Last month I called your attention to a journal by one of our ProtonPals kept while being treated at the M.D. Anderson Proton Therapy Center. I tucked it away on the ProtonPals server and you may not have downloaded it. I thought I serialize it and here's the first part of his Odyssey.

"We arrived in Houston on Sunday January 3rd 2010 about one-hour later than scheduled due to a delay on the connecting flight for the usual hang-up, i.e., "mechanical problem."  We arrived at the apartment "Complex" after dark without any idea where or how to enter through the security doors. Fortunately a resident drove up and assisted our entry and walked us to our apartment door. We had anticipated the possibility of a late arrival and prevailed upon our landlord to send us the apartment key in advance of our departure. The "Complex" is humongous with approximately 450 apartments stacked four high in a trapezoidal envelope with interior courtyards. The corridors have open access to the outdoors from both sides which under current weather conditions provides a breath of frigid air smack in the face when leaving and entering the apartment.

Having arrived late without groceries in the apartment and a lust for dinner we called a Yellow Cab to take us to whatever would be the closest restaurant. That's when we were able to connect with Curtis, the cab driver who provided personal attention to our immediate needs for dinner and grocery shopping over the next few days. Lacking transportation of our own we are dependent upon taxi service and the shuttle service that runs between the complex and the various buildings that makeup the MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Our apartment is a basic kitchen/bedroom/bath unit with the usual attributes. We would prefer more windows for view and interior light. The common room has a glass door to a small patio and one window that are shielded by larger shrubs, which effectively diminishes the outside light. The courtyards are nicely done with fountains and seating which we'll likely make more use of once the weather warms up.

I'm afraid we didn't anticipate the arctic chill that has brought temperatures in Houston to their lowest since 1963. We had packed with expectation of more moderate weather. Nevertheless, we  are fairing much better than the local natives who are being cautioned by the local media to bundle up, insulate exposed water pipes (which are bursting anyway), and keep pets indoors.  We keep telling the locals that by our standards the weather is rather balmy. A warming trend is expected through next week which should give us more pleasant conditions.

I had my first medical appointments Monday for fiducial and simulation procedures prior to proton treatment scheduled to start tomorrow. I'll skip the specifics on the none too pleasant procedures other than that each is required to define the location of the gland for precise focusing of the proton beam for each successive treatment. My schedule requires that I be at the Center each day, Monday through Friday, 30 minutes prior to treatment at 11:50 each day, with once-a-week earlier visits with my physician. If we can abide strictly to schedule the last treatment is on March 5th which would allow us to return home a few days after.

The biggest hassle so far has been coordination with the (so far unreliable) shuttle service to get me to the appointment on time. We've discussed our concerns with the apartment manager who has hopefully resolved the problem with the shuttle company's supervisor. We've taken a few "dry runs" the past couple of days to reassure ourselves. So far, so good. The real test comes tomorrow.

MD Anderson is perhaps the world's largest medical campus with high rise buildings of every kind and description scattered throughout for patient care, research and education. The University of Texas, Baylor, and others have medical, dental and nursing schools here, and other buildings funded by philanthropic organizations devoted to specialized research in various diseases. Patients come here from throughout the world for treatment. It's a humbling experience to walk the corridors and sit in the waiting rooms seeing patients in various stages of illness -- all of them and me in the hope of cure. All said, I can't think of a better place for the culmination of hope.

Yesterday, I attended a meeting of the Houston Investment Association where I made contact with a few friends developed from my interaction over the years on various internet forums involved with investing. One of those friends, whom I had never met face to face before, nevertheless was the guiding force behind my decision to seek treatment at MD Anderson. He had undergone the same treatment here several years ago with success and subsequently became one of the founders and leaders of the protonpals.net group that provides information, support and liaison to the proton treatment center for patients past and present. It was he who setup my referral to the center and enabled me to exchange email with the attending oncologist and others who gave me encouragement and assurance that my condition is treatable.

It's interesting how the internet has given the common man the empowerment of knowledge and friendship that would not otherwise be afforded toward making life's appropriate choices. I can tell you from my personal experience that you must be your own advocate in all affairs, most particularly medical. The internet is one of those primary doors to advocacy. I encourage you to explore it wisely and thoroughly.

The complete journal is stored on our ProtonPals web-site in PDF form.

Here are some updates to what's happening at The Proton Center; I was in this week to get my 3 year check up and met with some of the Pals. I found out that screening has been broadened and patients that may have been ruled out 3 years ago are now being treated.

• The Proton Center is part of a large hospital and research center. The benefits that come from being affiliated with the main center are a) the oncologists have vast experience and outstanding reputations in treating patients in addition to being proton therapy specialists. b) the physicians spend their days learning and working in the main center and clinics as well as in the Proton Center and c) the pool of therapists rotate in job positions at the main center's radiation departments and the Proton Therapy center and gain experience.
  
• The pencil beam gantry is being used for treating tumor sites other than prostate cancer. Initially it was only prostate cancer.  That means to me that new radiation planning and control software tools have been rolled out and now are being gradually applied.
  
• The positioning/robotic tables will take heavier loads than some other proton centers.The table is rated at 280 lbs and certified not to creep at that weight.
  
• Patients with Pacemakers have been treated since March of 2009 and it can be done either in the fixed beam or pencil beam gantry. 
  
• The proton generator (big red synchrotron) is one of the more powerful ones at over 250 MEV and can handle deep seated tumors where some other centers may not be able to treat.
  
• Patients with no metastasis but high Gleason Scores that place them in the high risk category are now being treated.
  

All this is my way of saying Dr. Lee, Dr. Cox and the staff are continually pushing the frontiers and stay tuned for more advances as I ferret them out.

Last week was the first patient and family session at the Proton Center. Carolyn Allsen, Nurse Manager has taken this on during the organization phase only she keeps her other duties as well. 
As Dean Ornish said in his talk, "Anything that removes our sense of community decreases health.  What ultimately frees us from our suffering are altruism, compassion and love.  We can't always cure but we can ALWAYS help people heal " The group's mission is to provide part of that community of healing by providing support along with information of how to manage when you're away from home and in Houston for two months.

In last Friday's session the Place...of Wellness was represented by a speaker who reviewed the programs that are available.

These sessions are to be held weekly and the next one is on Thursday April 29th at 1:00 PM.  Chuck Merrifield, Supervisor, will be the lead speaker and he always provides an excellent overview of the Center's operation. He's been with M.D. Anderson for several years and was at the start up of the Proton Center almost 4 years ago.  I'm planning to be at the session so if you want to meet up for lunch and start the community building early, call me, Joe Landry, at 832-335-0353.