Paul has completed three of his five radiation treatments. I’m terrible at math but I know that means he’s more than half way done.  And, not surprisingly, he’s been a champ.

For five Fridays in a row, he preps (bowels empty, bladder full), climbs into a plaster cast of his pelvis, and holds still for 10 minutes while a radiologist/oncologist uses external beam radiation treatments (EBRT) on his prostate to kill the cancer cells.

Side effects have been minimal and limited to urinary discomfort (due to internal swelling) which is easily treated with medication. He hasn’t experienced much fatigue and hasn’t missed any work.

Two more weeks and the radiation phase of his treatment will be finished (although the doctors want him to continue with the Androgen Deprivation Therapy for at least another year. There’s a bell in the radiation waiting room that patients ring when they complete treatment and in two short weeks Paul is gonna ring the hell out of that bell!

Again, to set expectations, we will not know immediately if/how the treatment worked. After radiation treatment for prostate cancer, the primary indicator is a PSA score. However, since Paul is currently undergoing Androgen Deprivation Therapy and is on a testosterone blocker we won’t be able to get an accurate PSA until he stops ADT therapy and the drugs get completely out of his system.

We’re very grateful that he’s been tolerating the treatment so well and are looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with this phase of his cancer treatment behind us. Thanks to all of you who have been checking on us – your support means so much.