Day 9 of 25

Back to treatment after the long Xmas weekend. My hubby Ned took me this morning and here's a pix of him in the outer waiting room. By the time I returned to the room, it was packed with family and friends listening to their Ipods and flipping through old Us Weeklys. They have a coffee and water machine. Very classy for this HMO. I appreciate it. I suppose this facility has a kick-ass office manager who decorates and tries to keep the place calm. It even had a small "Zen Garden" accessible from the outer waiting room. Although I've never seen anyone sitting in it. The inner ladies waiting room was pretty crowded and a few women were bonding and exchanging contact information. One woman had mistakenly arrived an hour and a half early for treatment, ugh. I felt for her. All the staff stocking were still hung in the halls-- filled with candy I was told. I was thinking today about wearing my Ipod through the positioning and zapping. For all of this my arms are secured up over my head and I hold onto a soft donut to keep them there. I continued to try to count to 100 in french during the treatment -- but the creepy hi tech noises the LINAC makes make me lose my place. I need a new mental exercise to relax me. Any suggestions?

Day 6 of 25

A clear brisk day, my appointment was at 9:30 AM for the last time today. I move to my requested 10:45 am slot tomorrow. Someone must have had his last radiation day today. The cheery knitter was in the ladies waiting room again, all smiles. She was wearing some of her creations -- very yarn-y. On my way to the Tahoe Room for my treatment I noticed that they had decorated each steel door to the 4 treatment rooms as giant wrapped presents. It was strange to see the door closed on the other room -- sealed tight to protect others from the radiation-- with a huge red bow. Again so far the worst of it is the pushing and rolling of my body on the table to get me in place, then the clear glue sheets taped to my chest. Then I'm all alone in my sealed room while the LINAC circles my body making strange noises. That last part is very sci-fi. As I am escorted back in my daze to the ladies waiting room I see the nurses hanging stockings with each staff member's name on the hallway rails meant to steady sick patients. After treatment I took mom to the King Tut exhibit at the De Young -- I feel very connected to the ancient Egyptians and have been doing some collages with their imagery. Some art therapy if you will.

Me in the LINAC

The radiation therapists were nice enough to take a pix of me in the table before treatment. What happens next is they line my dot tattoos up with laser points coming out of the ceiling. It takes at least as long as the treatment, as it's critical to be zapped in the right place. You lay there unmoving as they push and pull your arms and hips. Then they cover my skin with a clear gel sheet meant to increase my absorbsion of the radiation. They tape it on. And bingo, I'm ready to go.

LINAC

This is the Advanced Linear Accelerator (LINAC) which administers the external beam treatment. The treatment table is surprisingly uncomfortable. I understand that this isn't a pool lounge chair, but it has a nook that you have to fit your butt into and leg holders. At least it's an open LINAC.