Met with the radiation team at UW yesterday and this time the job is going to be a bit more difficult than my back. One problem is the location, and the other is the size of the area affected. I've diagrammed it here (no photos, please!) to give you an idea, but the melanoma behind my ear has spread pretty extensively and rapidly and now fills the area outlined. Because it's on the surface and just below, I will, unfortnately, have somewhat more noticable side effects, reddness, possible impared hearing, balance maybe, and for sure some hair loss. The docs are going to aim the beams to try to minimize the hair loss and also aim them so they don't affect my mouth much but this is a big area and is going to be uncomfortable and probably unsightly for a while. We'll do two weeks, same dosage and will probably start on Tuesday.
The simulation was interesting. Once they positioned my head just so they warm up this plastic netting and force it over your face and clip it onto the bed of the scanner. They poke it to form it to your head and face and for a while you recall scenes from Alexander Duma's "The Man in the Iron Mask" Whew.... They will cut out eye and mouth holes, and each time I'm scanned it will insure I'm in just the right position. The techs confirmed that quite a few people have to be heavily sedated to got through the process the first time or two, but I did just fine.
Anyway, if I start Tuesday the 25th it will end on the 8th, right after Labor Day. I'm seeing a lot of people over labor day, and if you are one of them be warned I might not look as good as I could have hoped when all these plans were made. Oh well. LOL...I also might have to change from a table of 8 to a table for 1 on my cruise, but I can make that call when I know just how bad it is. Also turns out the Cruise is probably timed right...9 days of three meals a day and room service while I recover, plus all the other on-board amenities will be just what the doc called for.
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