Treatment Options > Radiation / Radiosurgery
My Treatment Journal - Fractionated Cyberknife @ Stanford with Dr. Chang
CattAN:
Terry,
Good update. Yes, immediately prior to treatment you do get a steroid pill and anti-nausea pill. I found that the steroid pill gave me energy, so when I was done with the CyberKnife session I went to the shopping center and walked around for an hour! I also purchased a pricey item, normally I would not have bought it...so beware ;)
CattAN
tdlight:
Days 3 & 4
Thanks, Catt. ;) I will try to avoid the shopping center but I do plan to walk around campus.
I will keep this short since you probably aren’t reading this to hear about my vacation… We had a very nice weekend in Monterey. On Saturday we drove out to the end of the peninsula and then down 17 Mile Drive to Pebble Beach and Carmel for lunch. Then a cruise down the coast in to Big Sur with amazing views the whole way. We saw seals and a pod of whales making the migration north. We returned to Monterey for a nice dinner down on Cannery Row and a little sea otter viewing.
Today (Sunday) we had a nice breakfast overlooking the bay then packed up and headed north toward Santa Cruz with stops for groceries and at one of the great little farm stands in the Salinas area (artichokes 10/$1!). From Santa Cruz we took one of the smaller roads north through some redwood groves and funky little mountain towns. We arrived at our home for the next 5 days, an AirBnB, about 3:00. The accommodations are perfect; a little guest house/studio in the Los Altos hills with a view all the way to the bay. We have great hosts that even provided a few groceries and a nice bottle of wine. We couldn’t ask for more and at $130/nt it has to be the bargain of the century. It looks like we are maybe 20 or 30 minutes from Stanford, so with a 7:15 appointment tomorrow we will need to leave around 6:30 to allow for parking.
It was a very relaxing weekend and I almost forgot why we are down here, but the anxiousness started to creep back in this morning until something odd happened. You may have noticed my salutation on these posts; Don’t think twice, it’s alright. That is the title of a Bob Dylan song that I have adopted as my treatment theme song and personal mantra. One morning several weeks ago while I was emailing the doctors I had consulted with to let them know I would be seeking treatment at Stanford I was also listening to Pandora. As I hit send on the very last email Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright started playing. I listened through to the end and thought, that’s perfect! So this morning while we were eating breakfast on this wonderful outdoor patio enjoying the view there was an older gentlemen setting up a little sound system. Then he pulls out an acoustic guitar and starts playing the most wonderful relaxing music; I thought this is exactly what I need! Then the third song started, and of course, it was my theme song/mantra live and masterfully rendered. I was at peace again and the guitar player received a very nice tip.
Tomorrow the journey continues! (I guess that wasn't so short.)
Don’t think twice, it’s alright - Terry
tdlight:
Day 5
We were out the door this morning a little after 6:35 and made it to the parking garage in less than 20 minutes; then the shuttle bus over to the cancer center and we were there in plenty of time. I learned later the valet parking in front of the cancer center is free if you are receiving treatment (so there's another 15 minutes of sleep in the morning). Things are a bit of a mess right now with all the construction at the medical center.
It was a quick and easy morning. I had an IV put in then waited for the CT. While I was waiting both Dr. Hancock and Dr. Harris happened by and said hello. I was taken in to the CT scan room to get my mask made and the scan. The mask was interesting. It's just a very warm plastic mesh they stretch over your face and as it cools it stiffens to create a very strange looking... well, mask. And yes, I do get to keep it as a souvenir. A quick scan was done and then they injected the iodine based contrast in to the IV, which if you have never had it is a strange warming sensation, but not a pleasant kind of warming. Then it was back in for another quick scan. They pulled the IV and I was out the door in less than 45 minutes. I kind of felt like, "That was it... what am I supposed to do with the rest of my morning?" I was under the impression it was more like a two hour process.
It was a nice morning so we walked over to campus. The quad with the sandstone architecture is very impressive and it's spring break so there was hardly anyone around. We wandered over to the bookstore and I picked up the obligatory cardinal colored Stanford t-shirt. (Although I never found the one that says, "I went to Stanford for fractionated CyberKnife treatment, and all I got was this lousy shirt.") We had a little breakfast in the bookstore café and then headed over to the iconic Hoover tower for a quick trip up to the observation deck (all of 285 ft high). On our way back to the car we stopped in at the Cantor Art Museum (free admission). There we learned a little more about the history of the Stanford family, the University, why it's often called "the Farm," and saw some very impressive art and artifacts. The extensive Rodin collection, including full sized casts of The Thinker and The Gates of Hell, is probably the most impressive. A large part of the original museum and many of the original pieces were destroyed in the 1906 earthquake.
So, we have tomorrow off and have not decided what exactly we are going to do, but I do know I will be sleeping in. I am on vacation after all.
Don't think twice, it's alright - Terry
tdlight:
Day 6
Tuesday, my day off, but really they have all felt like vacation days. Two big pieces of news today; I received a call from my Cyberknife scheduler informing me they needed to move my appointments around due to some urgent cases that came in this week; and it looks like Hillary Clinton will be speaking at Stanford tomorrow at 11:15, the day of my first treatment. My appointment is at 10:30, so hopefully traffic isn't completely destroyed.
Today we went to Filoli, down to Half Moon Bay for some lunch and then up the coast to the Cliff House for a drink and appetizers. We took Skyline road home for some amazing views of the ocean and bay.
Tomorrow I get toasty!
Don't think twice, it's alright - Terry
tdlight:
Day 7
One treatment down, two to go. No issues with politician induced traffic. Dr. Hancock met me after I arrived and walked me back to the treatment area and introduced me to the radiation tech; she informed me my treatment would only take 16 minutes! I was a little shocked and even Dr. Hancock looked a little surprised (he said that would be the case with the next two also). I assume it's due to my tumor size that the treatment time is so short; I will quiz Dr. Hancock about that tomorrow.
We walked in to the treatment room with what looks like a large industrial robot and a table. They had me lay down, put the mask on and asked what kind of music I wanted to listen; classical, jazz, pop,...? It was then I realized I wouldn't be listening to my own music so I just chose classical. I then realized I had not received the nausea and steroid medications; they said I would get them afterward. Also, I noticed they did not offer me any sort of anti-anxiety meds which would have been nice but not really necessary. OK, so here we go... everyone left and the arm started moving slowly around, stopping periodically and making a buzzing noise. I just focused on the giant photo of a lake in the Canadian Rockies (I think) on the ceiling and it was over in no time.
Afterward I waited about five minutes in the waiting room for the Dr. with the meds. Dr. Hancock came out and chatted with us about his upcoming trip to Oregon with his daughter to look at colleges. I got my meds and we were off.
The steroid meds have made me a little chippy (as my wife would say), but I am taking care of that with a little home remedy called vino rojo. I am expecting the same experience tomorrow so my entry should be much shorter.
As far as activities afterward; we went to the Rosacrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose (some interesting pieces including a number of mummies, but an odd place for an Egyptian museum); then a movie to take our minds off everything. Hoping for a good nights sleep!
Don't think twice, it's alright - Terry
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