So It Starts Tomorrow............

Well, tomorrow is the big day; radiation treatments start at 12:15 at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) and I'll be going down every day for 6 - 8 weeks. Last week I was down at PMH to get fitted for my new radiation mask. This is how they aim the radiation shots in exeactly the same place every time. Generally when they do radiation (say on the breast) they'll put little x-mark tattoos on your skin so they can line up the machine. Since the're doing it on my head, they have turned down my request for lightning bolt tattoos on my skull and have decided to go with the mask. Now when I say mask it is actually more like a giant metal halo that fits onto my head by a mouth piece and velcro straps. To make sure it is always in the same position they fit a plastic dome over the top and slide probes into holes that are lettered A to W to measure the distance from the frame to my skull. Each measurement must be within 1 mm for the original readings for them to proceed. One I have this shiney bad boy on I'm lowered onto a table where the frame is attached and they zap away. The actual treatment only takes about 20 minutes and I won't feel anything (It's like getting hit with a flashlight). This will be done from Monday to Thursday and I will consult with my Oncologist every Friday.There may be some side effects to this but I think I have them covered. I will be very tired but Amy's Mom & Dad are coming tomorrow morning to stay with us once again and help around the house as well as drive me to my appointments everyday. I will also lose some patched of hair where the beams hit my head but I'm thinking of getting a nice toupee to cover up some of those bald patches. What I have in mind is something special maybe bright red; something that says Hey Ladies look at me! For fun I'm thinking of attaching it only on the back os if I run or if it gets windy the top can flip up and it will look even MORE special. Almost like I'm waving at you saying: "Hey how's it going? Hey over here! No over here! This way! Yeah over here! How's it going?" I think that would be nice. It will show others that I'm concerned about what's happening in their lives as well and not just what's going on in my own little universe. Because that's the kind of guy I am. Just remember, you may not hear from me for a little while but I will always care about what's happening with all of you.