Radiation: check.

Every morning since we have been at the hospital, someone has knocked on our door around 6:45 am to get Brad and transport him to radiation and then again around 3 pm. Two times per day he gets TBI (Total Body Irradiation). When he tells me about what it's like I begin to panic and have minor anxiety attacks as he explains...

Several weeks ago, we came to the hospital to get his body mold created for his full body radiation. He got a few more tattoos that would be used as markers to ensure he was always positioned in the exact same spot on the table. (I told him after all of this we could connect the dots he has and create a picture. He didn't think that was funny).

Well, between that day and Monday, the day of his first full - body radiation, something changed. When he laid down, the positioning was off. Now, this isn't the most comfortable setting to begin with: he's laying flat, on a cold table, naked covered by only a towel and has to remain perfectly still, but instead of his head being cradled correctly, it instead felt like he was laying on two golf balls. THEN, to help hold his head still, they position this formed netting over his face that locks into place. (This is the part of the story where I start to suffocate). He can't lift, turn, or move his head. Those golf balls now felt like rocks jammed into the back of his skull for the entirety of the 45 minute scan. Needless to say, after the second time, he told the team something had to give. After that, they accommodated and adjusted to make it less miserable. Thank goodness.

He had his last radiation today, eight treatments in 4 days and go figure, he left with a bag of Chick-Fil-A because he made friends. Actually, a member of the team from the last time he had radiation had transferred to the main campus and before completing radiation the first time, we got the team Chick-Fil-A as a thank you for the way they took care of him over the month. It's true, an act of kindness is often remember as they returned the favor and made sure he got a #1, fries and CFA sauce included on his last day of radiation.

In addition to the early morning wake - up and afternoon glow (radiation), he gets his vitals checked every 4 hours, blood drawn at 4 am and a visit from someone, or two, on his care team aside from his nurse. They continue to ask how he is feeling and the response remains to be "good." He really is doing well. Starting to feel a little fatigue, but it's hard to tell if that's from his radiation or from being woken up throughout the night followed by early mornings.

He starts chemotherapy tomorrow and has 2 rounds, Friday and Saturday.

Sunday, we rest. Amen.

Pray that feeling "good" continues. We have been warned that side effects will start hitting Sunday and Monday.

Stay tuned for the next update.

Love you all,

Natalie