Radiation Update

I met the oncology/radiology team today and listened to the whole spiel about needing or not needing the treatment for about 5 minutes before the dr. in charge manually examined my neck and under-arm and immediately determined I needed the treatments. He showed me the Japanese release form and underlined the points he felt I should be most aware of, taking a few minutes to explain. Then they all fumbled around for a while and finally discovered last week's CT scan results in the file and excitedly pointed out that nodes under my collar bone are also quite visible and asked how soon I could start.

I asked if today was OK and they all walked down the hall with me to the oncology radiation treatment room where I got to lie very still on the table while they positioned, measured, marked and photographed me so we can repeat the position 5 days a week for the next 6 weeks. Then I was alone on the table while a buzzer buzzed and I counted to a hundred in French. After a quick digital photo of my position again, I was able to get up and go meet with another doctor who will be working on me some of the time. She gave me a computer printout of my schedule so I'm all set for the rest of the year.

My kids are absolutely gleeful about all the red lines they drew around the area to be radiated (left side of neck and around left underarm area plus the left half of the left breast) and here and there on shoulders and waist to make sure we match positions tomorrow and thereafter. I'd been nagging them not to write on their bodies with magic markers just last weekend and now I look like an overused connect-the-dot :-). I bought 2 new turtlenecks so I won't look like I was attacked by a horde of 6 year olds with red markers when I work.

I'll go weekdays until at least the end of the year and should be in and out of the hospital within 30 minutes each time, so the schedule is not a problem. The bus ride takes about 20 minutes one way, and is convenient.

Time to go make some dinner and go off to teach a few classes.