Second day of radiation today. It’s going fine. In a week it’ll just be routine, though I freaked out a bit two nights ago, after the final “dry run.” I walked into that room and saw that huge, imposing machine, and was completely rigidly tense the whole time they were checking all the settings and fittings. Ironic: I was wearing my PLAYS ROUGH WITH OTHERS t-shirt, but dang, Fang, I was so scared I coulda shit bricks.
The folks at Radiation Oncology are so nice, though. One of my docs, a straight bearish guy who goes simply by the moniker Chuck (not Dr. R———), has bought a copy of BEARS ON BEARS. Amazing. More on that later.
An hour later, I walked out into the cold, rainy dusk, got into my car, and gasped for a few minutes. I could hardly breathe, it felt. Thank Goddess for my therapist Stephen, and Rocco, who each called that evening. By 10pm I was calm enough to have made dinner, cleaned up, and stretched a short while, before falling asleep.
Yesterday, the first treatment: woke up at 4:30am having to pee (I’m drinking so much freakin’ water these days!), and couldn’t return to sleep. Nice, long shower, stretched with the Yoga for Backs video, dressed a bit more carefully than usual, had a nice breakfast of chai and savory cereal (confort food for me), putzed around the office, and finally left the house.
I arrived 15 minutes early. Still learning the route – I imagine in a few days I’ll be able to drive there from home in less than 10 minutes. Then waited about 25 minutes. The techs brought me in to another waiting area just outside the treatment room. I tried to read the New Yorker, tried to remember to breathe.
There were still some adjustments and double-checking to do. On my back on a table in the middle of a 50-foot square room next to a large white contraption somewhat resembling an Xray machine. The techs were efficient but friendly and reassuring. I don’t remember their names yet.
The treatment includes two exposures, one each of photons and electrons, I think. I’m unsure exactly how long they last, but it seems less than 30 seconds in either case.
Stepping outside after the first treatment felt much better than it had the night before. I thought I sensed a mild warmness in the area, but the cool fresh breeze felt great.
Another tomorrow, and then Monday, and on until mid-January. Maybe this won’t be so bad, after all.
