Usually my radiation is quick. Appointment is at 1:30 and I'm back in my own clothes, zooming out of the parking lot before 2. Today I didn't even get off the table till 2:30. And you should have seen the waiting room by then--oy! Standing room only. After I got changed and was marching out, I heard the therapist say "sorry for the delay everyone, we are running a bit late. . . . anyone want a warm blanket." I figured I'd better hightail it outta there before people figured out the cause of the delay and I got lynched.
So the cause of the delay. . . . . today was the start of my "new fields". There was some confusion as to how many cm this way and mm that way, the dosimitrist spent a while in there, and there was much x-ray taking, Sharpie marking of the skin and many calculations. As I lay there staring up at the nice mural on the ceiling, I was thinking "oh I'm SO glad that I'm not the one having to figure out all those angles!" They went back and forth over 2-3mm at one point, and part of me wanted to tell them that close is good enough, but the other part of me is very glad that they are being so precise.
The down side of precision? I have a roadmap on my chest in red and green marker, which needs to last till MONDAY! Figures that THIS Friday is the one when my machine will be down for scheduled maintenance. Again, very happy that it is being maintained regularly, but sheesh, now I have to be careful of the marks all weekend.
Again today, they looked at my skin and offered to give me a "therapy break". That means you are off radiation for a week while your skin heals. I told them no thanks. . . no pun intended, but let's just blast through. The dosimitrist commented to me that my skin was looking wonderful. I siezed the opportunity and mentioned that the model in the bikini, on the magazine in the waiting room had "wonderful" skin, mine, no so much! She laughed, and we agreed that maybe with an airbrush my skin could pass for "good". I think there would have to be a lotta airbrush work there.
The attachments to the radiation machine itself, for these "boosts" look scary. Huge telescopic looking lenses, that come very close to the skin. I asked the therapist if this was the "megablaster" that my 7 yr old speaks of and after a pause he said "ah yes. you could call it that". Scary.
So finally, I'm in the single digits. Nine more treatments left, though it will be over the next 3 weeks due to Thanksgiving. The treatments should be quicker, 2 fields as opposed to the 5 I've been having. Those two fields also have a total of only 2 beams as opposed to the 9 beams with the other fields. Think I'm in the home stretch now--if someone can just tell my skin and fatigue level to hang in there!
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