Today marked the 16th radiation treatment, which I’m calling half-way. Whoo-hooo!

Ya, I know… there are 31 treatments scheduled, but, really, how you do count half a treatment? Just go with it, okay?

I am sporting the ‘sunburn’ effect of the radiation in good ol’ farmer fashion. The burn starts high on my cheeks and tracks down to my neck and kinda tapers off below the shirt neckline. Gee, what an interesting way to get the burn without 8 hours on a tractor…

My hair definitely is beginning to go… the drain in the shower is testament to the effects of the therapies. And, even more so than the other day, I can visibly see my beard thinning. Damn. I really like my beard. I hope it grows back. Damn. Gail asked me if I wanted to get my head shaved. I’ve said no. I just need a really short cut to minimize the look… and I’m hoping that the folic acid supplements will slow the loss.

We’re leading into the Family Day weekend, so I get three full days without any sort of therapy to recover a bit. Then on Wednesday, the next round of chemo is due… today we picked up the surgical masks from the pharmacy to make any forays into the great wide world a bit safer for me during the second chemo course. With the weight loss, we are expecting the immune system to get hit a bit harder, so we will be taking precautions sooner than later this time. If only it was that easy to get my caloric intake up…