Who Was that Masked Man?

Aunt Linda picked Jeanette and I up bright and early this morning for another visit to Princess Margaret Hospital. Today's missions: 1) the surgical consultation, and 2) the CT planning and creation of the immobilization mask in preparation for the radiation treatment.

1) The Surgical Consultation

The surgical consultation was with Dr. Jonathan Irish, Chief of Surgical Oncology at PMH:

But first I was examined by an associate of Dr. Irish's. I'm proud to say I survived this round of nasal-endoscope insertion without dizziness, though the administering doctor's lack of bedside manner provided its own level of discomfort.

Then we met Dr. Irish, who was much more pleasant and took the time to carefully review the surgical options with us. I wasn't entirely surprised when he recommended surgery over radiation treatment (he is chief of surgery, after all), albeit a simpler surgery than what was anticipated by Dr. O'Sullivan.

Dr. Irish is confident the at-risk area of the tongue can be removed without it needing to be rebuilt. After three or four weeks of healing, I would likely retain full use of my tongue, though there could be mild impact on my speech. Ideally he would like to have performed this surgery while the tumour was still in place; with it gone, determining the remaining area to excise is difficult to do as precisely. During the same surgery, he would likely stage my neck, but he wants to review the CT scan (which is still booked for Nov. 21) before deciding anything.

So, I'm back to square one: snip it or zap it? I'm still leaning towards radiation treatment for its reliability in eradicating the cancer, but the shorter recovery time of the surgery is tempting. In any case, I now have an appointment on Wednesday, Nov. 29 to meet with both Dr. Irish and Dr. O'Sullivan at the same time to review the CT scan and discuss the options. Hopefully that meeting will produce some definitive info for one treatment over the other.

2) CT Planning and Immobilization Mask

In the meantime, we're moving ahead with preparations for the radiation therapy. Today was the creation of the immobilization mask, used to ensure I'll always be in the same position when on the treatment table:


Not for the claustrophobic, the mask was made by placing a wet mesh of material over my face that quickly stiffened:

The technicians rubbed it with damp towles to make sure it snugly conformed to the contours of my face and neck. Once the mask was hard enough, they removed it and we went off to our appointment with Dr. Irish.

We returned an hour later when the mask was dry, and I took another turn on the table for the planning CT scan. With me buckled in place, the technicians used tape and markers on the mask to map out the areas where the radiation will be administered. They also gave me a tiny dot of a tattoo (I asked for a unicorn, but they only do dots) on my chest for future laser-guided positioning. Using an IV, they pumped me full of contrast dye, and then ran the CT scan over the target areas.

It was all finished in a matter of minutes, and while the pressure of the mask was a little intense, I was really quite comfortable.

Next up: back to PMH on the afternoon of Nov. 20 for a dental consultation. Until then, I leave with you this glamour shot of me in my hospital robe (I believe this was after they told me "Sir, you didn't have to remove your pants."):