Radiation/Chemo Therapy 4.4.11

Today was my radiation appointment. This appointment was in preparation for the radiation I get upon admission on 4.22.11. So to prepare for 4.22.11 I was called into the radiation rm where I was asked to step into a chair. The chair was secured to the wall with allot of devices/contraptions (reminded me of the chair used with death penalty inmates). As soon as i sat down the nurses began to strap me in place. They began with a strap that had a cup for my chin which was drawn across my chin & belted in (going from rt to lft). Next they put each of my arms into slings and then a glass plate was fastened across the front of me to the chair. To get a better understanding of what the chair looks like you should refer to the first image from the left, above.

The purpose of using this chair is to make sure patients cannot move so that the proper measurements can be made. Once I was done Dr. Shi entered and began to draw on me making two oval like circles with plastic adhesions outlining the ovals throughout. You can see a picture of one of those ovals in the pictures provided in the black & white above.

When I get my radiation therapy I will be sitting in the chair secured. The device that looks like an x-ray machine in the above photos will point towards me emitting a surge of radiation. I was supposed to get several days of radiation and a couple days of chemotherapy but a change was made where I will get only a day of radiation & several more days of chemotherapy (2wks total).

I am a bit nervous about getting radiation but feel better knowing that the therapy will not be as intense as it was previously supposed to be. The radiation I was going to get before the change was supposed to really give my body a beating according to my Dr. I'm hoping that with the decrease my body will recover better from the treatment. What I am nervous about now is the chemotherapy I'll be receiving for two weeks. I have never undergone chemo. All I know about chemo is what I've heard and it's not a fun experience at all.

Within those two weeks of chemo I will consistently get a day or two break every couple of days so that my body can strengthen itself for the next round. Losing my hair due to this treatment I know will be difficult for me. There's a big difference between cutting ones hair and having ones hair fall out due to treatment. Yes, I anticipate that this whole process will be a difficult one but all of these added sufferings that I am soon to take head on--are for a higher purpose/end result unlike the cosmetic result I was going for when I purposely cut my hair.

I hope that many of you will see the depths of which we as sickle cell anemia patients are willing to go through to gain some sort of normality, some sort of balance. I hope & pray that the end result out-shadow the difficulties I may face during this whole process. Please keep me in your prayers because I need every single prayer I can get. I would be more than grateful if you could put in prayer requests at your church, Thank You!