Wendy's Story
23: Time for Radiation (plus LOTS of pictures!)
Sun, Jul 25 2004 by Wendy
July 25, 2004
Wow, it's been a LONG time since I've written, but it's honestly been nice to take the time off and not "think" about everything for a while. I feel great and have been thoroughly enjoying the summer, my family and my friends! And my hair is growing back ... yahooooo!
OK, so what's next. I start radiation on Monday. I've already been twice to get examined and "marked" with little tattoo dots so they know where to line up the machine each time I go. It was a bizarre ritual in that they had me lay down on a table "just so" with a huge round radiation thingy staring down on me and laser lights coming out out of the walls and ceiling. I was waiting for a voice to say, "Please remain seated until the ride has come to a complete stop."
They did a cat scan to understand where my vital organs are (so they miss them when they zap me) and studied the lights and table and dots and my scar so intently ... it was an interesting and time consuming effort. But it's all to make certain they don't zap anything they shouldn't so I was patient and stayed perfectly still for what seemed like forever.
When I go on Monday the treatment will last only 10 minutes, but that will be the first of many as I have to go five days a week for six and a half weeks. Between travel (Dover - about 20 minutes from home) and prep time, I can count on a good hour and a half everyday, which I'm not looking forward to, but it will be a total picnic compared to chemo. Side effects are minimal ... fatigue and possible skin burn.
I'll continue to write as I go through this next process. In the meantime, I added a bunch of photos taken at different functions / events since I wrote last.
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