Two left

Awoke today with throat even very sore, even more so than in the past. Cannot speak above a whisper. It does not hurt any worse if I talk or don't talk but my voice has gone past the sexy bedroom sound down to a bare whisper. People have to really pay attention to understand me.

I gave the ladies in the therapy section two boxes of choclate truffles as a thank-you for taking such good care of me.

A treatment this afternoon, then pack up tomorrow, get the last zap, and head for home on Saturday.

Countin' Down!

Only three days -- inlcuding today -- to go before the treatment is over. My neck looks very sunburned. But the cream provided by the nurse helps a lot. I have almost no voice -- a very soft, very hushed bedroom whisper is about all I can muster. The doctor says the voice will return, although it may take a month or so.

He also said the sore throat will ease up in a few weeks. The sore throat has been one of the strongest side effects. It really hurts. The cough is less now because of the narcotic cough medication. That, and the "radiation mixture" cocktail I wrote about earlier ease the pain. But the narcotics also can cause constipation and great discomfort. Drinking lots of prune juice and plenty of water. Overall, the doctor says he is happy with my progress. I will return to Ann Arbor a month after we leave so he can check me, and then return again in three months.

So I have today's treatment, then Thursday and finally, finish up Friday afternoon. We plan on driving toward North Carolina Saturday. I am really looking forward to seeing Lake Adger!

Backers suspect political motive - Hendersonville Times-News

The police chief, who is from Peru originally, was in our fire training class in Columbus. We like him.
Backers suspect political motive - Hendersonville Times-News

Double dose

I had a double dose of radiation therapy today to make up for the day the machine was down last week. No problem -- except that of getting out of bed early enough to be at the hospital by 7 a.m. The second treatment was at the regular 4:45 p.m. slot.

Thank God!

We got the good news Thursday -- we can make up the missed day of radiation and keep to our plan to return home on Saturday, Sept. 2, rather than staying over for one more treatment on the Tuesday after Labor Day.
A bad motherboard in the radiation machinery caused a cancellation last Monday but we pleaded for a makeup. They will do it at 7:15 a.m. Monday, and then I will get that day's regular treatment at 4:45 p.m.

So only five more treatment days -- six actual treatments -- to go!

Some more examples of the blessings from all this:

We have heard from cousins I had lost contact with through my own negligence and their encouragement and love has been a great boost. Cousin Marty fought her own battle against breast cancer and won it with good humor and prayer. She wrote about her experimental treatment that had everyone in the hospital -- maybe even the cleaning lady -- checking out her breast. She also wrote that when she needed an answer she lay in her bed and said: "God, I need your help with this one! Turned over and went to sleep, woke up and got my answer in the evening newspaper. Helped me through a really tough time." The answer she saw in the paper was the Prayer of the Day, from Joshua 1:19.

"Be strong, and very courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go"

Marty wrote:
"I cut that little prayer out of the paper, and at this moment, it is taped securely in the middle of my monitor here on my desk. It's turned yellow, almost grey green and looks yucky. But I am one of the lucky ones who can see that my prayer is answered, literally, every day."

Cousin Doug wrote that he and his wife are praying for a quick recovery "And we will do that in spite of my intense envy over your taking up a wonderful life of retirement in a beautiful place." Doug followed me into a career with The Associated Press. Yet he is still speaking to me.

Why cable news pursues the JonBenet Ramsey case | csmonitor.com

Click on the title to see a good analysis of why the cable news programs pay so much attention to the JonBenet story. It all goes back to the OJ trial, when they got the feed from the courtroom free and CNN was able to fill hours of space at very little cost.

Bummer

A line in the book of Proverbs says that disappointment makes the heart sick. Yesterday, the radiation team called Chuck to tell him that the machine was broken. Therefore, he wouldn't have a session that day.

For an instant, we were bummed out.

We have been faithfully marking off the days on the calendar until the treatment is over. An extra day off must have been what Chuck needed. He had a long sound sleep.

His molecules got a needed boost.

After the primary session, I asked him how the treatment felt. He said, " I feel like my molecules are dancing. And it's a dance I don't know."

Today he will ask the doctor about the finish date because we don't want to stay over the Labor Day weekend for one session.

Mistaken Identity

In Oaxaca, two reporters were badly beaten. The crowd thought they were policemen.
Viernes 18 de Agosto de 2006 / Miembros de la APPO golpean a reporteros

Halfway There!

