Cyberknife Treatments Complete! ✔️

Last week I completed the cyberknife radiation treatments to the third and final lung tumor scheduled for treatment.  I went to Stanford on four consecutive days to receive the treatments.  Each treatment took about 20 minutes to do the scans that verified the precise positioning needed to deliver the radiation and about one minute to deliver the treatment.

Here is a photo of me on the table just prior to my last treatment. That device above my chest circled around my body - a complete 360 while delivering the radiation to the tumor.

The tumor will be progressively destroyed over the next several months.  I will have scans to check the progress in late August.  I had vertually no side effects, except for being tired from getting up early to fight the traffic on the way to Palo Alto.  If I am to have any side effects, they will likely show up in about 4-6 months.  The most common side effects of cyberknife radiation to the lungs are a cough, indication pneumonitis (inflammation in the lungs), that may require steroids and pain & weakness in a rib if it is near the tumor site. Let's hope neither of these occur to me.

Cheers!

As my husband so eloquently stated, "Check one more treatment off the treatment to-do list!"  We celebrated several times this weekend the fact that I am now three tumors closer to beating this cancer than I was about a month ago.  I am almost recovered from my lung surgery & the neuropathy pain from the surgical incisions is getting better each week.  So, WOO HOO!!!

We also enjoyed a visit from Elyse this weekend, had a great hike at Freemont Alder Open Reserve, had a wonderful dinner with friends, and enjoyed a couple of fun events at Brookside (our local family tennis and swim club).  It's shaping up to be a nice summer!

   

Hike with Hubby and Elyse

My girls enjoying cheese fondue together

Now I move on the next procedure - never a dull moment around here! ;-). On Friday I will have my colonoscopy, as it has been one year since my colon cancer diagnosis. We do not anticipate finding anything suspicious, as my recent CT scans have shown no findings in my liver, abdomen, or pelvic (yay!!!), but my surgeon wants to take a look at his surgical handy-work, specifically at the anastemosis (the technical name for the area where he attached my small intestine to my large intestine after removing the section of bowel that contained my tumor).  He will make sure there is not excess scar tissue present and verify that indeed I otherwise have a health happy gut ;-).

June 2nd marks the day I start back on chemo. I do not look forward to returning to this every two week regime.  I think it will end my post here and not think about this until I have to.

On a happier note, I think I will begin to ease back into playing some tennis in the coming weeks. Nothing too competitive.  Just social tennis to start, but it makes me very happy just to think about it! ❤️

I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Weekend too!

Cheers, Jacki