Radiation

Curt has had 12 treatments and has 23 to go. His biggest complaint, so far, is the sore on his tongue. He says it feels like he bit his tongue. A doctor prescribed some medicine to apply directly to the tongue. They also gave him something to put between his tongue and teeth during the treatment. They think radiation is hitting his dental work and affecting the tongue. His eye is about the same or maybe better. He probably will always have to use some eye drops. He has also lost some of his appetite. Chewing is more difficult. Right now he is on a soft/liquid diet because of the tongue. He lost about 3 lbs. this past week. They want him to drink Ensure and Boost and eat more often. Today he complained about soreness on the back left side of his head that has been building up. Because it was a bump, the radiation doctor sent him to the ENT doctor for a possible biopsy. The ENT doctor said it looked and felt like a knotted up muscle. There are no lymph nodes in that area. He thinks a muscle was cut on that side during reconstructive surgery in order to stick in his stomach muscle for filler. The cut muscle has now shrunk back into a ball back there. It bothers him when they put on the mask. He has seen a lot of doctors this past week. The ENT doctor told him he has a rough 3 weeks coming up. He is still playing tennis though.

The Pictures

Pictures of Treatment

I was able to go observe Curt's treatment today. I am going to attach some pictures. Next week he will be able to change to 8:40 in the morning. They said that can be changed for a day if necessary. We made an appointment with Dr. Gross at 1:30 PM at OHSU on January 15. Curt will see the doctor here tomorrow and once a week from now on.

The eye drops seem to be working better. We only put them in twice a day and he hasn't had to use the No More Tears during the day.

Joan

First Treatment

Curt had his first treatment today. The actual treatment took about 15 minutes. They move the machine to "zap" him from 9 different positions and not all the "zaps" were of equal length. (The mask keeps his head in the same position.) They also took some pictures with the mask on. I can still see the mesh impression on his forehead several hours later. He said it is a little uncomfortable because the mask fits so tightly. He also met with a nurse and dietician who told him to use a cream on his face and a mild soap. His mouth might get sore and dry later, and he might have trouble swallowing. He should avoid food with citrus and keep eating softer foods with little roughage (no potatoe chips, popcorn, etc.). He will see the doctor here once a week (right now on Wednesdays).

Right now he is finishing up his second scrapbook with all the old newspaper articles about his sports, report cards, etc. I had a scrapbook on him from his senior year in high school and up through college but didn't do as well after that. He had "inherited" items from his earlier years and some duplicates of mine from his parents and wanted to reorganize all this information. It has kept him busy for awhile.

Joan and Curt