Brooke is the full-time radiation tech; her helpers so far are Marcie and Katie. On Tuesday, I had radiation and x-rays, which took a whole hour. Then today, I had radiation and x-rays again because something happened to Tuesday's. I'm in a different room this time. The drill goes something like this:

Come in, say hi to the receptionist, walk to the dressing room, knock to make sure someone hasn't forgotten to lock the door while they change, enter and lock door, strip and stow belongings, put on exciting radiation wear, exit dressing room, go to tiny waiting room, get warm blanket out of the blanket oven (I'm sure it's not really called that), sit down, wait for someone to come get me. I usually don't have time to read anything, but since sometimes I do, I tend to bring a book all the time just in case. Joke with Brooke and helper-of-the-day, check computer for my name, lay on hard slab, put arms up, and hold still/hold still/hold still and don't think about your left arm being very uncomfortably stretched over your head.

Brooke and helper raise the couch to about shoulder level, a fact I discovered today when we were done and I sat up to get off and I was quite high up off the floor! I'm sure it makes their work easier when they don't have to lean over to do it. They first line up all my tattoos with the lasers coming from the round machine arm and the two side walls. "That's me," when uttered by helper-of-the-day, means that the tattoo on her side is lined up with the laser. Brooke moves the couch forward and back a couple of times to check, sometimes pulls my arm up a little higher, and when I'm all squared away (ha ha ha), they start reading out numbers. "5 medial" means they shift me a bit to the right. "Depth of 3" means they raise the couch a bit. The middle of the round arm of the machine has little pistons that can move to make shaped fields for the radiation. My first field looks like a pattern piece for the bodice of a dress -- armhole curve on the left, neckline curve on the right, straight sides and bottom.

At this point, Brooke and helper get out the Sharpie markers and I discover that they draw on me every day! Some of the marks make the tattoos more noticeable, and then they trace the lines the round arm shines on me, with little dashes. When everything is to their liking, Brooke and helper-of-the-day leave, close the radiation barrier doors, and I hear the buzzing sound that means invisible rays are bombarding me. I can't feel them, though. John Denver is singing about country roads taking him home.

30 second later, Brooke and Marcie are back. They check to make sure I'm still lined up, and then they shift me to a different position. The round machine arm rotates about 30 degrees to my right, and Brooke shifts the couch to the right also, and angles my feet left, so they are pointing more at 11 o'clock instead of 12 noon. My right elbow almost touches the round machine arm. The pistons have whirred back and forth into a long rectangle, and Brooke attaches a horseshoe-shaped metal thing onto the machine arm. Marcie slides a clear plastic plate onto the horseshoe, and it has a black foam rectangle protruding from slots about 4 inches. Brooke wiggles it back and forth until the angle satisfies her. She checks it by touching my left side with her fingers. I peeked today, and she's really checking to see where the laser touches my skin so she knows exactly where the rays will hit. Marcie used a ruler to do the same thing yesterday. They leave again, and the buzzing starts.

When they come back this time, Marcie uses her Sharpie to draw a line along the bottom of the black foam rectangle in the clear plastic plate. She then removes it, and the machine arm rotates to the left until it is so far down that I can't see it in my peripheral vision. I hear some clicking and snapping and guess that Brooke has put the plate back in the horseshoe holder. They check a couple more things and then leave again to start the machine buzzing rays at my left side.

Since I am having x-rays also, the machine arm rotates back to the top, but this time they insert a plastic plate with metal pegs along an x and y axis into the horseshoe holder. We go through the whole routine again. My arm is killing me.

When Brooke says I can put my arms down, I have to use my right arm to help lower the left one. Brooke says I'll see the doctor on Friday this time, but normally I'll see him on Wednesdays. She also says I'll have x-rays every Tuesday. I think I'll let them help me remember all of this.

When I'm re-dressed and on my way out, I see that someone has brought doughnuts and juice. I take some apple juice. So much for the second day of radiation.