Opdivo infusion #61 and radiotherapy plans

Today was my 61st infusion of nivolumab. After 3 needle sticks, the nurse was finally able to draw blood. My labs were utterly boring. My consultation with Dr. Maughan and his fellow were routine, only they were excited that I was planning on proceeding with radiation therapy. I brought in the leftover shirts from the BCAN walk and made them available to staff. They were excited for the freebies. The pharmacy rapidly prepared my drug, and after a 30 minute push I was done. It took less than two hours -- one of my fastest infusions yet.

Regarding radiotherapy, after reading more than a dozen articles, I've decided that it's worth it to eliminate the persistent tumor at the base of my neck. The odds of having any long-term harm from radiation seems very low. The benefits are harder to quantify. Since my disease is systemic, radiation is not curative. But it will eliminate the singe largest location of metastatic activity, and that can't be a bad thing. So what the heck, I'll give it a shot. Next week I'll have a simulated treatment, where they'll locate the exact places they want to focus the radiation beams. I'm told I'll get three dots tattooed across my chest that will be used as reference points to exactly place the beams. (I asked whether I get to pick the tattoo design, and was politely refused. The dots will look like small moles, they said. After they're done I can go to Fat Bob's Custom Tattoo Parlor and have him connect the dots however I want.) The actual radiotherapy will be spread over 3 sessions during the week of June 10. I'll have my next CT on June 27, so I should know pretty quickly if the radiation worked.

In other news, I've been moving forward with plans to build a small house in Huntsville. The architectural plans are done and the engineer is reviewing them. The well and septic permits are in hand, and the driller should start on the well next week. Garrett is home from college, and has been helping me move fences and build gates for the 250 yard driveway connecting the street to the building site. I hope to break ground in a month or so, and can hopefully get the roof on before next winter. It all goes to plan (and it never does), I could be moved in by next spring.