Tumor Treatment Update

I went to the radiation doctor, Dr. Zarkoob, last Tuesday for my initial consultation with her. My neurosurgeon set me up with Dr. Zarkoob, as he has worked with her several times in the past. I liked this doctor and everyone in the office very much. After talking with the nurse for a while for her to take my history, I finally got to meet the doctor. She had been able to see my pre- and post-surgery MRI and CT scans before meeting with me. She explained that I would need 30 radiation treatments on the remaining 2 cm of tumor that the neurosurgeon was unable to remove in surgery. My neurosurgeon initially guessed that I would need 20 treatments, so hearing 30 treatments was a little shocking. I'll need daily treatments, Monday-Friday, for 6 weeks. We asked about the probable side effects from the radiation treatments, but Dr. Zarkoob wasn't really able to answer that question because she said that each person is different. I can definitely expect all of my hair on my head to fall out. The doctor said that it will take 3-4 months after the treatment is over before it will even start to grow back, so that will be the springtime. I'm just happy that Dr. Zarkoob did not try to sugarcoat my hair falling out, like the neurosurgeon did. She was straightforward about the hair loss, which actually made me feel a little better about it. It definitely still sucks that I'm going to be bald, especially in the winter, but it is what it is. Other side effects will probably include being really tired and I might get nauseous, have headaches, and/or blurry vision.

The next day, on Wednesday, I went back to the radiation doctor to have a special mask made that I will wear each day of my treatments. The point of the mask is to basically bolt my head to the table so that I am in the same exact spot for my treatment each day. They will shoot the tumor with the radiation from a different angle each day so that minimal "good" brain is killed in the process of killing the tumor. The mask is a hard plastic mesh type material. They heated up the plastic so that it was pretty warm, and then molded it onto my face while I was laying on the radiation table. Then they bolted the mask to the table until it cooled and hardened. I could breathe just fine because of the mesh pattern, but I sort of felt like I couldn't because it was so tight over my nose and mouth. I think they are going to cut holes out where my nose and mouth go before my treatments start to make the mask more comfortable. After the mask was made, they did some CT scans on me so that the doctor could use the those images and a computer program to map my exact treatment plan.

On Thursday of last week, I met with my oncologist, Dr. Noga, who will be administering my oral chemotherapy. He had not spoken with the radiation doctor prior to my appointment, even though Dr. Zarkoob assured me that she would call him before the appointment. I was sort of mad about the lack of communication between these two doctors, because Dr. Noga couldn't give me any concrete details since he had not heard about the radiation plan directly from Dr. Zarkoob. The only information that he had about my treatment was what I learned over the past two appointments that I went to the two days before and explained to him. However, he explained that I will be on the oral chemo pills because they work in tandem with the radiation therapy to enhance the overall killing potential of the two drugs on the tumor. I will either take a low dose of the oral chemo over the entire 30 days of the radiation treatment or I will take a higher dose for only about a week at the beginning of the radiation. Dr. Noga assured me that he would have a better answer about the chemo plan after he talks to Dr. Zarkoob about her radiation plan.

So, from what I know now, the radiation treatment should start in the next week or two, after the radiation doctor finalizes the plan in the computer. She will communicate with the oncologist, who will then make his plan for the oral chemotherapy. I am waiting on the radiation doctor to call me back for another appointment, then I will make an appointment with the chemo doctor. After those two appointments, the two treatments will start. Again, the radiation will last six weeks, which will take me almost up through Christmas. So, I need to get my shopping on!