Today, Friday, February 24, 2023 I learned that the start date for my proton therapy will be Monday, March 13th, 2023. Because of insurance issues it has taken me a year and five months to get the treatment that I wanted for my cancer. There is something definitely wrong with this system. Nancy and I […]
Water
To prepare for today’s procedure I had to take two extra strength Tylenol before the procedure, nitrous oxide during the procedure and two extra strength Tylenol after the procedure. I am very appreciative of the nurse whose primary function during the procedure was to keep me distracted. I learned that she has twin daughters and a […]
Back to Jacksonville
Today, Monday, February 20, 2023, I received a call from the Proton Therapy Institute, and I am scheduled to go back to Jacksonville this week for my final staging procedures. They have provided me with 12 pages of instructions through the Proton Therapy Institute portal. After the staging procedures are completed, I should know the […]
The MRI
Today I had the long-awaited MRI and I was in the tube for almost an hour. Four hours later the report was available on one of my portals and I forwarded this report to my nurse Caroline, and she shared it with Doctor Mendenhall. I imagine the doctor was pleased with the report and imaging. […]
Avoid COVID
I need to remind myself why it’s necessary for me to follow a tight COVID avoidance protocol.
The Next Step
Before you can start proton treatments there is a lot of preparation to protect your health. There is blood work, chest X-rays, an MRI, and a procedure only available at select proton institutes including the one at Jacksonville. This is an advanced form of technology safely placed in the body and used to reduce injury […]
I Was Impressed
During my initial consultation with the doctor and nurse who will oversee my treatment at the Proton Therapy Institute, I was very impressed. If they agree I hope to introduce them to you in a later post. To give you a brief example of why I was impressed with the doctor, he gave me his […]
What Is Proton Therapy?
I went back to basic high school science to better understand this treatment. However, to truly understand you should be versed in quantum physics, organic chemistry, biochemistry, etc. All of which are beyond me! So, with the help of some experts, I’ll try and simplify this. I remember that one of the basic building blocks […]