Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Overcast, Thunderstorms, Temperature 80 Degrees

The Daily Proton Treatment Ritual

Someday, I thought, I might want to go back and remember just what Proton treatment was like on a daily basis. Hey, maybe some of you would be interested as well.

So, lets go through a day together.

My treatment is five days a week, Monday through Friday.

The big unknown each day is what time treatment will be. You never know until after you receive treatment for that day. Let’s see, today’s treatment was at 7:35 am. I need to be there 30 minutes prior, so we need to be there at 7:05 am. The ride in varies between 12 to 15 minutes thus we need to be on the road no later than 6:50 am. That is definitely a very unretirement time of the morning!

Come on, time to get going.

Traffic was a bit heavy this morning so the ride took us the full 15 minutes. But, here we are.

The parking lot is just across the street from the Institute and there are always several open parking spots.

Once parked it is time to put my badge around my neck and my mask on my face.

The front doors that lead into the lobby. We learned from yesterday that it is a good idea to bring a sweatshirt with us. It is a bit chilly inside.

OK, once in the lobby we need to check in. You take your name badge and swipe it under one of the two badge readers. It used to be you could pick up the reader and swipe your badge while it was around your neck. No more, not with COVID. They are now tapped securely to their holders and you have to stick your badge under them. Once you do that you’ll see your name come up momentarily on the computer screen. That confirms that you are checked in and alerts the technicians in the back that you have arrived.

The lobby is an inviting and comfortable place. Wave to Ms. Barbara! She is sitting in what we have claimed as our spot within the lobby.

This is center stage in the lobby and after another 35 treatments I am definitely looking forward to my turn at ringing it.

OK, checked in, time now to drink the required 16 ounces of water. This fills the bladder which in turn holds the prostate in a better position for treatment. The only problem? You’re not allowed to go to the bathroom until after your treatment!

Time for treatment.

The dressing room where you put on what I call the why bother gown. You know, that silly gown that is open at the back. I threatened one day to just come down the hall buck naked but they said protocol would not allow it! So be it.

Properly dressed per protocol it is time to take the walk down the hall

to the Gantry Room. That’s John waiting to help me up on the slab. My body pod is already there and waiting for me. That big yellow square thing in the picture? That is the gantry which is the machine that zaps me daily with protons.

Yup, that’s me all properly aligned and ready for treatment. I’m locked into my body pod and with the help of the red lines as well as the two external markers on my hips I’m properly positioned so the gantry can do its thing with pin point precision. From the time I get up on the slab until I get off is about 12 to 17 minutes.

Treatment over, down off the slab and now it is double time to the bathroom!

Tomorrow, Wednesday, my appointment is at 12:32 pm. And we’ll do it for another 34 times after that and then that final day with joy I’ll ring the chime in the lobby.

That is about it for our day on The Road of Retirement. We wanted to do so many more things while we were here in Jacksonville but it doesn’t look like it is going to happen. COVID is making a roaring comeback in Florida and Jacksonville in particular. Maybe we’ll do a few outdoor activities, we’ll have to do some shopping, but going out to a restaurant is definitely not in the picture. We’re on volunteer lockdown with just one objective in mind, stay healthy for the remainder of my treatment. It’s hard just sitting around but we’ll do what we have to do.

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog.  We always appreciate your company, your comments, and your suggestions. Remember, take time to stop and smell the roses and live each day that God gives you to the fullest.

 Our continuing mission remains: Departing from our base as often as possible to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Overcast, Thunderstorms, Temperature 96 Degrees

Treatment Has Begun

I have been looking forward to this day for oh so long. The first day of treatment for my prostate cancer and a day to get answers to some questions.

Today’s treatment was scheduled for 12:30 pm. The time is different each day based on the number, age, and type of patients that they will see on that day. They work from 6:30 am until 10 pm, or later. They explained to me that they don’t stop until everyone scheduled for a given day is actually treated.

There are five treatment rooms each designated by a particular color. I’m currently in Proton 5 – Green, but will be switched sometime in the future to Proton 3-Yellow.

I have my official badge which I use to check in each day. On the reverse side is a schedule of days and times of treatments. The time for your next appointment is only given at the conclusion of your current one. Would it be nice to have a full schedule of days, dates, and times? Absolutely! But they have their system, it has worked for years, so I have no problem with it. Especially, given the first rate treatment that one receives.

I now know that I will receive a total of forty treatments. The treatments are Monday thru Friday. My last treatment will be on September 15th. I can only hope that I never end up with either a 6:30 am or 10 pm treatment time. If I do, so be it I’ll just have to deal with it.

A typical treatment is on average about ten to fifteen minutes. However, today was about thirty minutes since they checked, double checked and triple checked the placement of the internal and external markers and so much more. I feel absolutely comfortable in their care.

Treatment over, time to head home.

Once home it was time to grill up some hamburgers. Of course, in order to do this I needed that orange and white umbrella in the background. Oh no, I wasn’t about to let a little rain chase me away from the barbeque grill. You have to realize afternoon rain is as predictable here this time of year as is sunrise and sunset. You just have to learn to deal with it.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement. I’m so excited that I’m finally on my way to getting over this speed bump on the road of my life. I’m thrilled that my treatment is at the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute. They truly deliver first class service and everyone here is so friendly and professional. I would not want to be treated anywhere else. When I think back to how I got here it is evident that God was opening doors all along the way. Yes, we are indeed two of the most blessed and fortunate people in the world.

