Mark and I saw Dr. Johnson this morning, a radiation oncologist. We agreed that Mark will begin four weeks of daily radiation treatments to the eyes next week, to ensure that there is no active lymphoma present before the bone marrow transplant.
Mark had a mask fitted to his face, which will allow the radiation to enter only the eye area. ( I wondered if we could attach some good-luck charms and feathers to the mask...) The radiation (or high energy x-rays) will be directed at the eyes from each side, targeted to the vitreous fluid in the eye, behind the lens of the eye. No damage to the retina or the vision is expected at the low doses of radiation that will be used, which is a big relief! There is increased risk of developing cataracts in the future as a result of this treatment, but that's not a big deal and can be easily treated.
Mark has an appointment next Tuesday to fine-tune the positioning of the radiation treatment, and then starts daily treatments on Wednesday, which will only take a few minutes each visit. We requested an 8 AM daily appointment time, which will allow me to drive Mark there and then drop him off at work afterwards.
Mark has a message in to Dr. Maziarz to see if we can move ahead in February to schedule any of the tests or education sessions required before the transplant, which will be delayed now until March. He continues to feel very good and energetic!
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