Radiation DONE.

One week ago, Jake finished his 30th treatment of IMRT radiation. He had gone in every Monday through Friday (and two Saturdays) for the past 6 weeks to get radiation treatment to his most recent tumor bed.

The process was simple and painless. Jake would walk back to the radiation machine, put on his face mask that holds his head in the correct position, be placed exactly on the table, and hear the radiation machine beep for ten to fifteen minutes. Then he'd stand up, walk out and rest up until the next day. He never felt any pain during the procedure and was always able to return for the next treatment.

The immediate effects of radiation are fatigue, hair loss, and irritation to the scalp. Jake experienced all of those. His energy was drained for the last weeks and he spent a lot of time sitting down and just relaxing. He took a nap almost every day which helped, but it was a fatigue that just made everyday tasks more taxing.

His hair was already shaved for the Optune device, but it had started to grow back all over his head. After three weeks of radiation, however, he started to lose a circular patch on the left side of his head from his bangs to the hair just over his hear. That patch continued to travel down the left side of his head and was definitely completely bald. We continued to trim down his hair but he did have a funky looking pattern going on for a while. Additionally, his scalp started to look very weathered and tanned. The radiation does irritate and burn the scalp and you could definitely see the effects on his tender skin.

He also finished a 6 week round of daily chemotherapy pills. He continued to take Temozolamide in a capsule every night before bed. The chemo also made him fatigued and, similar to a pregnant woman, made all food unappetizing. He still had an appetite, but could never think of a food that sounded good to eat. I ended up just making him things and not worrying him with thinking about it and that seemed the best way for him to get the food down.

We were blessed to have three of Jacob's brothers, as well as our brother in law come to down at different times during his radiation treatment. After the first brother visited Jake mentioned how it was so nice to have another man around the house and to interact with. Especially after having just left his work it was nice for him to still have some male bonding time.

I loved having the brothers here because they each helped out in their own ways. I was able to have some time on my own and to get things done and they helped me with different projects, childcare, and cleaning around the house. His brother who won the lottery of helping me clean up kid vomit from under a bed really got lucky.  Most of them served as cheuffers to radiation as well I was grateful for their help.

In addition, many kind brothers from our new and old wards also took turns driving Jake downtown for radiation so the kids and I could have a break from making the trip. Because of his seizure Jake wasn't supposed to drive until the middle of June, so it was nice to have people who would help out with that. I also had sisters in our ward volunteer to do our grocery shopping each week and it was such a help to have a few more hours to spend with my family.

We did take the kids on Monday afternoons to radiation. We felt like it was important for them to see where Jake was going and have a sense for what the radiation experience was like. They enjoyed our once a week trips and Ada even shouted "Hooray" when we told them it was a radiation day. My dear friend Kelly then offered to come over on Thursdays and watch the kids so Jake and I could go to radiation together. Thursday is the day we'd meet with the radiologist and talk about how Jake was doing and feeling and I was so glad our kids could staying at home with her.

This last week Jacob's parents flew down to spend a few days with us. They were able to take him to a few radiation treatments and see what he had been doing for the last many weeks. We enjoyed our time with them and they were so hopeful to buy us groceries, tend the kids, and clean up around the house. They gave us the great gift of then driving our van and our kids to Utah. My family is having a reunion and we didn't want our kids to miss it so thankfully Jacob's parents were able to get them there.

Honestly, the 6 weeks of radiation seemed to go by really fast. With visitors to break up the monotony, the end of school, summer reading class, and swimming days the time kind of flew by. I wish I could convey how grateful I am to Jake for what he has been willing to endure. I don't know the full extent of what he has gone through physically, mentally, and emotionally, but I have sensed many times the depth of the difficulty of this experience. What awes me the most is that he willingly and without complaint endures it for us. Because he loves me and our kids and wants nothing more than to stay with us.

As we talked to the doctors about the plan from here I told Jake how it felt like we were going back into no mans land. Radiation, although difficult, was a safe and predictable place. You knew what to do, when you would do it, and what the anticipated side effects would be. Now that it is over we seem to be going back into the world of the unknowns. Where we go from MRI to MRI hoping for the best but never knowing for sure. Even the doctors were reluctant to make any definitive statements as Jake is a unique case and they really don't know what is in store.

Jake will have an MRI in a few weeks and start wearing the Optune device again today. He will stay on the monthly cycle of Temozolomide pills, 5 days in a row once a month for the forseeable future. And he will try and take advantage of every day that he is given. At this juncture, all we can do is continue to pray. Pray that the radiation worked. Pray the the maliganant cells do not divide. Pray that Jakes body can regain strength and that his immune system will work at full capacity. And pray with gratitude for the goodness God continues to shower down on us.