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog.  We always appreciate your company, your comments, and your suggestions. Remember, take time to stop and smell the roses and live each day that God gives you to the fullest.

 Our continuing mission remains: Departing from our base as often as possible to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

Monday, July 19

Sunshine and Thunderstorms, Temperature 91 Degree

The Great Escape

Woops! I Guess I Dug Too Deep

Then The Rains Came Down

During the last several days we’ve watched Murder Mysteries and The Gand Ole Opry, we’re read several books, and of course played numerous games of Mexican Train.

Today, though, we planned The Great Escape. We need to get out, out of the dark and into the light. So, summing up all our courage, we threw open the front door and boldly stepped into the light of day.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that there was an Einstein Bros. Bagel waiting for us at our first stop. I ordered my usual which is an Everything Bagel and Ms. Barbara had an Asiago Bagel. And, before we left, we grabbed a dozen more to bring home and freeze. Never hurts to be prepared for a bagel craving in the future.

Time now for the real adventure of the day. We needed to put fuel in the car. How many times would it stall out afterwards? Yes, we thought at one time it was finally fixed but that turned out to be false hope. We’re finally talking about getting rid of it, and we will when we can afford to buy something similar. However, the price of used cars is insane right now. We’re going to have to wait a bit.

We then went to pick up our mail at our mail forwarding center. We’ve been with them ever since we’ve been on the road and have only had one negative experience which they in time turned into a positive.

Ms. Barbara picking up our mail. Yes, though we are vaccinated, we have gone back to wearing masks indoors. Especially here in Jacksonville where COVID cases are rising faster than anywhere else in the country and the state.

A quick pit stop here for a nice, cold, unsweetened ice tea and we headed toward home.

This is what we found at 1 pm when we returned home. Seems they had been digging next to our site and accidently found and cut the main water line for the park in half. We were told, no problem, they would have it fixed within the hour. That turned out to be an overly optimistic estimate. The line was finally repaired around 8 pm and the water was finally turned back on.

No water, no chance to do dishes. So, based on the recommendation of a couple of locals we went to Jenkins Quality BBQ. Suffice to say it was neither quality nor appetizing. We’ll never go back there again. This is only the second time in close to four years of traveling that we’ve been skunked in terms of a recommendation for a local eatery. It happens.

When we returned home and while we waited for them to fix the water line, the rain came down. It came down in buckets, and the thunder and lightening was horrendous. We had one lightening strike in the back of the park which is about a football field away from our site. That strike took out the WiFi for the park.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement. We got out and about, and absolutely enjoyed our time together. The day had a little bit of just about everything which made it a lot of fun. Once again, the good Lord smiled upon us from start to finish.

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog.  We always appreciate your company, your comments, and your suggestions. Remember, take time to stop and smell the roses and live each day that God gives you to the fullest.

 Our continuing mission remains: Departing from our base as often as possible to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

Saturday, July 17, 2021

Abundant Sunshine, Temperature 96 Degrees

Hot Time In The RV Park

The Trees Came Tumbling Down

I can’t remember when its been this hot. The last time it was like this was probably last year when we were in Arizona. The temperature since we’ve been here has been on average in the 95 degree range. Since we’re in a satellite friendly site there is really no shade until late afternoon. Yet, with Reflectix in selective windows, several fans running, and both A/C’s on we can usually keep Elvira at a comfortable 79/80 degrees. Good enough for the two of us.

Yesterday we looked outside and we noticed they were getting ready to move the travel trailer next to us. I’m always curious so I went outside to discover what was going on.

I was told that they were going to be taking down the two dead trees on that site. In addition, they would also in the near future be putting down a new gravel base for the site.

Sure enough at 8 am this morning the crew hired to remove the trees showed up. No problem since we were already up and eating breakfast.

They made quick work of the first tree. Then the second. After watching for a bit I was absolutely certain that there was no need to worry about any damage occurring to Elvira. This crew knew their stuff.

Time to grind the stumps down. Notice the white truck? They parked it there to prevent any chips from being thrown back against Elvira. They were true professionals.

This is all that is left. Two small wood chip piles where they ground down the stumps. I don’t know when, but I’m sure sometime this week they’ll be bringing in the gravel for the new base. This is the theme for this RV Park, that being constant upgrades and improvements.

That was our exciting day on The Road of Retirement. We want to do some sightseeing in the weeks ahead but once again we just don’t know. Unfortunately, COVID is making a strong comeback in the state of Florida. We’ll wait until after my first treatment this coming Wednesday and then make a decision. We would hate to have to just sit around for the next how many weeks but we may have no choice. Still in all, we are making the most of the gift of each new day that the good Lord gives us.

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog.  We always appreciate your company, your comments, and your suggestions. Remember, take time to stop and smell the roses and live each day that God gives you to the fullest.

 Our continuing mission remains: Departing from our base as often as possible to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!