Humor

Throughout most all of of our ordeal we relied heavily on humor to get us though. My kids were constantly cracking jokes about most anything and everything. Some of it may have seemed a little crass to others but for each of us it was a way for us to cope with the situation. Jokes were plentiful once I started the hormone therapy. Kelsey, my daughter-in-law, sent me a message with my new theme song, “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons. We still laugh everytime we hear the song and it spawned yet another round of jokes. We literally were constantly joking about most everything surrounding my cancer and the treatments. I realize that humor isn’t for everyone but it was a great coping mechanism for us at the time and it still is.

Radiation Treatments

Maili went with me on November 5th for my first radiation treatment. The procedure was consistent for 25 treatments: change into a gown, go into the Radiation room, lay on a table with a mold that had been made specifically for me and then lay there for 15-20 minutes while a machine went around my body. The machine gave radiation in just the prostate area which would minimize the side effects that can come from radiation.

Once again I really liked the staff that worked with Dr. Callihan and I would recommend him for those living in the area. They were great. It could have been a little awkward, laying partially naked on a table while receiving treatments but they were always careful with my gown, blankets and the machine. I was able to keep my dignity throughout all of the treatments. By this time I wasn’t as concerned about my dignity as I would have been a few months earlier but I did appreciate them being discreet and their compassion.

Aside from the whirl of the machines and the hum as the radiation was being administered, I really could not tell that anything was happening, at least not initially. The first treatment went very well and then we drove the hour back home so that I could go to work. After a couple of days of this I did notice that I was becoming even more tired than just receiving the hormone therapy treatments. Maili was able to go with me a few times and my daughter Julie was able to go with me a couple of times before she left on her mission. As I didn’t really want to bother others to drive over with me, I never really let on how tired the treatments made me but it did become a daily concern.

Most all of my appointments were first thing in the morning so that I could get back to work. Once we changed to a late afternoon session so that we could take Julie down to the MTC in Provo as she started her missionary service. We went the night before she was to leave and enjoyed dinner at The Brick Oven, one of our favorite restaurants in Provo. After breakfast the next morning we took Julie to the Missionary Training Center and dropped her off, not to see her again for over 18 months. The MTC had to accommodate us so that we could take her earlier than was normal but we were able to make the 3 hour home afterwards in time for me to receive my treatments.

There was a time when I felt that perhaps the radiation may have need to be slightly adjusted as there was a warming sensation around my anus that was slightly uncomfortable. They made a slight adjustment and the sensation went away within a few days. Although I had to hold perfectly still during the treatments, at times I would fall asleep. A few times it become difficult to suppress coughing but overall I was able to remain perfectly still while receiving the radiation.

The biggest side effect was just being so very, very tired. I was fortunate that I was able to take a short nap in the early afternoon while at work. Up until the very last treatment no one ever knew that I was not at work first thing in the morning as I would usually make it back before 10:00 am every day.On the last day of treatments two of the few people who knew that I had cancer called needing help. Although I had told them that I would be receiving treatments during the month they had forgotten. I was pleased that I made it through 5 weeks of treatments with no one being the wiser. Meanwhile the hormone treatment continued every day as I was still taking the pills. Although I do believe that they added to me being tired, the radiation was the majority of it. One other side effect did not take place for a few months and I have had issues with it even a few years afterwards. My muscles around my hips and groin area became very, very tight. I have never been very limber but it became much worse, to the point that I would have to lay on the bed to put my socks on in the morning. Although this seemed like no big time at the time I did develop back issues a few years later that appeared to come from the muscles being so tight in the front. It has become a real issue but I certainly would not change my treatment plan at all.

My last radiation treatment was on Tuesday, December 10th. I took Dr. Callihan and each of his staff a bag of M&M’s with a note telling them thanks for the Marvelous Medical care that they provided me. I really was pleased with the care that I received from them. I was glad to be through with the two hours of driving everyday for treatments and just a little proud that no one at all knew that I was gone every day, albeit much of that was due to the treatments being early in the morning. I have to admit that I did go to work early and leave the door open, giving the appearance of being there.

Now we had to hurry up and wait before starting phase 3 of the treatments: Brachytherapy.

Brachytherapy

A normal treatment plan would have allowed more time between the hormone therapy, the radiation and the brachytherapy. We were on a major medical insurance plan and really wanted to get all of the major work done in the same calendar year so that we didn’t have to pay another $5000 on our deductible. Dr. Hayes was great to work with us on this and we had everything scheduled to be completed by January 30, 2013, two days before our deductible started over. Typically there would have been a few more weeks between the start of the hormone therapy and the radiation and then again between the radiation and the brachytherapy. Moving the schedule up a few weeks though did not allow this. None days after my last radiation treatment we went down to Salt Lake City for the first two brachytherapy treatments.

We had tried really hard to keep a normalized household throughout all of the treatments and had usually attended the different activities that Steven and Jason had. Wednesday the 18th was a Christmas Concert for the music program. Jason had excelled in the arts including singing in the school select choir called Serendipity. It snowed through part of the day and the forecast was that it would get worse in the evening. We made the decision to stay and support him and leave immediately afterwards as we had to check in at 5:00 am the next morning. The concert was good, Steven and Jason both did well but I was nervous driving to Salt Lake City because of the storm. Although it was snowing for a while once we made it past Logan it cleared up, thankfully.

We made it to Brigham City in two hours rather than the normal 90 minutes. As we left from filling up with gas the outside temperature hit barely below freezing and it started to rain. By the time we made it to the freeway, which was less than 5 minutes, the roads became ice. Things became very, very interested at that point. If there had been any way at all that we could have not gone on we would have. Nothing sounded better than getting a hotel room and waiting for the storm to pass, unfortunately that was not an option. We were averaging 20 miles an hour on the freeway and watching cars and trucks sliding off the road every few minutes. It took over an hour and a half to drive less than 40 miles and we say over 30 vehicles slide off the freeway. There were many, many more that had already slid off before we passed them. To say that we arrived stressed would be an understatement. We were very grateful to have made it without any mishaps, although I felt bad for all of those who were in accidents or just slid off.

We spent the night with Doug and Clara, my In-laws, who lived about 20 miles from the hospital. It was late when we arrived and although we were both tired we didn’t sleep real well. The next morning came quickly and once again I had the fun of administering an enema to myself. Although Maili had offered to help I just did it myself with only partial success.

Fortunately the worse of the storm was over and the roads were much better although they were still slick. We were able to make the normal 20 minute drive in about 40 minutes and checked in at 5:30 AM.

The staff was great and I was particularly pleased with the nurse who administered the IV and prepped me. She was very cheerful and was great to be there as we started our day out. I did ask if I could wear my BYU shirt for good luck during the operation and was turned down. After the initial work was done we met with the anesthesiologist and then Dr. Hayes. He was very good to take time to answer any question that we had and did not appear rushed, although I knew that he had a full day.

I was wheeled into the operating room and it was a little chilly but it soon did not matter as I was soon knocked out. During the time while I was out they inserted both a catheter and then the 17 plastic needles that was for the Brachytherapy. The most difficult part of the entire procedure was surprisingly not the needles but the catheter and the after effects of it. They woke me up soon after those two procedures took place as they wanted me awake rather than under anesthesia for the procedure.

The procedure itself was rather anticlimactic as I was wheeled into a room and just laid there as the radiation was administered via a computer. They had mapped my prostate out and where the cancer was and radiation was going into and out of the thin needles, targeting just the cancer. The theory and reality of Brachytherapy is targeted radiation with minimal impact on the body. Although there are side effects they are very minimal compared to other traditional methods, such as Chemotherapy or surgery (radical prostatectomy)