Rdlesstrav'ld,
Having just completed 44 treatments at Loma Linda on the 28th of September, I know of several issues that could be influencing your ability to get a faster track for consult.
One is that they are not accepting any patients currently for Gantry 1, as they are to start performing a major upgrade in November to that treatment room with the installation of a new robotic Proton delivery system developed in conjunction with NASA. This will cut setup time in half, allow them to have 10 times the current precision in delivery and will allow them for the first time to treat not only locally metastatic tumors of the prostate but also cancers of the lung and some other organs. Lung cancers had previously been untreatable with Protons because the movement of the torso while breathing made it impossible to deliver an accurate conformal dose. This computer assisted arm will be able to track the target area while the patient breathes normally. Eventually all 3 gantries and the fixed beam room will be upgraded. The rad oncology staff is excited because this is the first real upgrade since the facility started treating patients 17 years ago.
Another issue is that they are actively recruiting several new doctors. I know that my attending Dr. Luu is or has left to take a job with the radiation medicine department at Stanford University. Evidently the idea of working with the linear accelerator there was too much to resist. The remaining docs probably have pretty full slates and schedules. Also around the holidays it tends to become congested as there will be interruptions for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so some choose to wait till after the 1st of the year.
If you have your heart set on Protons, Loma Linda is the place to go, regardless of the wait. Our numbers are almost identical I see, including age so if you would like to chat my email below my forum name is active. Drop me a line and I would be glad to call you at your convenience to answer any questions you may have about
the process. I see you are coming to Seattle for seeds or do you already live in Puget Sound? If so we are neighbors as I live in the area myself.
Hope some of this helps and hope to hear from you if you are interested.
John
54 years old
PSA 5.6 on 3/20/07
DRE: Negative
Biopsy on 4/20/07
Results 4/25/07:
3 out of 12 cores positive, 2 on the right lobe with 5% adenocarcinoma Gleason 3+3, 1 on the left lobe 10% adenocarcinoma Gleason 3+4, overall Gleason graded 7 Cancer T1C. After web research discovered Proton Beam Therapy and called Loma Linda. Completed consultation with Dr. Luu on 7/5/2007 and started treatment at Loma Linda on 7/26/07. Completed treatment 44 on 9/28/07. 0 treatments remain. Side Effects remain minimal. 1st PSA scheduled for end of Jan. 08.