They say it is a “State of the art” machine but it scares me like hell! It is absolutely enormous and it rotates around my head like a jumbo giant wheel. It makes my bald head spin on its axis when I look at it. This is the machine that treats me for radiation therapy.
I finished eight rounds of chemo therapy and began on the next round of treatment …the radiation therapy. I am made to lay down in a semi dark room, on a cold platform with a metallic frame…not the most comfortable bed to lie on! An immobilizing cast made of thermo plastic is then placed on my naked body and then screwed on to the platform to keep me in place. Only then the treatment begins.
I need 31 sittings of this therapy and it takes only 20 minutes on the machine. Hence the ordeal does not last for too long. On the first day, the expert technician asked me which slot I preferred for each day. I would really have liked a slot around 11AM but unfortunately, that was not available. What a pity!
“Do take a look at the white board, Ma’am;” said the technician, “only 10AM is available.” I decided that the time was not convenient for me at all, and informed him that, in that case I would prefer a slot in the afternoon. “None other is available, Ma’am,” he insisted. I wondered disbelievingly, how that was possible and walked into the Control Room to take a look at the schedule.
What I saw was unbelievable! There was, on a huge white board, a schedule of 22 patients beginning at 8:00 in the morning. Quite truly, one single slot of 10AM was waiting to be filled up! I was aghast. So many patients on a single day in a single hospital needed radiation therapy?! Good Heavens, it is the dreaded “C” disease that requires this treatment, not just common cold! Is cancer becoming as common as that? I hope not.
I hope everybody on this planet can join hands to fight it.
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Hope its completely eradicated from the universe, this horrible horrible "C". Its frightening to know how many people are suffering from the deadly disease. I had a uterine tumor removed 12 yrs back. Out of 20 biopy results that morning, 16 were malignant !
ReplyDeleteI do wonder sometimes if the dreaded C is more prevalent now or are we more aware of it because it is diagnosed and given a name. Almost everything we use these days seems to have a health warning, don't stand too near a microwave, don't spray pesticides or fertilizers without a facemask, don't ingest food which was wrapped in plastic, the list goes on and on, maybe the days of our greatgrandparents when life was more simple may be an answer. Or maybe they got the dreaded C too but were not aware of it.
ReplyDeleteindeed we're totally unaware of this unless a luved one is affected by it.... its all so new to me! we make r tiny nests n live away frm all the negativity... but where there is happiness pain follows... unbelievable the way this has affected so many lives, yet have so much to be grateful for! So much we dont value till we loose it !!! luvya always
ReplyDeleteangry at myself fr not being able to do more fr u!!!
pb.