Yesterday (Monday) was a long day with a trip to the Med Center in KC followed by radiation in Topeka, but everything went smoothly without any long waits.  We got to the cancer center on time, and within ten minutes, I was called in for the blood draw.  Marci looked on as one of my favorite phlebotomists took the blood.  Another short wait, and we were called for the consultation with Jennifer, the P.A.  The blood work looked good.  We found out where Dr. Van is going--to a well-established KC hospital--but there was little consideration of our following him there.  We decided that we will return to KU Med one more time for blood work, a CT scan, and a consultation with Dr. Hashmi.  After that, I'll be treated by Dr. Hashmi here in Topeka.  Since he works at the cancer center in KC only one day a week, it seemed more logical and certainly more convenient to have tests here and to see him on one of the four days a week he works in Topeka.

Dr. Van came in, and we gave both him and Jennifer gifts, tokens of appreciation for all that they have done.  It's been a source of great relief to have an oncologist whom we trust and who has prescribed remarkably effective treatment.  Dr. Van is normally the least demonstrative of people, but the gift managed to elicit his choking up briefly.

We were hoping to have lunch in KC with a friend or two, but once more, our friends were thoughtless enough actually to have jobs that required them to be at working during normal working hours (or to wait for a no-show plumber).  So we drove back to Topeka and had lunch here.  I had a pulled pork sandwich Elvis-style (with coleslaw and fried pickles).  There's nothing like a balanced meal followed by a cigarette to represent healthful nutrition.

Although we were early for our appointment at the cancer center here, we got in with only a short wait.  In the waiting room, there was a woman waiting for one of 23 radiation treatments for lung cancer.  Her husband assured us that they had nothing to worry about as they had two churches and a son who is a pastor praying for them.  I kept my mouth shut.  CNN was playing on the TV, and the husband opined that all we needed to do was bomb the crap out of ISIS and all would be well.  I kept my mouth shut again.

Then I had treatment number 6 with four more to go, including one later this morning.  And we had a very brief consultation with Dr. Green.  I'll have a treatment tomorrow, one on Friday (followed by seeing Dr. Green again, since he'll be out of town next Monday), and then a final zap next Monday.  So far, the radiation hasn't had any bad effects--no nausea or difficulty swallowing.  I hope that continues through Thanksgiving.

We were home by four, and I finally got my first crash of the day.  Blissful oblivion.