Making The Radiation Mask or Medieval Torture? / April 13, 2017

Today is April 13^th. I went to the cancer center to have my port flushed, get my radiation mask made and make a dry run through radiation treatment. Ryan came with me so he could see where everything is and how it all works.

 The port was great, no more IV's or needles to take blood. I was apprehensive when I got it and all the nurses said I would love it, they were right. It will make treatment so much easier.  When the nurse was ready to access my port, he agreed to count to three before he stuck the needle in it.  After he counted, I looked at Ryan’s face and I could see he was intrigued.  I asked him if the needle was in since I felt nothing.  He said that it was.  I looked at the nurse and said something about having to draw the blood from the port for my labs.  Ryan laughed and said, he already did.  You are done.  Allow me to say it again, I love this port.

Now for the mask.    This mask is form fitted to my head so that I can be bolted down to a table during treatment. It is designed to keep me from moving during radiation. I am not claustrophobic and don't mind being confined. With that being said The tech bring me into the room with the CT SCAN machine in it.  She tells me to take off my shirt and lay on the table.  Once I am good and comfortable she picks up this large horseshoe looking contraption.  This horseshoe has what appears to be tennis racquet strings running across the opening of it.  She tells me to wait a minute while she heats up the strings.  Now mind you, I still have no idea what is about to happen.  As she is heating up this tennis racquet, she grabs two wax molds.  She takes these molds and places them in my mouth over what is left of my teeth and tells me to bite down. 

At this point I am laying on this table with these two wax molds stuck in my mouth.  The tech picks up this tennis racquet and without warning places it on my face and starts pushing straight down.  As she is pushing, the strings are stretching out and contouring to my head and face.  She then pulls up a little bit over the opening of my nose and says, “This will help you breath better through this”.    She then snaps the mask in place on the table, completely pinning me down and says, “Don’t move until this has hardened up”.

I am good with these types of things and don’t get worked up easy but, there was one point when I had a mouth piece in to cover my teeth, the mask being pulled tight over my head, three people measuring and marking my body that I put my hand up and just said STOP.

I had them take the mask off for about three minutes to regroup. After that I was okay. On the finished product they cut out holes for my eyes, I think this will help. Lastly, they put three tattoos on my chest to line up the machine when I am in treatment.  

To make these tattoos the nurse places little droplets of ink on my chest and then uses a needle to push it into my skin. I look at her and say, "Are you kidding me, my first tattoo and it's a prison tatt". As a retired cop, there is just something not right about that. I am looking forward to putting this behind me, but I am ready to do this. 

The true believer’s faith will be made sure by the trials we experience so that we can rest in the knowledge that it is real and will last forever.