Just a Bump in the Road

On April 2nd, I had a session of radiation done on a tumor in my brain. The tumor sits just above my right ear on the edge of my brain. The treatment session was short and pretty simple and, for the most part, I was symptom free following the procedure. On Sunday, April 19th, I developed a slight headache. Normally, with radiation, it can take some time for the impact of the radiation to set in. Swelling can develop over time and there can be some slight side effects, like headaches, that set in. Naturally, I assumed this was just a headache that would pass. I struggled to sleep a little bit that night, mostly because the headache wouldn't subside, but I was able to get a decent amount of sleep. After dragging myself out of bed in the morning, I still had the headache AND I was fevered. I hit 99.7 on the thermometer and was struggling with chills. It wasn't terrible, but it certainly wasn't what I wanted to be dealing with! Eventually, Kim talked me into some pain meds an

On Thursday, April 16th, I had a quick little jaunt up to Huntsman for an infusion. Unfortunately, due to visitor policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kim was unable to go with me. Well, she could have come with me, but she would have had to spend the entire time in the vehicle (or driving around filling her time) without me. I understand to an extent the safety precautions involved with a policy like this, but I struggle when it comes to this policy being in force for individuals admitted to the hospital, especially for surgeries. I remember when I came out of my brain surgery, I was terrified and the only person I wanted to see was Kim. None of the nurses were answering my questions, I didn't know if I was alright or what was going on...it was scary. And to know that individuals are being put in the same situation I was in WITHOUT any familial support around is challenging for me. It makes me wonder what considerations were taken into account when a policy like this was made. I u

On Thursday, April 2nd, I had quite the day. I had two infusions scheduled along with targeted radiation for my brain. On top of that, all visitors were prohibited from entering the hospital, which meant I was tackling it alone! Kim was working that day, so I was planning on heading up by myself anyway, and fortunately the symptoms of these infusions and radiation sessions don't come until the following day, so I felt pretty okay with the plan. That being said, I had to leave WAY early and I'm not a fan of that! haha I absolutely love watching the snow fall, but driving in it isn't my favorite. Fortunately, the roads weren't TOO bad, especially once I got through Nephi canyon. And with the COVID-19 shutdowns, the roads are pretty bare, which makes an early morning commute in the snow much less stressful! Anyway, I made it early and was ready for the day ahead of me. For some reason, though, this ended up being kind of a weird day... I was taken back for my inf

On March 18th and 19th, I had two busy days up north with Kim! My brain MRI on February 20th showed growth in four tumors and the decision had been made to move forward with targeted radiation on those spots. Fortunately, as I shared in another post, we received insurance approval for those tumors. The 18th was a day dedicated to preparation for that radiation. I started with an appointment with Dr. Burt, my radiation oncologist and it was a fairly straight forward appointment since we've done this before. We didn't have too many questions, other than about the cause of the growth. I asked if it was just swelling in the process of dying and she said that was very unlikely, which wasn't necessarily the best response, but it is what it is! After that appointment, I went to radiation prep. This is where they make the mask that holds my head in place. Here are some pictures from that session... These are the pieces that are used. They are then soaked in hot wat