I have said I would NEVER get a tattoo.
Never say never...
Tuesday was my first radiation, and today my second. It is as easy as showing up. Mike took me to the first one, which made the occasion even more peaceful and positive.
You put on a gown, walk into the huge treatment room, decorated "county Florida" and lie down on your pillow on the table. The blue triangular bolster is for under your knees. The items hanging on the clothing rack in back are pillows for each patient. They are molded to our heads and necks and arms (arms stretched out over our heads) so we get into the identical position each time. Mine is already on the table for me. The entire radiation machine comes out to me and rotates over me. The blue disk part emits the radiation. First from directly above me (for seven seconds today) and then it rotates with its two square arms to behind my left shoulder and does the second dose (for nine seconds today.)
They drew the radiation field on me on Monday. Yes, I was lying on the table while they were moving the machine and talking, I heard a click and once again the tell-tale smell of a SHARPIE. I said with a chuckle, Are you seriously going to draw on me again with a Sharpie. She said, Yes we are going to outline the radiation field and then take a photo of it. With a Canon Elph camera. I now have the outline of France on my torso. Of interest to me, they are getting the node area under my left arm as well as the left breast. They found a small 0.3 cm tumor in the sentinel node during my lumpectomy, so this gives me much encouragement that they are zapping the remaining nodal area. The cancer cells didn't just jump to the node, they were carried there by white blood cells trying to throw them out. So zap the entire area.
I have five pencil point tattoos. Getting a tattoo hurts. For five seconds each. How do people get a full portrait tattooed? It must really really hurt. These dots are for them to line up the radiation machine each time. Good idea, I am all for accuracy in radiation.
In the waiting room today, two women waiting were lying down sideways on the waiting room sofas. That is being really really tired. So that will be me in four, five weeks.
The technicians at radiology are absolutely fantastic. Today they switched the music speakers input (which I think are actually on the radiation machine) from Florida Hospital's soft rock to Kelly's (a technician) workout playlist from her IPOD. During my sixteen seconds of radiation I listened to MC Hammer's, Can't Touch This, while tech Chris danced. Does it get any better?
I continue to be so uplifted by friends. So much. I want to spend more time with friends. It is so fun. I have a radiation appointment every weekday, and want to continue meditating every day and spending time in quiet, some napping still going on. And there is exercise. Oh yes and taking care of household things, Dad, stuff for Mike's family... But I want to spend time with friends! There just don't seem to be enough hours in each day, which is a good way to feel isn't it?