I had my 14th treatment on Tuesday -- only 14 more to go before this is over. My throat has been very sore since Sunday and the coughing has only become stronger. On Tuesday the doctor prescribed a potent narcotic cough syrup that seemed to work Tuesday night. I was also given a "radiation mixture" of Lidocaine, Benadryl and Malox to soothe and coat my throat at mealtimes and bedtime. It works pretty good but doesn't last very long. I took a shot last night and then had a hamburger and onion rings.

I was pretty miserable over the weekend and on Monday and Tuesday because my throat hurt so bad. It is just a dull ache until I swallow and then becomes the worst sore throat I have ever had. The doctor said this is to be expected and might get worse before it gets better as the radiation therapy continues. But it is still a "good" sign.

Sylvia and I have been together so long we thing alike. I stopped at the Soups restaurant and bought an extra-large container of cheese and broccoli soup. She had stopped at the grocery store earlier and bought the ingredients to make cheese and broccoli soup.

So we will be souped-up for a while.

We heard last night of the death of Joe Vidi, a long-time friend, brother in Christ and member of Voice for Jesus Church in Miami. He had a heart attack.

The Weekend!

More beautiful weather in Washtenaw County. My Friday treatment was uncomplicated. I hope this weekend respite --no more rays until Friday afternoon -- will give my throat a chance to cool off a bit.

The constant sore throat reminds me every time I swallow that I should have never picked up my grandfather's Camel cigarettes. But if the worst of this is just the discomfort of a sore throat I will really be blessed. My energy level is pretty good today but I can't swallow much but smoothies, oatmeal and soup. Warm tea is soothing, too.

We are thinking about heading into Ann Arbor to hang out downtown for a while. I think I feel up to it.

Ups and Downs

My therapy Thursday was again quick and easy. I saw a substitute doctor after the treatment -- my regular doctor is on vacation -- and described my sore throat and coughing symptoms. She said the sore throat was an expected result of the treatment, said nothing about the cough, and said the regular doctor will be back next week. She gave me a cream for the slight burning of the skin on my throat. So I will stay with the over-the-counter throat and cough medications I am taking until my doctor is back next Tuesday.

I spent a pretty rough night with the cough and raw throat. The throat only hurts when I swallow. It feels raw and some liquids and foods are harder to swallow than others. I had a couple of cups of weak coffee -- no cream or sugar -- and some watermelon for breakfast. That soothed the throat for a while. We slept with the windows closed and the AC on last night with the thought that I may be experiencing some allergy problems with the windows open. Over-the-counter allergy medication seems to help the runny nose and sneezing.

This is a beautiful Michigan summer morning - about 70 degrees and sunny. The forecast is for a low tonight in the 50s. The windows will be open for sure.

I reach the halfway mark -- treatment No. 14 -- next Tuesday.

Gain Through Pain

We had a wonderful day Wednesday. A good night's sleep Tuesday night made the difference for me. And a good day for me made the difference for Sylvia.

No coughing during the night. A solid eight hours of nocturnal bliss made for a very comfortable day Wednesday. It was topped by a very quick in-and-out treatment in less than 15 minutes. I was at the hospital a total of 22 minutes. That's the fast-pitch record so far. The session included two x-rays, a weekly procedure to make certain the bony structure has remained the same and no treatment adjustments are necessary. Apparently the bony structure changes with variations in weight.

The only draw back in an otherwise great day was the onset of a sore throat -- promised as one of the more certain side effects of throat radiation therapy. If started Wednesday evening and progressed during the night so that it is "hurtin' pritty good" this afternoon.

This is actually a good sign even if it is uncomfortable. The "acutely responding" normal tissues in my throat react to the radiation pretty much the same way the tumor cells respond. So if I have a sore throat that means something good is happening in there and tumor cells are getting killed -- No Pain, No Gain.

The pain has not gone beyond the "my throat is sore" phase. Some patients have reported pain so severe it limits the ability to swallow food.

While all this is going on I have kept up with the rest of the world, of course. There was a little flury of excitement when Fidel Castro turned over the Cuban government controls to his brother Raul. One of my favorite sites for news from within Cuba is www.cubanet.org. This site has stories from the independent (dissident) journalists as well as links to Cuba's official, controlled press. Where else could I learn that thieves robbed the farm of Antonio Alonso, a leader in the anti-government farmers organization, and left him only with the pants he wore?

And the big news today -- the arrest of the terrorists in London and the increased airport security -- make me very glad I no longer fly around for a living.

