I started radiation treatment on January 11th. Every Monday through Friday, one of my parental units drives with me into Brigham and Womans Hospital in Boston. My appointments are always around 11AM. When I get there I scan my medical card at the front desk to let the doctors know I have arrived. The therapists, unlike the nurses I've met in Children's Hospital, were initially aloof and didn't engage in much conversation. However, it's pretty hard to keep me quiet and they were eventually forced to talk to me. There are five therapists: Barry, Kevin, Tania, Rachel, and Christine. They are all pretty nice. Barry appears emotionless, but his playlists say otherwise. I like to listen to his iPod while I'm getting treated.
My parents and I sit in a waiting room complete with chairs, couches, a TV, snacks and beverages. Eventually, a therapist comes to get me and takes me to the room where I get treatment. I lay on a metal table. First they take two xrays to make sure they are radiating the right parts of my abdomen. The radiation machine rotates around my body and radiates from top and bottom. The room is dimmed and it's fun to watch the laser on my tummy. The whole treatment takes about 15 minutes. It takes much longer to drive in and out of Boston. In fact, driving out of the parking garage probably takes longer than my treatment.
We're thinking about another trip to Michigan. They have an opening for me in a "tumor profiling" study that I would like to participate in. What they would do is study the make-up of my tumor and identify any gene mutations. They would then try to match those mutations to known medicines and chemotherapies. This is a "personal medicine" approach where they try to determine the best treatment to attack my tumor with the least side effects. Tumors constantly change and mutate so everyones tumors are different. Even though two people may have the same cancer, one treatment may work for one and not the other. Tumor profiling is very new and still being perfected, but it would provide me with information that could help with my next treatment. They would need a sample of my tumor, blood and saliva. Luckily, I've been handing out free samples from my last surgery so they are in luck! Unfortunately, they need to see me in person to get started. Skype won't cut it. Thus trip 2 is being launched.
