June 5, 2016

What is messing me up is Lupron, the $1000 injection I took 3 weeks before radiation with another due the eight of June. Lupron is a testosterone blocker.

It robs me of physical drives. Eating has become cerebral which is not to say that food does not taste good. Rather, eating is more determined by taste, habit and expectation than by drive. Otherwise, irregularity is the norm. I may be sleepy all day and have problems keeping my eyes open. On other days I am wide awake all day.

I have hot flashes and very frequently break out in a sweat. I do not drip but if you run your hand across any part of my body like my brow or arm, your hand will be wet. This happens anytime during night or day. I may get under the covers feeling cold only to toss them away shortly after when I break out in a sweat. I get up and turn the overhead fan on. It is very much of a nuisance.

In general I do not push as much as I normally would and tire easily. This became very evident in moving into James A Reed. I could not move for a whole day. I would not be able to sustain that expenditure of effort. If I mow the lawn 2 days in a row, I will feel spent the whole of the third day

However, this tiredness is not just a lack of testosterone but also because my body is recovering from radiation.

The other listed side-effects of Lupron is constipation and memory problems. Sometimes, I do experience difficulty finding the right word to say.

That's it, this serves more-or-less as a record of my experience.

Just last week I noticed that the door that led into the LINAC room where I am bombarded by radiation is about 18 inches thick and looks like a 7 foot square. It is massive. The radiation therapist said it weighed 20,000 lbs. The nurse said it weighed 35,000 lbs. The other radiation therapist said it was 28,000 lbs. The door is a sandwich of steel, wood (stops neutrons), lead and concrete. The walls, except for the roof, are likewise insulated. The doctor said it whole setup costs about 3 million. Once I am in position, everybody leaves, the door closes, then LINAC comes to life. I am bombarded with photons. There is a prominent sign on the outside of the room that lights up “BEAM ON” during bombardment . What is remarkable about treatments today is that they have achieved a considerable amount of specificity.

June 8

I had my second Luprin injection. It took me 2 days to get back to normal. The effects could last up to six months which will be in December. My treatment ends June 27 or 28.

June 14,

We have been staying at James A Reed since the end of May.  For two week, we now have a fully functioning kitchen.  We are sleeping and eating here but there is still a lot of arranging and moving to do.  We have two households of historical junk.

A fine day to you all