The hospital itself is a large facility with a number of hallways and several different commons areas where you can hang out. Most of the "hang outs" are filled with bald heads, masks, and any number of I.V poles, pumps, and various other feeding tubes etc. It is quite a gathering of pain. They are people who come from all over the world to get help. For many, this is their last stop, and their last shot at trying to stop the thing that is creeping up on them. It is basically a gathering of some of the worst of the worst. It is a heart-breaker to be there. I have to hand it to the staff, they have truly been awesome. It is neat to see the patience and the great respect they show for everyone.
The side effects seem to be worse now than they were during chemo. Maybe it just takes a while for all the cells to die, and for it to start showing up but they have been a bit rough and I have had to learn to be careful. My mouth is ultra sensitive to spicy food. I had a little A-1 sauce on Monday night and my mouth was on fire like I had just chewed up a jalapeno. Forget salsa. My head is sweating just thinking about it. My index finger on my left hand has gone numb and it looks like I am going to possibly loose my nail. My toes have gone a little numb as well. My toes were itching the other night in bed so I started rubbing my feet together a little bit. I didn't pay much attention to what I was doing and I ended up giving myself what looks like road rash on the tops of my toes. I'm scabbed up now but if that's the worst of it, I will take it.
Today was hopefully my last PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan. I am beginning to feel like a lymph veteran. This is only my 3rd but the procedure feels pretty routine.
- Check in ,
- Snag a medical bracelet
- Get called back to the diagnostics area
- Tell 4 different people what my name and birth date is.
- Weigh in,
- Change into hospital scrubs,
- Get a warm blanket (booyeah)
- Walk down the hall to a very small (Just big enough to get a recliner in) exam room.
- Sit down, kick back.
- Tech starts an IV
- Tech snags a lead encased vial of the radio-isotope and starts pushing the tracer.
- Snag a 50 minute nap
- empty bladder of whatever tracer you can
- lay down on the cat scan table/sled/bed/ whatever it is (this trip seemed to be more comfortable than before. The techs were awesome and super personable)
- Put your arms up over the pillow above your head and hold still,
- Scan for 20 minutes and thats all she wrote
I have been paying very close attention to see if the tracer has some kind of body changing affect. I have learned that when exposed to such radioactive substances, you begin to shoot webs, grow muscles, run fast etc. I am pretty sure that I have the looks to be Captain America but I just need to be patient for the body changes. It is a tough call because I would like Angie to get started on sewing a up a super suit, but I'm not sure what measurements we should shoot for. I suppose that is why most super suits are made out of spandex. We have all seen people that defy physics and somehow manage to get into "stretchy pants". Who can blame them? "When you are a man, sometimes you wear stretchy pants in your room. It's for fun" - Nacho
I haven't noticed any real changes to my biceps or pecs but I was encouraged today when I noticed how fast I could throw down a Whataburger. Seriously, I doubt it took me 2 minutes. I was a bit hungry after the 20 hour fast but still, the speed of consumption indicates some super human changes. It wasn't quite blurrrry fast, but it was close. I think I will take to the streets tomorrow to put my foot speed to the test. If I can manage a jog, it will be proof that the transformation has started. Another test might be to see if I can finish more than half of one of Landon's cross fit work outs.
Big Day Tomorrow
- Radiation Consult
- Radiation Trial Run
- Camping / Fishing with Hudson @ Matagorda Beach Fri/Sat
No comments:
Post a Comment