Many of you have asked questions about where to you go for Chemo and how is it administered. I have also been asked about how radiation works. How long does it take what is the instrument like. I decided to have my nurses take some pictures at the oncology center and the radiation center to show what it is like.
The oncology infusion center is a big room with about 12 lazyboy recliners. Each patients has their own recliner where they sit anywhere from 30 minutes to 5 hours getting their chemotherapy. The picture was taken this week when I was getting an infusion of iron into the port in my chest. BTW: It is really working to give me more energy
The other pictures show me on the table where I go every morning to get radiated. If you notice the instrument moves around the patent's body 360 degrees. Initially they use Xrays to determine where the radiation site is located. Then they line you up with lasers and tattoo 3 marks that are used each day to calibrate the instrument to your body. Each morning they align the laser with my 3 tattoos (one between my breasts, one on my left side of my breast and one on the right side of my breast). They use 4 fields and it takes about 5 min. to complete the process.
On a funny note: Normally your breasts are exposed during this process. The nurses asked me before they took the pictures, Do you want your breast exposed or do you want us to cover you up. I chuckled and said "I don't think I am liberated enough to expose my breasts on the Internet. So this isn't entirely and accurate picture.
Thanks for sharing and explaining. It is one thing to read the words but pictures always explain soo much more than words alone!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I would have covered up too ;)