Radiation Therapy Dates

David had his planning CT study performed yesterday & was given dates for his radiation therapy treatments.  His first treatment will be on May 17th with three additional treatments on the 19th, 23rd, & 25th.  Yesterday we met with one of the radiation oncology residents to further discuss the treatment & potential side effects.  The main side effect that he believes David will encounter is fatigue, which may last for several weeks following treatment as the radiation dose will continue to work for several weeks.  He could develop pneumonitis (inflammation of the lung), which could cause a fever & coughing, & he could also develop rib pain (even the potential for rib fracture!).  But, given David's overall good physical condition, the doctor believes David will handle this treatment with minimal to no issues, & that it shouldn't interfere with his passion for swimming.  Tomorrow David will have pulmonary function testing performed to get a baseline & they may repeat the testing in the future to see if the radiation treatment affects his overall respiratory status.

Next week we have free of appointments, so we may try to get out of town for a few days.  We are looking for a destination that won't take longer than a couple of hours to fly to or drive to & where the weather will be pretty nice.  So far we haven't honed in on that perfect destination, but we'll keep looking!  If it doesn't happen, San Diego is not a bad place to hang around!!

I will post a new blog entry after David begins radiation therapy treatments.  Until then, know that we so appreciate hearing from you all -- thanks for your phone calls, texts, emails, cards, & for those of you who live close, your visits!  Happy Mother's Day to all of you Moms out there!!

Big hug, Janet