The Radiation Experience

09 Feb 2011 5 Comments

by Carolyn in breast cancer, treatment Tags: breast cancer, holy cross, treatment

14 down. Five to go.

I go for radiation Monday through Friday, usually at 1:00 p.m. One of the radiation therapists calls me from the waiting room and walks me down the hall, through their control room, and into the therapy room. My name is on one of those binders above the computers and other equipment. The therapists, physicians, and nurses meticulously record all procedures, observations, test results, and details related to each patient’s treatment.

Radiation therapists Jerri & Tim

As I head into the treatment room, I pass through this vault-like door. Once the machine’s settings are correct and I’m in position on the treatment table, the therapists return to their control room and lock this door between them and the radiation (and me).

I change into a hospital gown behind the screen on the far side of the room.

The radiation machine

As I lie on the table on my back, one of the therapists positions the blue foam thing under my knees. The other therapist makes sure my head is turned slightly to the right. I hold the two vertical white bars to keep my arms in position over my head. A therapist maneuvers my body so I’m slightly on my right side. She marks my skin with a marker, emphasizing my little freckle tattoos to ensure that the radiation beam goes precisely to the right location.

My view once I'm in position: The collimator (I think)

Once every detail is perfect, the therapists leave me alone as they return to the control room, locking the vault door behind them. The enormous machine buzzes as it rotates around me. I can’t feel anything at all; it’s like getting an x-ray. I just lie perfectly still (Well, you know, as “perfectly still” as I get). The actual treatment process barely takes five minutes. The therapists return and lower the table. I dress and drive the 30 minutes back to North Raleigh.

Carolyn & the radiation machine

Sylvia is my friend from church who was diagnosed with breast cancer just a few weeks after I was. She’s undergoing a similar course of radiation as I am, but her regular appointments are at 10:00 a.m., so I don’t usually get to see her. I needed to go early today, so it was a happy blessing to run into her at the radiology office.

Carolyn & Sylvia