And finally a bit of South Florida news:

Eugene Salvage, the police chief at Fort Pierce, has been arrested for forging his ex-wife's name on a $5,800 check. His ex-wife is Gwendolyn Boyd, police chief in North Miami. She's the one who did away with the swimming requirement for police officers in order to make it easier to recruit Haitian-American officers.

Weekend Recovery

Today, Aug. 8, 2006, is our wedding anniversary. Sylvia and I were married 47 years ago today in Denton, Texas. I can only barely remember not being married. She is such a part of me now that I cannot begin to imagine what life would have been like without her.

It is good that there are no therapy sessions on Saturday or Sunday. That gives me a chance for some R&R and on Monday -- yesterday-- I felt rested enough to make a pilgrimage. Sylvia and I drove down to Cabela's super outdoors store south of Ann Arbor. I had purchased some rod holders for our pontoon boat on our last trip up here but the brackets were the wrong size so they had to be exchanged.

It was good I was rested. It really hard to get in and out of Cabela's in less than half a day. The place is huge -- full or fishing stuff you never know you need until you see it, and stuff you didn't know existed.

I got the exchange done. I bought Sylvia a sweater and a jacket. She picked them out, then hesitated until I insisted I wanted her to have them. I am happy that I am financially and physically able to buy stuff for her. We had a burger at the Longhorn steak house nearby, then bought gift candy at a candy outlet store. Factory second chocolates.

The Monday afternoon treatment was quick and smooth. But Monday night I began to develop a sore throat and the cough was back in force. Kept me awake a lot Monday night. I will see the doctor Tuesday afternoon and see what he recommends. The cough kept me awake a lot and disturbed Sylvia's sleep, too.

Twenty to go

I have now completed eight radiation treatments and have only 20 more to go. The third week of treatment starts tomorrow. The Friday session was a good one, in and out very quickly.

I felt very good Friday and Friday evening. We had dinner and a movie at Cathy's house. But Saturday was a very sluggish day. I felt as if I was walking through molasses until about 3 p.m., when the world got rosier. Some trouble sleeping nights -- very unusual for me -- and that must contribute to the fatigue.

So far I could have remained in Mill Spring and driven to Asheville or Spartanburg for the therapy without any problem. But our presence here has been a great relief for our kids and for Sylvia. For me, too. It is wonderful having such a support group of loving family members around me. They put up with my moods without complaint. Or at least without complaining to me.

I am sure glad I didn't make them hate me when they were growing up.

I have been asked for some reference links for others preparing for radiation therapy on the neck. I posted a couple earlier so here goes:

http://www.medicinenet.com/radiation_therapy/article.htm

http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertype/Larynx


http://www.med.umich.edu/radonc/index.htm

http://www.rdoc.org.uk/patientthroat.html

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/radiation-therapy/CA00031

I will post more links as I find them.

What's it like?

Sylvia asked me what I think about during the radiation therapy. I think about how tight the mask is. But mostly I pray in the Holy Spirit and praise God.

It is God who gives men the intelligence to invent the kind of machinery we are using.

It is God who put this kind of work in the hearts of my doctor, his nurse and the technicians.

It is God who is guiding the hands of those who treat me.

It is God who is consoling those I love.

The technicians -- all are female -- are very considerate. My appointment is for 4:45 p.m. Monday thorough Friday but they tipped me that if I get there a little early they can probably get me in early. Once they had to come out to advise me they were running behind but usually the system works pretty good. The receptionist reads a bar code on my hospital card, which tells the computer I am there. Within few minutes I am called into the treatment room.

Some days are faster than others. Yesterday I was in and out of the place in less than 15 minutes!

The treatment leaves me kinda groggy and a little disoriented but so far that has passed in a short time. I think I feel that way because of the mask, not because of the radiation. My skin feels warm where the radiation enters but that is not uncomfortable. The doctor says that as the treatment progresses I might develop what looks like a sunburn on my neck at about the level of my Adams apple. Some patients also develop severe fatigue. I reject that.

My days have settled into a routine of sorts, built of course around the afternoon appointment. Sylvia and I have our prayer time together first thing in the morning. I want to walk but the heat has been so severe these past few days that we only walked on two mornings. After breakfast I try to get in some writing. I am working on a novel about Barrabas.

I may run an errand or two or just relax and read o watch a movie in the afternoon. About 4:15 I head for the hospital.

So far I have felt only minor fatigue but I still have a persistent cough -- one of the symptoms. Some times it feels like I am coughing up my toes.

I have a calendar with the treatments number, starting with 28 and going down to 1. Each evening I cross off another treatment.