We went to see the radiation oncologist again yesterday because we had to have a "mask" made for Greg and have him get his tattoos for radiation. The reason for the mask is because of where the tumor is located, he needs to keep his head perfectly still for the radiation. The only way to assure that is to have a mask made.
We had no idea how this was done, so this was a learning experience for us! You'd think, with this being the third time he's had cancer, that we'd be old hands at all this, but there is a LOT to learn with this one! This first picture is of the "mask" in the warming tray. Greg was warned that it would be kind of warm when they first put it on him, but he said it wasn't too bad.
Here, they are fitting the correct "trays" (for lack of a better word) under Greg's neck and head, so that he's comfortable during the radiation treatment. Lifting the "mask" out of the tray to place on Greg's face.
The two techs are helping to form the mask to Greg, and his Radiation Oncologist is helping.
The mask is situated, and now Greg has to go through the CT scanner so they get a perfectly accurate reading of where the radiation beam needs to be aimed.
In these next two pictures, you can see where the radiation will be aimed.
In this picture, I zoomed in on the "bolts" that are attached to the mask and lock onto the table that Greg is laying on and will keep his head from moving during his radiation treatments.
And yes, it is VERY creepy!
Once we left the radiation oncologist, we had to head over to visit the surgeon. As you've previously read, we pretty much ruled out esophageal surgery, as it's just too difficult. Well, the surgeon told us just how difficult it is. Think of a scale of 1-10 with10 being the most difficult. A gallbladder would be a two. Open heart surgery would be a six. Surgery on the pancreas would be a 7. Surgery on the esophagus would be a ten! You'd pretty much hae to be in perfect physical condition to withstand this type of surgery, and we all know that that is not Greg's case. So, this only cemented the fact that we simply can NOT consider any sort of surgery. None of our doctors have said otherwise, and are most certainly not pushing us to attempt that option.
The other reason we needed to see the surgeon -- who by the way is GORGEOUS! Ha! Believe it or not, but Greg thought so too, and even called him McDreamy! LOL! -- but I digress. We went to see Dr. McDreamy because he is the one that is going to be placing the feeding tube for Greg. As previously stated, he needs to have this done prior to actually "needing" it, because by the time he "needs" it, he will be too weak to have the procedure.
So, tomorrow (April 20, 2017), we are scheduled for Greg to get the feeding tube. I almost wish he was getting the Hickman Catheter first, because then he wouldn't have to be stabbed to get the IV in! But, it is what it is.
After the procedure tomorrow, we have to meet with a dietitian so she can show me what and how to do "feed" Greg. I ended up in another fight with the insurance company over that. The woman that I was speaking to was trying to tell me that it would not be covered. She kept thinking that we were going for a nutritional consultation, which is only covered for diabetics, etc. She refused to understand that this was to TEACH ME HOW TO FEED MY HUSBAND WHO HAS ESOPHAGEAL CANCER AND WILL BE UNDERGOING RADIATION AND CHEMOTHERAPY AND NEEDS THE FEEDING TUBE BECAUSE HE WILL BE UNABLE TO EAT AT SOME POINT IN TIME!
She offered to have Greg's case reviewed by a nurse, but it would still be 24 to 48 hours before a decision was made. We just learned of the surgery on 04.18.17 at 2 p.m., and the surgery is to take place on 04.20.17. Forty-eight hours is still too long! She then told me that there was nothing more she could do. I absolutely LOST IT at that point. I told her that I hoped she never had to deal with something like this, and that if she did, she never had to deal with someone like herself, who was absolutely NO HELP AT ALL!
I then called our case manager and left it all in her hands. I should have just done that in the first place, but who'd have thought it would be such a huge deal?! For crying out loud! If they had just READ what we actually needed, there wouldn't have been such a huge issue! After advising Jeanne of the problem, she took over (and even had to go to her manager) and got it taken care of and we're covered. Whew!
So, that's the latest. I'll be taking my camera to the hospital tomorrow for more pictures. I wonder if I'll be able to convince McDreamy to have someone take pictures in the operating room! Ha!
If you're interested, and really want to see the gory details, here's a video all about inserting a feeding tube!
Blessings to all!
Julie
PS, our lovely daughter, Erica, has set up a GoFundMe page to help us defray the costs of travel daily for radiation and other healthcare costs. If you feel compelled to help us out, we certainly appreciate it! We know that our God is truly an awesome God and He will make sure that everything is taken care of!
Greg's GoFundMe
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