Follow-up began today with a PSA blood test

 I drove to the radiation lab in a monsoon, something we haven't seen here in Austin for months.  I welcome the rain, but the road was slick after such a long drought.  I arrived a few minutes before my 1 pm appointment and showed my picture of the day to Isabel at the front desk as she took my temperature and got me checked in.  

The reason for my visit was to get my PSA checked via a blood test in advance of a visit to my urologist next Thursday.  My understanding is that the first reading can be almost anything from 0 to twice the reading I had before the radiation and hormone therapy started.  It is used to begin to establish a baseline for what the new normal is going to be.  I will be tested periodically for the next couple of years to try to determine what the range is that it will eventually settle into.

I had a great time, I was able to go to the back and see the radiation therapists and visit with them about their lives and of course, everybody wanted to see the picture I brought with me this time.  It was nice to hear about modified upcoming wedding plans and everybody wanted to know how well I was recovering.  I was happy to report that every side effect was getting better by the day.

Here is the picture of the day, a Black-chinned Hummingbird at the Mueller Greenway butterfly garden that I took on August 1st.  It was so cool that I was able to capture this image with the cobweb in just the right position.