Two days of Radiation

So, I went to my appointment yesterday, even arriving EARLY (which for me is no small feat!) The first red flag was the number of cars parked along the building. The waiting room was packed. I announced my arrival to the receptionist, sat down, and just as I got into a magazine article, my name was called! Wow! I thought, this was speedy!

Well, that was the end of "speedy". I was ushered into an examination room to see the doctor. Shortly, a nurse came in, asked me if I had any questions, to which I answered, "No, the doctor was quite thorough last week." She then left the room after explaining to me that I would not need to see him, then, and that they were "running behind today".

Then the waiting began. As people rushed back and forth past the open door of the exam room, I regretted not bringing a magazine with me, but was sure that the minute I left my room, they would be calling my name and wondering where I was. Nearly an hour later, as I began to nod off, and after waving someone down and asking if I might have been forgotten, I was called over to begin my first treatment.

They got me set up in my uncomfortable position on the [hard, cold] table, and began taking measurements of the area to be radiated. They kept explaining that the first time would take longer than usual, but I was under the impression that this was what last week's three hour session was about. I wondered why this was not told to me prior to the visit...?

The actual time of the radiation itself was minutes long, and then I was done...almost two hours later. I was glad I didn't have any pressing appointments after that. I nervously asked if this amount of time was unusual, because I DID have an appointment right after radiation on Thursday. They assured me that this day was unusually busy, and that it should rarely happen like this.

Thursday went off without a hitch. I arrived a few minutes early, there were NO other cars along the curb, and the waiting room was empty! I went right in, got the treatment and was out in 20 minutes! WHEW!

I got home in time to greet my friends when they arrived a few minutes later. Georgia and Chrystal brought lunch [wild rice soup, broccoli salad, apple spice bread, rolls, and cookies] It was way more than we could eat, but we had a fun visit, and played Sequence and laughed a lot. Chrystal was the Sequence Champion for the day, but Georgia and I have vowed to have a re-match to have a chance to redeem our broken egos.

I do feel some improvement in my health. My cold is finally going away, and I feel less fatigued. So, there is hope.

Love to all,

Mary :-)