June 12 2009
Today we had a 6:10 am appt for Andreas baseline MRI – this was to check on the progress of her inside healing so that she can begin radiation. She then had a 8:30 SIM – this was to get fitted for her mask, get a CT scan, tour the dept and learn how to self check in on the computer, change into a gown, what waiting room to be in and see the machine she would be on for treatment. If Todd has time I will have him show a picture from the book of what Andreas mask is like. She will receive 5 radiation beams – 1 in the corner of her right eye, 1 in the top center of her forehead and 3 more around her head. She may or may not loose her hair in those 3 areas, she has lost a lot of the hair that was left in front of the incision – this is due to stress of a major surgery. Also, I will not be going in the dept with her – she wanted to go in alone. As of now, Andrea will begin on June 29th – her appt is at 2:15 and this first one will be approx 2 hours long, so they can line everything up with the 3D imagining they took on friday then we will be scheduled for the same time every day for 6 weeks, hoping for a 9:30 or 10:00am time. We will be staying at the Microtel of Ann Arbor and continue to try everyday to get into the Ronald McDonald House (a more normal home away from home). We hope to see some sights, take in some culture, attend some free outdoor concerts depending on how Andrea feels as we go along and be home by the evening of August 7. So don’t forget to call or email Andrea often – she will need the support.