Mayhem on a Molecular Level

As I mentioned in my last post, I started radiation treatments last week.  Quite frankly, so far I haven't noticed a difference unless being in more pain counts.  Actually, that's not fair.  The radiation oncologist, let's call him Dr. Zapper, aka the Cancer Ninja, said that I may experience a little more pain before things started to get better.  He said that initially we may inflame the tumor (Great, let's make it mad) which in turn would put more pressure on my spine which would in turn cause more pain.  I should be starting to feel some relief by the end of this week.

The whole radiation process is pretty simple and I don't feel a thing.  I'm driven to my appointment, I wait in the waiting room, I'm escorted to the radiation room, I take my shirt off, I lay on a table for 15-20 minutes, there's some buzzing, I get up, get dressed and drive home.

I am expecting some side effects to kick in soon, but so far it just makes me feel pretty tired.  I'll probably get some sunburn, which I find very ironic, and also a pretty sore throat due to the proximity of the tumor to my esophagus. So I suppose it could be a lot worse.

Dr. Zapper, aka the Tumor Assassin, has also informed me that 4 weeks of radiation is a compliment to me.  If I was older, was in worse shape, had other health issues or was in more dire straits, he would have recommended a much more aggressive and shorter approach which would not have been as effective.  With the 22 doses that he has prescribed, we are able to attack the tumor with a sniper rifle instead of a hand grenade.  This approach will allow us to minimize damage to other tissue innocently standing by.

Everything sounds great, but the reality is that the radiation treatment is kind of like taking cold medicine.  We are doing our best to treat the symptoms, but aren't doing anything to attack the cause.  That comes later with the immunotherapy.  In the meantime, I will be a good patient and keep very still on the table while Dr. Zapper, aka The Irradiator,  creates mayhem on a molecular level.  As he said, "I'm fighting evil, so you don't have to."