10/06/08 - Quick MU - Radiation

I got my first radiation treatment today. I met with my radiation oncologist right before it. He said many things. First, the jury's still out on whether there is a brain tumor, or if there was something else captured on the MRI such as movement or scarring due to prior treatments.

Another item was that spinal cord tumors are very rare. So I guess I hit the "lottery" again, unfortunately not the one were I win millions of dollars... My brain tumor was also a rare type (in adults, a LOT more common in children) - Medulloblastoma.

He said some other things, but one thing I care to mention is my treatment plan. He was going to treat my entire spine. After consulting with some other experts, he is going to focus the radiation on my spinal cord tumor. I am scheduled to receive 22 treatments. Since they are given every business day, that is 4 weeks and 2 days. Treatments don't hurt, but there are many potential side effects which I will mention in a future post...