The Treatment Plan comes together

I had a tele-medicine visit with the radiation oncologist this afternoon and am thrilled with the outcome of that meeting.  I thought that I would not be able to start the radiation therapy until 2 months had passed from the Lupron injection I had last Thursday, meaning going from late June until early September for the 9 week course of daily care.  He explained that because my prostate is on the small side and is not enlarged, that June 1st is now the target date for the first radiation treatment.  I'm very happy that we're getting started sooner rather than later.  This means my last treatment will be in early August.

What has to happen between now and then?  Next week I will receive a set of elastic bands and an exercise program to fight the muscle and bone loss and the weight gain that results from the hormone therapy.  I intend to follow the program and also keep up my hiking for one to two hours per morning doing my nature photography.  I think the biggest challenge will be overcoming the fatigue brought on by a total lack of testosterone and exercising even though I will have a decided lack of energy.  I'm a stubborn German Lutheran, so all I need is for somebody to tell me I can't possibly do this and I'll do it for sure!

Next, on May 13th, I will have a day surgery in the Westlake offices of the urology practice during which 2 gold seeds will be implanted for precise radiation targeting and a spacer, brand name SpaceOAR, will be inserted between the prostate and the rectal area to protect it from radiation damage and in turn, drastically reduce some pretty unpleasant side effects.  Also, since the prostate shifts around a little bit in the body, the gold seeds will be locked onto by the radiation equipment before each dose of radiation starts.  The more I learn about the most recent techniques, the more amazed I am at the incredible care I am about to receive.

The next step will be 2 separate appointments on May 15th to map my pelvic area, once with a CT scan, another time with an MRI at a different lab.  This information will be fed into the software that will control the radiation, resulting in truly focused, individual treatment.  This approach has allowed the radiation teams to boost the dosages by about 25% over the past few years, making the treatment more effective and safer for surrounding tissue and organs.  These scans will also be used to make a positioning cast of my lower body, so I can be aligned exactly the same each time I get radiation.

That's about all I know for now, exact instructions will be sent to me for what I will need to do to prepare for each of these steps ahead of time.  It looks like the only appointment I won't be driving myself to will be the May 13th day surgery.  My friend Allan Moritz has graciously, but insistently made sure that he will be my chauffeur that day.  Uber and Lyft have got nothing on him!  I'm very grateful for the number of friends from Redeemer and other walks of my life that have offered to do anything that is needed.  It is humbling and makes me very glad I have the friends that I do, helping and praying for me.  Thank you, Jesus!