One Week Down

I've made it through my first week of radiation! It's an interesting experience and totally different from chemotherapy.

It takes me anywhere from 40 to 60+ minutes to get to the hospital and once there I hand in my little yellow card and get changed into the beautiful hospital gowns, which by the way go home with me the whole time I have treatment!

Once in the radiation room I lay on a hard table, lift my legs up to have a block put under my knees, lay down into the form that has been shaped specifically to me, remove 1/2 my gown and then raise my arms above my head. Once I'm settled the radiation therapists work their magic by moving the bed up, down and sideways, call out numbers, mark me up with a felt pen and line up the laser with my tattoos, cover me with a cloth then a flat gel pad and everyone leaves the room making sure the last person that leaves pushes the button, which sounds off beeping sounds (I think to warn that radiation is about to take place). A few minutes later the machine moves into position and I'll hear a beeping sound but don't see anything, don't feel anything and nothing touches me. Again the machine repositions itself and makes the sound, then it moves itself up and over me, positions itself and makes the sound. It positions itself one more time and a radiation therapist comes back in the room and removes the gel pad and leaves the room again for one more radiation blast. Every time the machine sounds off there is an odor but I'm not sure how to describe it, its almost like a very sterile smell I don't know maybe by the 28th day I'll have it figured out. Once that's done I'm done, get changed into my street clothes again and then look forward to the 40 to 60+ minute drive home. Pretty simple really.

I do get tired easily but I think that's still from recovering from chemo and the fact that I'm dealing with another cold. My skin has started going pink which really shouldn't be happening yet but I'm not surprised. It's all about moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!