Treatment 14

There is no better way to tell the story than with pictures. I wish I could show you pictures of the behind the scenes of this $150+ millon facility unfortunately I can’t. It is very impressive to know they have the ability to accelerate an object with mass and send it hurtling with amazing accuracy at 2/3 the speed of light into your body. The following pictures are of what I see every day I am treated.


1. Into the changing room

2. About to get into the pod. This is the height of hospital fashion.

3. Comfortable

4. Positioning. I will hold this position for about 2 1/2 minutes while the proton beam is on

5. Move into position. The proton beam will come from the machine directly to my left. The proton beam will enter through my hip and target the prostate just behind the pubic bone.

7. I am just moments away from receiving the daily zap. The beam will pulse on for about two and a half minutes. The beam will come in on the left side and the next day the beam will come in on the right side. This I understand is done to give the healthy tissue a chance to recover and limit potential damage. It seems to be working!

March 6 First day of treatments

First day of treatments


I have started! And so begins the end of the long arduous process of finding a cure for my cancer. The die is cast. I am irrevocably committed to this Loma Linda proton treatment path.

The first day no nervousness, no fear, some concern but committed. As I lay in my pod looking at the very neutral color cone of the gantry, a little beat up from years of use, I think of the other locations I could have gone to. University of Florida looked about the same but the changing rooms were better and include a bathroom. MD Anderson was by far the best show with very bright, clean colors and sharp looking all digital tools. Did I make the right choice? I think and hope so. I am counting on experience making Loma Linda the best solution.

The first day is supposed to be different. It is the day the doctor’s treatment plan is combined with the body to be treated and the gantry to destroy the cancer. A number of x-rays are used to verify the location of the anatomy relative to the plan. Dr. Bush came in to oversee the initial adjustment and modifies them a little bit. The tools were verified using the barcodes marks on them. Interestingly before they were able to start the treatment the technicians had to rescan the barcodes on the tools. It comforting to know the computer verifies the correct tools are in place to treat the patient.

The zapping starts a wheel spins to spread out the proton beams. A Geiger counter beeps. I feel absolutely nothing except the balloon up my butt. What a non-event except……..God I have to pee!!!