All I need now is a torpedo

 The radiation consult went... well? Hard to say when we still have so many questions. I need to set up a second opinion/pick your brain session with my local doc here who did my photon radiation the first time around. 

I was impressed with both the research student and Dr J. They were upfront about there being very little longitudinal data because proton therapy, which they are recommending, is a newer technique. They've been doing it for awhile at their location but just opened it up a few months ago to breast cancer patients, so I'd be part of something... new? Fresh? Exciting? Terrifying? 

"All of it, Frank." (That's from "Father Goose", another childhood favorite which stars Cary Grant and Leslie Caron and comes highly recommended! We use a TON of the lines from that one on a regular basis.)

As my charming husband likes to remind me on every possible occasion, I was four chapters behind in my college physics class my freshman year when he visited. Therefore, I'm probably not the ideal person to spell this out, but if I have the general gist of the science, then photon therapy (that I had the first time) is essentially the same dose over designated area. I had 33 sessions, once per day, of that over several weeks. 

I claim ZERO understanding as to how a photon torpedo works, which is what I keep hearing in my head thanks to years of my mother watching "Star Trek"...

Proton therapy, I guess, targets more specifically and then the energy drops off more quickly, in theory sparing some damage. That's a good thing because what is under where they're targeting? Oh you know, my heart and my lungs. No big. 😏Again, I THINK I have that right. They can focus it like a mountain versus a plateau. Yeah, let's go with that. All I need to do now is write "Radiation for Dummies", hehe.

Dr. J recommends the proton therapy this time over photon therapy and that would be twice a day with at least a six hour window between sessions because in that window healthy cells can repair themselves but cancer cells can't. I think that is fascinating! How cool is that? Because it would be twice a day, I'd be done in about 3 work weeks. 

"But I thought... but we'd been told multiple times that you can't re-radiate an area that had already been radiated. Won't that damage the bypass surgery that I just had? Will insurance cover any of this? Why is one better than the other? Would either work? Why do you recommend one over the other? What SHOULD we be asking that we don't know to ask? Argh, why isn't there statistical data yet?" 

Those questions and more swirled around the room as we chatted. Dr. J seemed very knowledgeable and earnest and asked great questions. It sounds like he was on the tumor board so he's already heard of and talked over my case. As always, I marveled at how I felt seen as myself and not simply a patient number on a file somewhere. Truly these medical professionals have callings and not just occupations. I'm so thankful for their passion as well as their compassion. I also appreciated his earnestness. 

I'll keep you posted but that's really all I know right now. No studies to really compare, so until I talk with my local rads doc, we'll just bounce that beach ball of photon versus proton around... *doink doink doink*

Another post of Random

 Dada hit yet another auction, this time with Thing Two, and brought home at least three boxes of books. Now we get to sort what we want to keep, will actually use, will never use, what goes to the used bookstore for book credit, and so on!

One of Thing Two's science experiments isn't going as planned. The Dixie cup on the left has three bean seeds. The Dixie cup on the right has 15 bean seeds. The glass jar in the middle holds a few but aren't part of the experiment. 

He's supposed to find out what happens when seeds are overcrowded. I told him to just look at our garden for an example of overcrowding. None of his initial three beans have even come up, three of the 15 showed up, and the ones who don't matter are thriving. Beans.

I was killing some time last week when I saw these lovely colors together and had to take pictures!

Being in a college town, you end up with lots of coffee shops. This is one of our favorites. The week before, Thing Three had beaten Thing Two who proceeded to shellac him this time!

These next two shots were taken at the bus stop first thing in the morning. Well, first thing for some people. Right around 7 AM. Some of us had already been up for hours. It's so dark!

It's rare to see this kid conked out like this. He's always in motion, but he sure had a great nap this weekend!

Tis the season for shepherd's pie!

Have a terrific week!

And so it goes

Any typical school morning finds me asking, "Liam, do you have your backpack or binder or lunch?"
"Yeah."
Dada interjects, "brain?"
Liam stops. "What?"
I crack up.
Liam inquires, "Did you say ears?"
I laugh a little bit harder.
Dada emphasizes, "BRAIN!"
Liam processes. "Oh." 

And guess whose science textbook and notebook have been sitting on the kitchen table since he finished the homework on Wednesday night? Doesn't do you a whole lot of good to do it and then not turn it in for the credit...

TGIF. Welcome to May, everybody.

Occupational hazard

I asked Liam this morning what he wanted to be when he grew up. We were snuggling on the couch and I wanted to see what he'd say.

Mama: Do you want to be a teacher?
Liam: No. I want to be a ghost.
Mama, chuckling: Do you want to be a doctor or a nurse?
Liam: Nooo.
Mama: Or a firefighter or a scientist?
Liam: I want to be an alien.
Mama, laughing: Nooo, not an alien. You could be an astronaut though, and work in space. Or a scientist and study space. You'll like science. It answers all the questions like, "how come? What if? Why?" Like, if I poke you right here, what happens?
Liam laughs.
Mama: Oh, you laugh. Hmm, how about if I poke you right here?
Liam laughs longer.
Mama: Ohhh, you laugh more! How about here?
Liam giggles.
Liam: I like science!