Tuesday, June 23, 2009

A trip to the doctor

I had a busy day at the hospital yesterday. I rode my bike from my office to the hospital for radiation. It was the first day that it didn't look like I would be poured upon since I started radiation. It is actually faster to take the trail from downtown Reading to the hospital then to drive!
I met the the radiation doctor after the radiation. He asked if I had any problems with balance. I told him I rode my bike. He said I guess not. I am starting to get some pink skin at my temples. They sent me to the Image shop to buy some cream. The nurse said it works better than prescription cream.
I met with my oncologist before radiation. He had just came back from a conference and wanted to talk to me about taking an oral chemotherapy pill. Marty had also looked into this medication and wanted me to talk to him about it. The plan before was just to wait until the tumors started to grow then try something (or not). This pill is Tarceva. It works really well if the tumor has a certain mutation. But it also has some benefit if it doesn't. We talked about having the tumor tested to see if I have the mutation, but since it supposedly has a benefit in either case and I really don't have many alternatives, I decided to try it. I am waiting for a call back to come in for the teaching. They had to get approved by the insurance because it is very expensive. I hope it works and doesn't give the side effects of diarrhea and acne.
I have been tired ,working a lot. and trying to get ready for my trip. I tested the air mattresses this morning and it seems the pump is shot. I am going to have to take a trip to the camping store. I still have some flowers to plant, but other wise in good shape.