I completed my 5th and final SBRT session today. To say that I'm relieved to have that over would be a vast understatement. Now it's on to healing as quickly as possible.
Tonights sides effect du jour are 1) severe cramping kind of towards the front of my lower abdomen just behind the pubic bone (any guess where the P gland is?!?!?) and 2) roughly an ounce +/- of bright red blood in a very small BM. Both of these are new to me and I figured blood might be worthy of calling the Radiation Gods about. The Goddess on duty said that I should keep an eye on it and if it gets worse or is still happening tomorrow morning, I might need to hit Urgent Care, especially in light of the fairly severe cramping.
Sexual function seems as well as can be expected for a guy with the aforementioned problems as well as who has just gotten urethral burning under control (thanks be to ALL the appropriate deities, particularly Cheuksin, the Korean toilet god! as well as flomax and AZO). Yes things work, but that has not been a primary focus as one might imagine.
But I'm happy to say that, with the exception of the initial miscommunication regarding personal needs and preferences (or, as one physician called them, "quirks"...... choose your words carefully Doctors; they matter), I can't speak highly enough of the techs, MY nurse navigator (her name is Christie and she will be someone whom I know I can email and ask a question of or just vent to.....she's just that kind of of empathetic person aside from being a very good, very specialized RN). I'm lucky to have gotten her.
My techs, Shari and Susan, went out of their way to make sure I was comfortable for each of the 5 sessions. Thorough about keeping me advised of what they were doing, using draping consistently and thoughtfully and just being warm and caring made this so bearable. They even made sure I got some Motown to listen to. I appreciate them on a deep level.
The physician that I've dealt with at this facility, Dr. Massulo, is actually a very kind, understanding, knowledgeable man which was hard for me to realize during the planning session and caustic injection of urethral dye. It has become clear that he regrets not having seen my original communication as he stated he would certainly have taken more time and been gentler in his approach. He's a good guy.
I also am so appreciative of the social worker Susan, who has helped relieve some of the stress that goes with this. Not only a nice person, but a very kind, compassionate, knowledgeable person with a warm smile and kind heart.
Now, to try and get my stamina back ASAP! I spoke with their nutritionist today and I'll speak with her again as I need to replenish the coffers, both nutrition wise and the bank account) which have become rather drained after the medical expense/treatments of the last few months. I also found out two nights ago that my generous and kind roommates will likely move to Seattle as the younger one seems headed for a $200k plus Amazon job. I am not part of the equation as they plan to downsize substantially and, quite frankly, I annoy the hell out of the older roomie. In all fairness, they've been together almost 40 years, 8 years longer than I've known them and the younger of the twos primary responsibility is to care for his husband. I'll always be grateful for what they've done for me.
So, radiation poisoning, blindsided and all, I'm doing relatively ok. :)
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