[2022-01-10] Radiation oncology check-in #1
After my weekend reprieve from radiation, I was back at it this morning. It feels a bit like having a job again, with commitments every weekday.
On Mondays, in addition to radiation therapy, I meet with my radiation oncologist. Dr. Jin is a mild-mannered, attentive and analytical doctor. She told me today that she had reviewed the images and report from my pelvic MRI and could confirm that everything looked good. That was reassuring to hear. Given no signs of cancer in my pelvic lymph nodes, radiation could proceed as planned—without chemotherapy.
We also discussed some of the advantages of radiation over surgery. Surgery to remove the remaining precancerous cells would have been tricky: remove too much tissue and my bowel function could be affected; remove too little tissue and precancerous cells could remain. It's impossible to know the size of the field of precancerous cells just by looking at the tissue. Radiation can deal with a larger field of tissue than surgery, and is therefore a good choice to clean up any remaining precancerous cells.
Of course, radiation is not without its own risks. Today, Dr. Jin and I talked about a few potential side effects associated with a build-up of scar tissue. She noted that bowel incontinence—though possible—is highly unlikely, representing a risk of less than 5%. Another risk is a narrowing of the anal canal, a risk of about 20%. Dr. Jin agreed with me that given my age, I am likely to recover well from radiation.
I feel confident that I am on the right path.
To date, I have not experienced the fatigue that can result from radiation treatment, but that may come in the weeks ahead. My energy remains strong, though I have settled into a routine of doing physical activities in the mornings (baking, dishes, laundry) and intellectual activities in the afternoon (desk work, writing, phone calls). It's a nice balance that is helping me to manage my energy.
4 down, 21 to go.
