure to make sure everything is ready. They bolted my head to the table with my radiation mask, and lined up the lasers to my tatoos and took some pictures of my head and lungs. I will receive my first treatment on Monday morning at 8:30 and more treatments everyday for the next two weeks. Wish me luck.