Last week I had an MRI of my lower back. Thankfully, we didn’t learn anything new. While the cancer is starting to encroach on the spinal canal space, it is not currently impinging the spinal cord. Thursday I met with the radiation oncologist and was mapped for radiation. They scheduled me for five sessions to my lower back. I had my first session today and it went very smoothly. I will go each morning this week to complete the series. They are expecting me to have side effects of fatigue, diarrhea, and maybe some nausea. Usually it takes a few days before these things hit, so we will see how the second half of this week goes. 
My oncologist wanted me to have a break between radiation and chemo so I was originally scheduled to start the 29th of July. But I asked for them to wait until I get back from a vacation I have planned with Scott and the kids to go camping in South Dakota. So now I will begin weekly taxol infusions on August 5th. I will need some chemo buddies for the first few sessions, just in case the pre-meds make me sleepy. While I am not looking forward to chemo itself, I am looking forward to hopefully getting the cancer back under control. I really appreciate everyone’s offers to help, and I will keep posting here for things like rides or meals as needed. Thank you for your support!