Radiation Oncology Meeting!!!

Yesterday the Radiation Oncology rang me to book Brody in for today to have a meeting and to take his measurements of his head, lungs and hole body. Brody had to go under anaesthetic as they had to do a CT scan of his lungs to find out the density. They do these measurements to calculate and plan for how much and how long they will need treatment for. Every thing went well.

I found out a lot of information about what will be happening for the radiation, first is Why they use radiation before a bone marrow transplant? Well it kills off cells left behind, as chemo does not always kill the cancer cells in the brain or spinal cord. This is also common in children with the T-cell. It also gets rid of Brody's bone marrow and creates physical space inside the bones for the new bone marrow and it also reduces the child's immunity so that the new cells are not rejected.

Brody will be having 4 days of head radiation and then the next week he will have 3 days, twice a day whole body radiation. He will be placed under anaesthetic for all treatment as the children have to lay still for it. He also cant eat or drink for 6 hours before this, so when he has the twice a day treatment, he wont be able to eat all day, as one session is in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Grrrrrr......

• What are the side effects of Radiation?

Like most things these side effects can happen or might not happen, It effects different people in different ways.

Side effects that can happen on the day of treatment and after-
Lethargy, Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhoea. Children can develop a sleep disorder, where they can sleep long periods, this isn't permanent and can last a couple of weeks.

Side effects that can happen in the few days or up to 2 weeks after total body treatment-
Mucositis ( mouth sores), Swelling of the jar and glands, Hair loss, Redness of the skin

• Long term effects

There are changes that can happen months after to years after

Growth disturbance- growth hormone is produced by the pituitary gland in the brain, this gland is sensitive to radiation which may not produce enough growth hormone. Therefore children might need growth hormone injections. Also the treatment can damage growth plates, which then can effect their growth and they will be slightly smaller than other children.

Fertility- Some children will need hormonal treatments to reach puberty and might need to be on this for the rest of their lives. They told us that Brody wouldn't be able to father his own children but we still need to educate him that he could as there are some people that have fathered a child after all this treatment. But it is rare.

Cardiovasacular- is thicken of the outside and inside of the heart, which then is heart disease.

Lung- Lung tissue is sensitive to radiation, which means lung infections and other problems.

Learning- Children under 10 have more chance that some learning difficulties can be detected. This was not good news, as Brody already has a mild global delay and needs support services.

Eye- can cause cataracts

Teeth- In young children tooth root and tooth decay

Also one other side effect is that they can cause another type of cancer.

I also rang the hospital to talk to someone on the transplant team to find out what was happening. They still need to make an appointment with me to talk about what is going to happen but now looks like Brody will have his transplant on his birthday, 21 July. But dates can be changed as it depends on his levels, if he gets infections or even if LUke gets an infection. So have to wait longer for more information.

I would like to thank all my relatives in Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland for their comments, prayers and thoughts. This will be a hard time for our family as its the same time we lost our lovely Sonya, and still so close to the passing of our wonderful Pop (Alan Heale). Our emotions will be very high and your prayers and support will be treasured. Please look after mum and dad for me as Brody and i will be in isolation for 8 weeks. Thanks.xoxoxox