Well, they postponed start of radiation until tomorrow morning, due to some confusion with an appointment with the dental group today right before 🤪😵💫🤬. Regardless, we were at the medical center anyway for the dental and some "day before chemo" blood tests.
There was a message on Biff's cell from the Radiology Oncologist this morning, and we returned the call when he discovered it to leave a message, but we did not hear back before the original appointment. (Biff had his cell on mute without realizing it - sometimes he is such a "senior" when it comes to his cell phone! Especially the phone part. 😂)
I've spoken to the Radiology Oncologist on the phone now, and everything is fine.
Bottom line, both radiation and chemo are now scheduled to start tomorrow morning! We were able to get the full schedule finally - final treatment will be February 23.
Long way to go... Next step, tomorrow, is a big one.
Biff has a busy schedule the next two months:
The dental group appointment that freaked out the Radiation Oncologist was just to have molds made for dental trays Biff will use for daily fluoride treatments. We already received the fluoride gel to use with the trays in the mail.
He will have to do the treatment for 10 minutes every day for the rest of his life!!!?!?
We hadn't been aware that this was something that will need to be done every day FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. Turns out one of the side effects of radiation, a reduction of his ability to create enough saliva (we did know about this side effect previously - just hadn't really understood it will not go away at some point after the treatment), creates problems for his ongoing dental health - for the rest of his life. The fluoride treatment will help fight that.
So, another thing added to his daily routine. And this one is forever. He's already got to do an oral rinse twice a day (this might also continue post treatment) and swallow exercises 3 times a day (should not be required once he recovers from treatment) - not to mention he has to take better care of his dental hygiene daily as well.
And he has to shave again to help the radiation mask fit properly for each of those treatments. I promise to get a picture of him in that mask to post here ASAP!
Anyway, it was a day. We got up earlier than usual and spent a couple hours at a laundromat doing our laundry, which had accumulated and piled up for a few weeks (a lot of it was blankets and towels that we were behind on).
Our washer crapped out two days before I returned from a trip to New York back on November 1st. Biff had a shoot the day after I got back, then a shoot out of town for a couple of days right after that. The following week, just before Biff headed out to a doctor appointment, he finally told me about the cyst on his neck he'd discovered while I was away. He'd decided not to tell me about it while I was on my trip.
That appointment started a fast-moving round of appointments and biopsies, etc. Not to mention heading into the holiday season. We couldn't focus on getting a new washing machine (and getting it installed and the old one taken away...), so this was our second trip to a local laundromat.
We hadn't been to a laundromat in decades. The one closest to us is really nice. We've even had them do some laundry for us (44 lbs. worth!). And the machines work great and FAST! But, man, I sat for less than 2 minutes during the two hours we were there. I was a sweaty mess by the time we were done.
Still had to put it all away once we got home. But we were able to rest a little bit, too. And have some lunch before we headed to the medical center to get the lab work needed before chemo tomorrow and get to that dental appointment early, since it had been scheduled way too close to the first radiation treatment - especially since we needed to go to a separate building for the radiation. And we did it - got there early, which was great because they took longer than they had promised it would take when I complained it was too close to the radiation appointment...
As it turns out, perhaps if I'd been able to talk to the Radiology Oncologist when he'd called while we were at the laundromat, we might have made today's radiation session happen. But, in the scheme of things, not really a big deal. We'll be back on track tomorrow!
And we have clean clothes and blankets and towels!!!
Biff and I talked a lot today about how we now, having a schedule and some sense of routine, have to get going on regular life again. In a way, having this come after the pandemic crisis hasn't helped. We just put much too much on hold for the last few years. Time to pick up the pieces and get our shit together. Can't just stop.
Of course, more will fall to me in the near future, but I'm determined to do what I can to get things in shape. Life is going on, and we can't afford to "wait" on things anymore.
Honestly, doing the laundromat this morning worked out great for our emotional states. Distracted us from the anxiety we are both dealing with, and we got something important crossed off the list. Sure, there was some chaos, and I had a couple frantic moments (like realizing I'd forgotten to put soap in the first 2 loads of laundry - yeesh), but everything worked out fine.
Even showing up to the radiation appointment only to discover it had been cancelled for today was an okay thing. We got ourselves to the separate building we'd never been to before, liked the special parking, liked the waiting area, and really liked the technician that came out to tell us about the change of plans. Mikaela (sp???) was a sweet young woman. Biff will enjoy seeing her for his sessions - and she seemed quite competent. Even with the weirdness today, I still feel pleased with the folks that are taking care of my guy. Hell, I ended up speaking to both the Radiation Oncologist and the chemo doctor on the phone today - the actual doctors! And both were calling to ease my mind about concerns I had. Pretty cool, all things considered.
Well. Tomorrow will be a new adventure. Merrily we roll along...
Happy New Year!
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