Radiotherapy #1

Chris took the day off so he could take me to my first session (after that, I'm on my own!).
We had a lazy morning and then set off around 13:00 for a 14:00 appointment.  We sat and waited for about 40 minutes, before a young girl came round to collect me.  She is a student called Jodie, very young and fresh faced (made me feel old!), but very nice.  We went into the radiotherapy department and an office, where she checked my date of birth and address (you'd think after repeating this so many times over the last few months I would remember it!) and told me what was going to happen and what I should do to minimise side effects.

Then she directed me to the "waiting room" and informed me that for future appointments I would be called over the intercom and should then come and wait here.  Now, this "waiting room" has been temporarily sited in an office, whilst they refurbish the department, so there's a desk (complete with computer), a couch, sink, cupboards and 5 chairs that look like they've been chucked in there for storage.  No matter, the signs ask us to be patient with them and we will.  There were 2 other ladies in there, one waiting for her treatment and the other waiting for her mother.
 
After about 20 minutes, I was called in.  It's a bigger room than the simulator room and not as welcoming.  There's no door, it's just round a corner at the end of a corridor - a little unnerving whilst you're stripping off to the waist!
Then it was on to the familiar couch - bottom here, legs here, arms above my head.  Above me, instead of the normal ceiling tiles, there were tiles that made up a spring scene of a flowering blossom tree.

More positioning, more measuring and more pen marks followed and a rather fetching gel pad was left on my chest. This is to make sure the skin around the scar gets a dose of radiation as well as deeper into the chest wall.  I'll have this for half of my treatment and then the other half without it.  Then they left me. Apparently they were taking more pictures and then there was about a minute of treatment.  First on my chest, then under my arm and then near my collar bone.  I had to turn my head to the side for this last one, so that I wouldn't get a sore throat if they accidentally treated that (mmm.....that's reassuring!).

I kept wondering if I'd feel anything whilst they were zapping me, but I didn't.  It was only the noise of the machine and the red lights that popped on declaring RADIATION that gave any indication that they were treating me.

Then it was over.  I put my top etc. back on, was given some Aqueous Cream to put on twice daily and went back out to meet Chris.  My bad arm (the one with the pins in it) was feeling a bit stiff and I have to watch out for lymphoedema now, but I put that down to the position it was in during treatment (they tell you to relax, but quite honestly, would you?).

So that's 1 down, 19 to go.............