No Glow

The title of this post refers to my radiation treatments which started this past week. I’ll expand on this in a bit. Other spring activities continued as well.

This past week saw me starting my radiation treatments after my Brachytherapy last week. While I won’t go into all the details, this is an interesting process. First, the machine the Mayo Clinic uses for these treatments is made by a company called Varian, and the model is a TruBeam.

If anyone is interested in more machine details visit https://www.varian.com/products/radiotherapy/treatment-delivery and click on the TruBeam “Learn More” link.

For me, the biggest advantage this machine offers is very precise application of the radiation treatment which minimizes damage to surrounding tissue. The Brachytherapy used 15 ‘grays’ of radiation, a standard used by the Mayo Clinic. The external radiation delivers about 2 grays per session and I will have 22 sessions in all for a total of 44 grays. Again, this is in the middle of the range for prostate treatments.

Last Monday I drove to Rochester for my orientation session. During this appointment I was placed in a CT scan machine to get an accurate ‘map’ of the location of my prostate in relation to other organs in the area. This scan would be used to focus the radiation beam in future visits. I now have three very small, but permanent, tattoo dots on my pelvic bones and abdomen. These will be used to align and focus the TruBeam machine precisely where needed.

The treatments started on Wednesday and continued on Thursday and Friday. I have the weekend off and will start more daily treatments this coming Monday. The treatment sessions last only about 10 – 15 minutes each, but I have to drive about and hour and a half each way. Adding in time to park and check in, an appointment kills about 4 hours. Once a week I will meet with my medical crew, Dr. Stish and his staff, for a ‘Management’ meeting to go over any questions I have and generally check in with how I am doing. Typically this will happen on Thursdays.

So far, after three treatments, I am not having much in the way of side effects other than low energy levels. That may change as I get more treatments; all I can do is wait and see. So far, after-effects of the Brachytherapy have been pretty mild for which I am thankful.

Domestic life goes on. I recently removed all the inside storm windows I built last fall. With warmer weather on tap (today in the 80s) we will want to open the windows to get air into the house. Last week we were covering plants to protect against frost. It is spring in NE Iowa.

Pam continues to paint in the room we call the snug. This is high-detail work and takes a good hand to get the results she wants. I think it is turning out exceptionally well.

In the yard, tulips and daffodils are blooming, adding color around the house.

We get a kick out of these grape hyacinths which were relocated out of the yard last summer. Pam planted these in the Mary Lynn bed last fall.

We are getting good production out of the daffodil bulbs put in the ground last year.

The only negative has been a very dry spring. April made it into the NE Iowa/SE Minnesota record book as the 4th driest April on record. It is so dry we have been hand-watering plants and shrubs. There promise for some moisture on Sunday, but the chances are 50 – 50 with even lower percentages later in the week.

Later today the painter we had met at the home show may come by and look over the house in order to give us a quote for painting the upper story and gingerbreading. (We had planned to paint the lower portions.) That should be an interesting discussion.

Another task on deck is to set up a painting station in the garage addition. We need to get started on painting the siding we bought for the south wall of the house. With the improving conditions Bob the Builder will soon be here to remove the old siding and put up the new, and it would be helpful to have the siding ready to go.

That about wraps up the past week and preview of the next.

Photo Archive

I’m starting with a couple photos of me with the 1976 Scout II I had in Colorado.

Here are a couple more of the many landscapes I’ve taken over the years.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Penny

It’s time for me to plant the scraggly-looking geraniums I overwintered in the basement. (Won’t be doing that again – the plants at the local Mennonite greenhouses are economical enough to dispense with future overwintering attempts.)

While digging holes for the replanting, I found this little nipper (pictured below) and decided such a fine-looking [potential] oak tree deserves a chance to show us what it’s made of. I’m putting it in the ground near the far southeast corner of the lot, within the confines of the garden fence.

Can it be May? I was thinkin’ I’d be farther along in the two-room refresh project by now. Detailed stencil painting sure does take time.

Be well. Happy Trails.