The mask

Today we got to drive Derek to the radiation treatment hospital to get fitted for his mask that will immobilize his head. It was quite the adventure having to maneuver the wheelchair, get him into the car. We got to the hospital and got him back into the wheelchair, I made it into the hospital and Derek had slipped down nearly out of the chair! Thankfully he has a good sense of humor and he could laugh about it. We decided that the pillow we used for comfort under him was working against us and we got rid of it. There should be classes for this sort of thing, or at least a tip sheet.
Derek also needed to get a CT scan with contrast to help map out the route for the radiation. That CT will be overlaid on the T3 MRI that he will be having tomorrow. He was very brave. To make the face shield, they laid this warmed sheet of plastic on his face and then they mold it to the shape of his head and let it cool for 10 minutes. Derek laid as still as could be and stifled a laugh when I asked him if he thought that all of the storm troopers had to be fit for their masks this way.
Mask made and CT done, it was back to the other hospital across town, but only after a trip through the drive thru at Culvers for a corn dog. We got back and ate and Derek and I(mom) promptly took a wonderful 2 hour nap:)
The oncologist stopped and said that she got a little more information on the tumor. It is an anaplastic astrocytoma. That is a level 3 malignant tumor. They are certain that by the look of it, it is typical of a midline high grade glioma. More of the tumor was sent in and they hope to have more information by later in the week. Radiation will start next week. They have to map out the route for the treatment, thus the CT and MRI, and after that they will determine what day they start. We do know it will be next week. They said that his symptoms can worsen initially since radiation can swell the tumor.
So tomorrow is the MRI of the head sedated, that will be about an hour, and then right over for an MRI of his spine, also sedated, to look for any metastases. That 2nd scan will take about 2 hours. Now for a night's rest, but he does have to eat at 2am as he has to be NPO(no food) after that time for the scans.