Aug. 20th Thursday

I went to the radiation Dr. today to find out what was going to happen next. It looks like at least 6 weeks of radiation starting in the next couple weeks. I had to go clear out to Lutheran Hospital to see the Dr. only to find that they have an office at the same location where I had the chemo. I was going to look into having the Dr. where I got the chemo talk to me about the radiation because as you go into their building you turn right to go for chemo and left to go to radiation. As it turns out they are two different practices. One does the chemo and the other is radiation. I will be seeing a Chinese Dr. for the radiation. The Dr. I saw today was also Chinese but it was funny, Sharon is reading a book about China but she didn't want to talk at all about the book or China. I said I thought that was funny that she didn't want to talk about it, but she just said that non on the books are current about China and she and her mother never experienced anything that they talk about in any of the Chinese books written in the US. She didn't however have any trouble referring me to another Chinese Dr. Of friend of Sharon's said that it is well understood that the Chinese Dr's are very well trained if they studied in China and finished up in the US. They actually have to take a lot more classes in China on more subjects than in the US. I hope to hell they know radiation. She said what radiation I was going to get was fairly simple since it does not include a vital organ.

The next thing that you are about to see is the actual tumor that they took out of me. It's not pretty, so just be warned if you don't like ugly. For some reason I could not get the picture to show up once and in the area that I wanted. The size is 15cm long and the entire thing is about the size of a grapefruit. I can't believe that it is all together. I could have sworn it was longer and not all together. They also took a great deal of my bicep I was told today. She showed me what it should be and then what it was. She said it will take time to get to the point that I will have strength. She also said they will not be doing any radiation on my elbow because it would cause arthritics. As another friend on mine said, the more radiation and x-rays and scans you get the more likely they will cause another kind of cancer. What a happy thought!!!!!

I have another appointment on the 25th to get all the particulars on my treatment, I'll let you know then what's going to happen. For now I'm making our reservations for Carlsbad. So Randy, Tom, Maura, and Joe get ready to see us on the 24th of Sept.

Later

Tom