[TheForge] Another generic update

[John Husvar]

Sorry for the impersonal messages. I'm still oxygen dependent and tire
easily. The upside is: This might finally break my internet addiction.

Here's the latest hot off the CAT Scan report.

Ve are drivink ze cancer zells bevore us und hearing ze lamentations of zere
vimmen! (Idiot! Cancer cells don't have women. They reproduce asexually,
dumbkopf!)

Zorry. Too badt vor dem. Ich like mein vay better.

I had a 3-D Cat scan Monday and saw my Radiation Oncologist yesterday. I
only have half a tumor left and no visible collateral bits or pieces after
21 radiation treatments.

There are still 14 or so treatments to go, then a reevaluation and decide
whether any further chemo is indicated. (After the last round, I'm not so
sure I want to do that again.:)

The radiation machine is bloody awe-inspiring. It's a Synergy Elekta. Think
of a computer-controlled machine tool that shoots subatomic particles with
darn near cellular-level accuracy. ( I should have a rifle that good!) Looks
kind of like the Starship Enterprise revolving around you dropping photon
torpedoes. 

What it really is: A multi-megavolt linear accelerator. It's programmable to
the shape and thicknesses of a tumor and focuses and masks it's output so as
to minimize damage to healthy cells. The beams can even be focused to
interact within the tumor and only attain their full energy when they do. So
far no side effects worth noting.

All I have to do is lie there while it moves around my body blasting cancer.
When it's firing all I hear is a high-pitched whine for 2-4 seconds. The
total on time works out to about 20 seconds or thereabout.

Quantum Mechanics at the local hospital! Whoda thunk?
A really elegant piece of engineering.

Vote of Thanks to Uncle Albert, Nils Bohr and the rest of the Quantum
Physics guys!

Hmmm. Isn't that just like me, mor interested in the gadgetry than the
results. Figures.

So that's it up to now. I find I don't miss any of the missing cancer cells
even a little bit.