This past Monday Terry and I were getting the full details on the nature of my cancer and how the medical team planned to treat it. We were at the point of information overload when the radiation oncologist began to describe how the radiation and chemo work together to kill the cancer cells in the tumor.
"It's like hunting prairie dogs."
And, then it got weird...
So, it's just the three of us in this very small examination room and Terry and I are biting our tongues and trying not to make eye contact, so that we don't just blurt out laughing. The doctor forges ahead with his analogy:
"Imagine a long line of prairie dog holes stretching far across the...prairie. Each hole is a cancer cell. And, aimed at each hole is a bow and arrow, set on automatic firing. The chemo works to get some of the prairie dogs to pop out of their holes--at which time the radiation shoots at them like arrows--killing those prairie dogs that had popped up at that precise moment. Not all of the prairie dogs pop up at once, so the process needs to be repeated many times, until at some point all of the prairie dogs have been killed."
At some level, his analogy does make sense, but the last two words we expected to hear during a cancer treatment consult were "prairie dogs." But, it does make you wonder why medical students need to go into such large loan debt when they can learn all they need to know about treating cancer by watching the Animal Planet on TV.
On the serious side of things, today is that last prep day for us, with several appointments lined up. The treatments start on Monday, so please keep us in your thoughts, and check the blog for updates as we can post them.
I will be looking for Prairie dogs or something similar this week to try to better understand this analogy as you know my feeble brain couldn't quite get there. Love the idea of the blog. See you guys next week.
ReplyDeleteOk Metz, so if prairie dogs don't work for you, think of it like a round of golf. You wouldn't be surprised to hear a physician talk about golf, would you? Picture it this way: you can't complete a golf round in one swing. You need lots of strokes spread over several holes to compelete the round. Got it? And frankly, MM, I'm praying the oncologist is better at treating cancer than you are at playing golf. ;-)
ReplyDeleteMike,your positive attitude should eradicate over half the prairie dog population when you show up for your first treatment! I've read and heard first hand the benefits of visualization during the course of treatment. I've been thinking about prairie dogs popping up and waiting shooters, and frankly, I don't think that visualization exercise is aggressive enough. I would suggest visualizing Ginger unleashed on any chipmunk population anywhere! After watching her from your deck one lovely morning, I don't recall her waiting for the enemy to show itself...she went in after them! When it came to taking out chipmunks, Ginger was "Rambo" on steroids patrolling your backyard! You and Terry are in our thoughts. Cynthia
ReplyDeleteI was thinking, it sounds a little like whack-a-mole:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dorneypark.com/public/online_fun/mole.cfm