Two Four Six Eight, We Just Love to Radiate!

Gay has just been through the first three of her twenty radiation treatments. They occur about 6:30 am every day except for the weekends. Unfortunately your humble scribe is deep in the arms of Morpheus at that ungodly hour and has not witnessed a treatment yet. Am I a pillar of strength or what?! We found out today that these measures are necessary to protect her left arm if the evil ever resurrects. As has been the case from the start, Gay has been the ultimate trooper and just does what it takes. We're heading into the late innings and we request your prayers and support more than ever. My daughter Heidi didn't like the last post and said that the picture looked like "Evita". She's a lot smarter than I am but I maintain that a picture is worth a thousand words so it stays. Gay is one tough bird!

The Girl in the Iron Mask

For those of you too young to remember Louis Hayward in "The Man in theIron Mask", I'm enclosing a picture of Gay in her radiation outfit. She will have to don this contraption for every treatment (at 6:30 am by the way)! Maybe Hannibal Lecter will refresh the memory of you younger readers. By the way, that Louis Hayward movie scared the bejesus out of me as did "The Silence of the Lambs".

I don't know about you but I'd go nuts wearing that thing. Gay is tough however and she's proven that every step of the way. I hate to say this but this looks like a scene from an "S and M" movie. Remember, when a sadist meets a masochist, he's nice to him! An old joke but fitting here.

All's Quiet on the Pinehurst Front

Thank goodness there's not much to report this week. I'm always in the "publish or perish" mode and have to write something. The chemotherapy has been over for a few weeks and now we're entering a period of radiation treatments. Gay has been going through "radiation simulations" which, in layman's terms, means that some technician has been drawing all over her with a Sharpie (probably a graffiti artist in a former life). I thought you just aimed the ray gun in a general area and let loose with the nuker. I have since found that all of these lines and circles have a purpose and when they wash off they will be replaced with that "tattoo freckle" I mentioned in a previous post. Five days a week for a month or so she will get zapped at that freckle and we hope it gets the desired results.

Gay has been feeling well and is enjoying her new "GI Jane" look. Hats have become an accessory and not a necessity anymore. Her attitude is great and none of all this has slowed her down in any way. As usual your continued support and prayers are requested and appreciated.

First Post Chemotherapy Report

From that old cherished spiritual: "Ain't gots no new flowers, ain't gots no new food, I gots dem post chemotherapy blues". Its truly amazing the comfort and consolation a song can bring regardless of the genre.

We're now in phase 2 of Gay's treatment. We learned yesterday that the blood test taken a few days ago showed further improvement in the existing cancer markers. Our oncologist, Dr. Doogie Howser has recommended that the next treatment should include radiation. The radiation doctor had a little problem with that since Gay has had radiation therapy during her last bout with cancer. She was afraid that the radiation might do more harm than good but Dr. Doogie wants to be sure that the original source be totally whacked with every defense we have available. Sure, it's not HIS body but he's been doing a great job so far and that's where we're going.

During the previous radiation treatment, they would use Sharpies to make bulls-eyes where to shoot and that was VERY interesting. They now apply an actual tattoo about the size of a freckle to designate "ground zero". She will start the series next week and will go in five days a week for about a month to get nuked. Our Doctor wants absolutely NO prisoners. Luckily its only a five minute drive to the treatment center.

After we finish the radiation, Gay will go on hormonal therapy for the foreseeable future and will be checked constantly for any new problems. We've started to look for some new sprigs on her noggin but thus far it looks like fallow ground. I guess this Taxol takes some time to leave the system.

Again, we request your thoughts and prayers. The fight is far from over but, with you on our side, we will prevail. Our sincerest thanks again.

CAUTION...Contains explicit anatomical references

Please send the kids out of the room. I will be reporting Gay's PET Scan results almost directly from the Doctor's report we received today. I will use terms which might be disturbing to young minds.

We left for South Bend right after Gay's PET Scan and sweated out both the results of that test and the Irish game over the weekend. Fortunately the Irish prevailed but we returned home yesterday with the results of the Scan still unknown. We lit some big candles at the Grotto for Gay and the Irish and the lads came through. Now we had to see how the "wax miracle" worked back here.

We went over to the Oncologist this morning and waited seemingly forever for him to come talk to us. He would be a great card player because he certainly had a "poker face" when he entered the room. The following are the results we were waiting for right out of his computer.

As you know, Gay has incurable but treatable stage four breast cancer. It started many years ago in her left breast and has been a pain in the breast ever since. The Taxol (Chemo-therapy) was started to put the bad cells to sleep and I'm pleased to report that it did it's job. The four "spots" were indeed sleeping and the Taxol knocked them out with some hair loss as collateral damage. We could certainly handle that. We will now use some radiation to put the main spot to night-night. As in previous radiation procedures, we use Gay as a night light and learn to live with it! That spot is indeed asleep like the rest of his "brothers" but this will be a preemptive strike to keep it from ever waking up again. She will then go on hormonal therapy to keep the spots asleep as long as possible. Hopefully new techniques and drugs will be available to permanently get rid of this evil. Friends, the prognosis is good and we wanted to share that with you.

There was a disturbing section in that report. Along with all the medical gobbly-gook was a note that Gay's right breast was "unremarkable"! I don't know about you but I would take umbrage if any part of MY anatomy was considered "unremarkable". Gay was happy about it though so life here goes on.

We have a game against UNC this Saturday and Domer friends and our family will be here to root on the Irish and toast our news today. I can't thank you enough for all of your prayers and support. We truly couldn't have arrived at this point with out you. We are indeed blessed to have you in our lives.