Countdown

I count down every day of radiation. I'm apparently not the only one because on day 6 the tech asked me how I was doing and I said, "just counting down. 6 down, 14 to go." She sort of chucked and said, "yah." I replied, "you've heard that one before, I guess." And she said, "yes, pretty much everyone counts it down. Hang in there." 

I have the routine down now. I check in at the front desk at Texas Oncology. The lady at the front desk greets me by name and tells me I can go back while she activates the remote unlock on the door. I go around the corner and go through. Once through the door, I turn left at the nurses station ("Good afternoon!") then I take a right into the waiting area, passing the control area (I'm not sure the official name, but its where they control everything and have view the camera feed from in the treatment room). I go into a changing room and put my things into a locker and put on a gown. I put an earbud into my ear and lock my phone in the locker. I turn the earbud on and listen to my audiobook while I take a seat in the waiting area. 

Today in the waiting area I overheard two patients greeting each other. For the most part we all have the same time slot every day so I imagine some may get to know the appointments on either side. I overheard one woman tell the other that she only had tomorrow left. I felt a little surge of joy for her. She looked pretty rough. Bald and frail, with her husband helping her as she walked, she had clearly had it much worse than I have. I hope she can get her strength back and live a full life now with her treatment behind her. She's the time slot just ahead of me. Maybe I'll try to go a little early tomorrow. I think something happens with confetti because I sometimes see it all over the floor. 

I usually only have to wait a few minutes for them to call me back, though if they are running behind, it's taken up to 15 minutes before. Most days it's only about 5 minutes. When they call my name I walk to the control area and give the tech there my date of birth. Then I'm cleared to go through the giant blue door and around the corner where two more techs are setting up the table for me. I climb up using a little stool and lie down on the table facedown. Then they lift up the back of my gown to line up all the stickers on my back before settling it back into place. Then they leave the room and it begins. 

The machine dings, and whirrs around and finally starts to buzz. It does this two to three times (it seems to vary and I'm not exactly sure why). The second portion is the longest buzzing. I don't feel anything during the treatment. After less than 5 minutes, it's finished and the table moves me back out from the machine and the two techs come back in and help me off and back onto the floor.

We say goodbye while they are already setting up for the next patient and I reverse my steps, changing back into my clothes and applying cream to try to treat the radiation burns. And then I'm back in my car and done for the day. And the countdown continues.