Treatment Update

Today marks the halfway point of my treatment. Things have gone well so far and much faster than I expected. There has been some minor things here and there. Last week I started to have some dull headaches, but so far Tylenol is keeping them at bay. Hopefully, steroids won't be needed to keep the brain inflammation in check. Also, I’m starting to develop some sore/sensitive spots on my head, but they are okay right now. Thankfully, fatigue has not been too much of a problem and hopefully won’t be as treatment progresses.

Novalis TX

Here is the machine being used to treat my tumor. It is called the Novalis TX and is also made by the same company, Varian, who also makes the True Beam system.

Treatment Started

I began my treatment this past Tuesday and just completed my fourth session today. Just 24 more sessions to go. Feel okay so far and the drive to and from UCLA has been bearable so far.

I am receiving a total of 180 centigrade of radiation per session at the isocore (i.e., tumor). Since there are nine beams/entry points, each beam will deliver about 20 centigrade of radiation. The 180 centigrade is considered to be in the normal range for radiation therapy treatment.

Finally found a breakfast idea I might be able to live with. As some of you know, I’ve been trying to switch over to a more healthier diet as studies have shown a connection between diet and tumors/cancers. It’s been a slow change for me and I’m starting out with breakfast first. Can’t believe I haven’t had processed sugars in over 3 weeks. Anyway, if anyone would like to try this, here’s the recipe for the above oat meal breakfast bowl I conjured up from various recipes I’ve found.
Serves 1:
¼ cup of rolled oats
½ cup of water
¼ cup of soy milk (optional)
Raw local honey (thanks Michelle!)
4 Strawberries
Blueberries
Uncle Sam’s cereal (original)
In a small pot, mix the oats and water over a low to medium heat until the desired consistency is met. Please stir occasionally. Then mix in the milk. I find that it gives the oat meal a richer taste and better consistency.
Once desired consistency is met, scoop into bowl and drizzle with honey, sprinkle a bit of the Uncle Sam’s cereal for a crunchy texture, and top off with fruit.

Here’s my mask that I will wear once treatment starts. It was made just today. It's fairly comfortable, although restricting of course. My treatment plan should be finalized within the next week or two.

Spoke with the radiation-oncology office today and we were able to finally schedule the necessary brain MRI for tomorrow evening. So now both scans for the brain mapping are scheduled and if everything goes according to plan, my treatment should begin the week of 11/28.

Quick Update

So I still haven’t started radiation therapy yet. The CT simulation has been authorized, however, UCLA is still working on obtaining authorization for the brain MRI. The brain MRI is needed in the brain mapping portion of the treatment. The issue is that additional documents are needed beyond the norm because I just recently had an MRI on 10/17 so my insurance needs additional information on why another one is needed so soon. In speaking with the UCLA radiation oncology office, I believe everything should be cleared up by this week. The good news is that my CT simulation is set for this coming Thursday (11/17). It would be great if the brain MRI is authorized and can be scheduled for this date as well.

So if both scans can be done by the end of this coming week, the most likely start date for my treatment would be November 28. It normally takes 7 to 10 days for the treatment to be finalized by the radiation-oncologist and neurosurgeon after the completion of the brain mapping. Based on this start date, my treatment should end the first week of January 2012.

A mini crisis also came up this past week. I received a letter from UCLA informing me that their contract with my insurance will be terminating January 1, 2012. It also further stated that both parties are currently negotiated a new contract, but no agreement has been reached as of yet and it is uncertain whether one will. This revelation certainly brought some cause for concern because my treatment would run so close to the date. I wasn’t sure how it would possibly affect my treatment and whether it would be necessary to go elsewhere for treatment. I sent an email to Dr. Selch and the very next day received a call from his office. The person whom I spoke with was great. She explained that in the circumstance that a new agreement cannot be reached between UCLA and Blue Shield, that it should not be a problem to continue receiving care at UCLA. There is a Blue Shield program called Continuity of Care Services that would allow patients to continue to receive care from their provider under in-network terms for a specified amount of time in the event such as what I am facing now. The radiation oncology office said that if needed, they would go ahead and fill out the application for me and that in their experience, it should not be a problem in getting approval from Blue Shield based on my specific circumstances and the criteria used for approval. In speaking with a Blue Shield nurse who I have been in contact with, she also stated the same thing. Hearing this definitely made me feel better.

This past week I also met again with Dr. O’Bryan. The good news is that the echocardiogram shows everything is okay with my heart. It is structurally sound and functioning normally. Also, based on the transmissions I sent, everything looked fine as well, therefore I no longer have to wear the monitor. Dr. O’Bryan feels that my off-centeredness may be a side effect of the Keppra I am taking due to the fact that I am getting these random episodes even when I am sitting as well. However, at this point, he recommended that I intake about 32 oz of electrolytes per day for the next couple of weeks just to see if it helps. If it doesn’t, then he may prescribed me a medication to increase my blood pressure, however, it’s something he is hesitant to do and will consider it when the time comes.

Regarding the Keppra, I feel that it may have something to do with my bouts now. Maybe it didn’t when the dizziness came back again at the end of August, but it may now. This past Monday, Dr. Lai increased the daily dosage from 2000 mg to 2500 mg. He felt it necessary because about 1.5 weeks ago, I had a couple episodes accompanied by some slight disorientation and one bout accompanied by very slight weakness in my legs although just literally for a fraction of a second. This was cause for concern considering I’ve never had an episode with disorientation even before I started Keppra back in June and I haven’t had weakness since I first started having mini-partial seizures. The good news is that I only had these two sensations that one day 1.5 weeks ago and haven’t had them since. However, I do feel a bit more off-centered since the increase in dosage and I do seem to be having more bouts while seated and the bouts seem to be lasting longer or are prolonged whereas before the increase in dosage, they would be relatively brief.

Well, I am hoping that the brain MRI will be resolved this week and that I can get both the MRI and CT scans done by Thursday in order for my treatment plan to be finalized.