Slices of Me!


Yesterday morning I got my 4th COVID vaccine because I am on my way to being immunocompromised. My arm is SORE and I was a little feverish through the night. This has been the case for all of my COVID vaccines, so I expected it, but it sucks feeling sore and feverish on one of these last few pre-chemo days.

In the afternoon I had a virtual meeting with my radiation oncologist. I like that there is an effort made to introduce me to all of the people in charge of my care even if I won't see them again for a while. If my treatment goes as planned my chemotherapy will wrap up around the end of July, surgery will happen before the end of August, and I will have radiation treatments in the fall sometime. The doctor spent some quality time with me discussing the 'big picture' of my treatment plan and the reasons for sequencing the three main 'events' (chemo, surgery, radiation) in that order. Since I know some science-y things he taught me about about Bragg peaks and how they compare for x-ray vs. proton radiation treatment (not really relevant since we do not have a proton treatment facility in Canada; proof that this was just a chance to nerd out a bit). He also dispensed some kind advice about adjusting to my new lifestyle and some of the mental and emotional challenges that I can expect during and after my treatment. 

At the appointment I also asked about my CT scan results, as we had not discussed those at my appointment earlier this week. There wasn't anything in the scan we didn't already know (good news) but my reputation for geeking out about diagnostic tests had proceeded me, and the doctor shared his screen and took me on a tour of my body from my eyeballs to my butt. ;) Here are some highlights...

A couple of different views of my head...






Lungs, trachea, esophagus, ribs, spine:


Lungs and heart:


Pelvis and intestines:



See? Very cool. And now you all know me a little better. :)

We are having a great visit with my mom and Science Fair is just wrapping up after three long nights of Zoom judging. The sun is shining, the ice is melting, and I can feel spring on the way.













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