It looks like a cartoon where my head was stuck in a waffle iron and its pattern imprinted onto it. It’s occurred to me that, with a shaved head, it might make me look like some sort of Vin Diesel character. It’s also occurred to me that I might not need to shave my head to get the effect if I just wait a week or two. This will probably be the most noticeable side effect of the radiation therapy, in that I may lack hair on my head in places not typically associated with male pattern baldness. And sick puppy that I am, I’ll probably get Ellen to take some pictures so I can include them in a future "What’s Up With Dan."
The good news is, that may be as bad as it gets. I’ve been told to expect some fatigue in the coming weeks as the cumulative effects of the radiation make themselves felt (and we’ll see, as I continue to load up with the Chinese herbs and get some exercise (usually a walk) every day)
The chemo end of the equation hasn’t been that big a deal, either. I just take an anti nausea pill an hour and a half after dinner, then a dose of Temodar when I go to bed. Four days into this, I have only had mild, fleeting queasiness that does seem to improve after puffing on a joint. (Teenagers, law enforcement personnel and conservatives please pretend you didn’t read that) And most of the time, I feel fine. I believe that it’s really important, when in the middle of treatment, to try and maintain as high a quality of life as I can. A few moments of feeling OK in the middle of a day that’s mostly lousy can feel really great at the time.
So the plan is to keep doing what I’m doing: being on purpose about taking all my meds (four tablets every morning along with 7 Chinese herbs for breakfast, 2 more herbs for lunch, and 8 herbs after dinner, plus the anti-nausea a little later, then the Temodar and three of the four from the morning of anti-seizure stuff. And don’t I sound like your grandmother for telling you this? I’ve talked to some people who have been here before, and everyone seems to reinforce that I’m doing all the right things. So I have every reason to be optimistic. Things are going to go well.
Peace and love,
Dan
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