Ray,

Interesting article, thanks for posting.

Karen

The story is also in the Oral Cancer in the News feed on the main OCF site.

Ray,

Thanks for the post. You have officially scared the crap out of me.

Just kidding. I was curious about my radiation field and asked to see it before the treatment. This is what the planning session is for before treatment starts but I asked to see my workup on the computer screen before treatment and then when they made an adjustment.

I did this because I wanted to see what was being hit. I thought that my tongue would be missed (it wasn�t). They said I was the only one who ever asked to see the field before treatment. I was just curious but now I feel better that I asked. They had to call up some special screens to see those views and I had to wait a bit before they did. It was helpful for me to see where the radiation was hitting. I got a better visual on what was happening to me and where the radiation was having an effect.

They walked me through the leafs and how they moved and I could actually see the same patterns that I had seen on the screen when I could get a glimpse of the machine through the mask. I hope they got the right dose.

Kelly

Wow. Very interesting article. When patients, caregivers or loved ones notice something doesn't look right the medical profession NEEDS to listen, investigate and correct immediately. The other night Diane Sawyer did a piece on radiation therapy about patients either not getting enough or getting too much radiation. Again machine and operator errors. Technicians, Drs, etc. should be ever vigilant.

When Carol goes through simulation I'll ask if she could be walked through it first. She isn't a technical kind of gal but at least she'll know what is being hit. As with Kelly, hope they get the dosage right.

Linda

Ray , That is one of the most intersting of human mistakes that I have read Thanks for posting it. They can say, well we are all human and make mistakes. Bull crap. That is idiocy when that happens. Thanks again. Maybe that is what happened with my rad seed implants in my tongue. Hell they gave me up for dead and had me ready to be transported to and extended care facility when I finaly awoke from the induced coma.

So is this Blueridge article supposed to make me feel better? hey, thanks a lot, since I'm trying to decide to do radiation or not - this kind of information is NOT helpful! I don't know why anyone would post it in the first place?!

Is there anybody out there who had good results with radiation and not complications? I guess they are not the ones on these websites - they got on with their lives? How am I supposed to make an informed decision when I hear stories like the Blueridge article - how is that supposed to inspire me or give me hope?

I really felt bad for the kid who bypassed Sloan Kettering. And this article really emphasizes the importance of a CCC vs. a Hospital without saying it in words. Although, doctors and hospitals ought to know what they can and cannot handle. Having said that--a relative of mine through marriage went to the best cancer centers in the world and none of them were able to help him get through thyroid cancer. Research centers, hospitals, doctors and patients just have to do their best in fighting this dreaded disease that we know as cancer.

I was originally worried about posting such an article then I realized nothing is as scary as what we are already experiencing.

Sometimes I feel like saying/feeling "Stay Strong!" and sometimes I feel like "Stay Strong?"

What can I say--we all have a lot of tears.


Okay, on a funnier note! I remember my step-father and I dropping my grandfather Bialek off at the bus station and when it came time to say our goodbyes he looks and us and says, "Look at that bus driver, he has no clue what he's doing...I'm going to get on that bus and nobody is ever going to see me again...I'll be gone...Lost forever..Goodbye?!? What's the use?" Another time, we're seeing his doctor for who knows what and he looks at my grandmother and says, "This doctor--he's too young to know what he's doing..." Right in front of him!! LOL...And that's coming from a guy who went through WWII--I don't know if he was the greatest pessimist or greatest comedian I ever knew.

I like your grandfathers style Ray LOL