The Brain Game Day1

It was a rough Sunday night which involved a blistering headache and very little sleep.  In order to minimize the side effects of the steroids I have been taking Dr. Patel had slowly reduced the amount I would take daily.  I guess we missed a little on the low side which brought the headache back for a second act.  God bless Helen who loaded the car on Monday morning and did the chauffeur duties while I tried to catch a nap while we headed East.  As usual everything was extremely organized at the Duke Cancer Center and it was not long before we were escorted into the radio surgery area.  The techs laid me down on the table and proceeded to strap my head into my plastic mask.

Attaching the Mask

Once the mask was attached the techs moved out to the control room to work on getting everything calibrated so that my head would be in the exact position necessary for the xrays to hit the tumor.  I am so sorry I didn't get their names but the folks working on me were just great.  Before they left they flipped on some classic Billy Joel to keep me company.

Ready to be Zapped

The procedure took about forty five minutes and really was not too bad.  I just laid there, listened to the music and tried to find that happy zen place and wait until it was over.  It wasn't long before I was detached from my mask and on my way.  I never actually felt a thing the whole time - crazy!

Back in the lobby we waited a few minutes and were shown into an examining room where we soon met with Dr. Patel.  It says so much about the care at the Duke Cancer Center that I was able to meet with my Dr. on short notice without an appointment.  With Dr. Patel's guidance I had cut back on the amount of steroid medicine up to that point but, now that the headaches were back, he decided that I would have to add a bit more to my daily dose which hopefully will solve the headache problem.  He also was good enough to prescribe a sleep aid as it has been difficult for me to get more than a few hours of sleep at a time.  So with all of these problems solved we headed out to Chapel Hill where we are once again the guests of our great friends Karen and Rick Wilson.  One day down and four to go then it is bye bye brain tumor.

Thanks to all of my wonderful friends and family who sent me down the mountain full of prayers and good wishes.  It makes the load so much lighter.  God Bless you all.

J