Radiation therapy is a little bit of a trip. Unfortunately, it requires actual daily trips to the hospital for a short 15 minute treatment. The actual logistics of leaving work in the middle of work, fighting traffic both ways and then arriving at home feeling quite literally blasted has become quite tiresome. MDA has spent quite a bit of time and planning making it as convenient as possible for those getting daily treatments. The treatment center at the Mays Clinic is on the first floor just steps away from the free valet parking. They have staffed their valet positions with a few of what I would consider greeters. One in particular has made my day a little better every time I have arrived. I'm not entirely sure what she is saying due to a pretty hardy accent but it is along the lines are you better today? You look better today! This is going to be a great day for you! God Bless! The lines are delivered with such a high level of energy, a smile, and who couldn't smile at the thick accent? I assumed that it was a common line and that I was a number until the first Friday when I got a treatment several hours earlier than my regular 3:15 schedule. The greeter said something along the lines of "You are here early, you must be excited to get better today! Are you excited to get better today??" MDA has no idea what she is worth to them.
I usually leave work at 2:30 to make my 3:15. After dropping the car and checking in, I usually don't have to wait more than 5-10 minutes. They have a waiting area that comes equipped with screens that you typically see at airports letting you know if you have cleared the stand by list or the like. Your initials, your appointment time, and your check in time are there and it shows where you are at on their schedule. It is pretty slick. After getting called back, I hop up on the table, put my legs into my custom mold and pull my shirt up and scoot my pants down a bit. There are usually three techs working on getting my tattoos / sharpie marks lined up with lasers that are mounted on the walls and ceiling. Once I am lined up, they hand me a bar to hold onto with both hands to keep them out of the way over my chest and leave the room. The particle accelerator starts to hum and starts treating/zapping/cooking/accelerating/bombarding/hurling subatomic particles my direction. The table I lay on is cantilevered out over a space where the accelerator can rotate around my body. It makes 7 different stops and focuses on the same spot from different angles. Each stop takes about 30 seconds with a couple of short stops for about 20. The lens or the opening of the equipment has a number of very small fingers that adjust to hit the same spot from the different angles. I can't say that I feel any pain at the time but my stomach definitely reacts and starts growling and rolling. I guess it could be the 6 hour fast prior to treatment but it happens almost every time. I usually get super tired between the treatment and arriving at home. Some of the other side effects have been hit and miss.
- Damage to the bowels, causing diarrhea. I believe the medical term is "Loose Bowels".
- Memory Loss - I can't remember what I was trying to forget. (Cue Dirty Day)
- Infertility - we haven't had any kids in the last 30 days so this one is probably confirmed.
- Reddened skin - I'm not sure if this would be a reference to a sun burn or all the red sharpie ink but either way, yes.
I am looking forward to my last treatment. Every time I stop to think about it, I can't help but to smile and have a small allergic reaction.
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| Unit #5 |
Parting Shots:
- My hair is making a slow comeback
- There has been so many neat moments, so many people have blessed our lives. The meals keep getting delivered to our house. It has been humbling to be at the receiving end of so much service and kindness. Angie and I count our blessings each day, many of them have names and reside here in Katy.
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