Radiation Therapy has Begun!

A quick update: Kevin started radiation yesterday afternoon. The first session was longer than it normally will be, and Kevin returned to his room exhausted, but it went well overall. We’ll have to post further updates about what exactly goes on during radiation… since no one can be in the room while the sign says “Beam On,” we don’t have any first-hand witnesses. We do know that Kevin has a custom-made fiberglass mask that is used to steady his head, neck and body on the radiation table. He has Sharpie markings on his body, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll be getting permanent tattoos, possibly because this radiation is image-guided.

From now on, radiation will happen every weekday for six weeks. We’ve been told that we might see improvement in Kevin’s symptoms anywhere from after four days to four weeks. Kevin will also be receiving more courses of the chemo drug he got last week. Apparently, each patient reacts uniquely to radiation, so no one really knows what side effects to expect. We’re prepared for just about anything.

After exiting the radiation machine, Kevin said, in one of his longest sentences in weeks, “I used to think MRI scans were futuristic, but this was unbelievable.”