Thursday, February 18, 2016

Thursday, February 18, 2016 3:28

Brain cancer is...


...a free parking pass!

Cancer adventures couldn't get much better. But really, today was a forward-looking day.  We met with the radiologist, Dechen Dolkar, for the initial consultation.  Here's the abstract of the plan:  Concurrent radiation and chemotherapy as soon as those popular staples are removed.  Radiation will be five days a week, M-F, for 46 days. 

Fun radiology facts:  
  • Incredible advances in brain imaging make radiation therapy very precise today.  The doc will fuse pre- and post-op MRIs with a CAT scan she takes tomorrow, then cut the resulting 3D image into  3 mm slices to plan the precise course of radiation.
  • Zach will take Darrell in tomorrow to have his super hero mask made and to get the planning CAT scan.  The mask will hold his brain vewy vewy quiet during each 2-minute radiation session.
  • Darrell's radiation will be measured in the unit of "grays."  
We were reassured by the doc's demeanor, precision, and reading of past scans and post-op recovery notes.  Every MD we see comments on Darrell's youth, strength, and good response to surgery.  

Tell us something we DON'T know, right Team Darrell?

7 comments:

  1. He is very youthful, healthy and most of all a good sense of humor with motivation, I highly recommend "guided imagery" during XRT. I.e."feel the Force " and imagine it sapping nasty tumor cells.

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  2. We will all be praying vewy vewy hard. Biggest hugs!!

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    1. Thanks for making us smile. And thanks for the prayers. Today a friend told me she's doing 40 days of prayer. What's the name for that?

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  3. I never did get an answer if there's a cape that comes with that Super Hero Mask? LOL Let's smoke those tumor cells! Go Team Darrell!

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  4. The marvels of medicine! Happy to hear about the dynamic medical team and approach!

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