It's a Go

Curt went in for the radiation verification this morning, and they said everything was a go for Monday. His daily appointment is for 11:40 AM for now. They said they would have some earlier times available in the near future. It only took about 20 minutes. I got to see what the mask was like by the impression in his forehead. They said they got the mask a little tight, and he will have the impression after each treatment. Maybe it will "loosen up" a little as time goes by.

He also got a new prescription for his eye today. It was a little spendy - $50 for our share. So we hope it works. Dr. Gross said to continue the aspirin a day even though Curt had an ulcer. Curt will probably see Dr. Gross in the middle of January. We need to see what time the radiation treatments will be for sure before we make the appointment.

Joan and Curt

Verification

Curt finally got a call from SRCC today. They are going to do the "verification" on Friday and start the treatments next Monday. He has been playing more tennis lately but is still not 100%. His biggest complaint (besides the chewing) is his "weeping" eye. He still has some pain in his left shoulder too.

It was good to see some "old friends" (who used to live in Corvallis) in Portland during our "long" Thanksgiving weekend with the Bakers. Curt played tennis with one of them (Bill Bregar, who actually lives just a few blocks from the Bakers). We saw the Clems at Baker's church. Hope everyone had as nice a Thanksgiving as we did!

Joan

New Mask

We are not sure when Curt will start the radiation now. Last Thursday he had to go in and have a new mask made. They wanted his head to be in the exact same position it was in when he had his radiation over a year ago. He also had another MRI in that position. When they made the first mask, they did not have all the information from OHSU. SRCC said they will call when they have everything calculated.

We are looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving at the Baker house in Lake Oswego with some of Jef's family.

Joan and Curt

The Mask

This afternoon Curt had a mesh mask molded of his face. This will be used to hold his head still during the treatments and have the markings for the radiation. They also took another MRI and will use this with previous MRIs and other data to plan where exactly they will do the radiation. He will not return until November 19, when they will do the actual simulation. The treatments will begin the next day and continue for a total of 35 (over 7 plus weeks).

We both had our Shingles vaccine last Friday and now should be set for a while.

On Saturday, Curt blew the leaves off our roof and from the yard into the street. This afternoon he went for a walk after his appointment. Tomorrow afternoon he hopes to "hit a few" tennis balls with a friend.

Sunday we celebrated Vega's third birthday in Lake Oswego. We also got to hear both girls sing in the Angel Choir at their church that morning. This picture is of Vega combing the "right" side of Curt's hair. His other side is looking better every day!

Joan