Friday, January 4, 2008

eight down

Well, I made it through my first week but not quite how I wanted. Today was treatment #8. My appointment is supposed to be at 8:50 am but most days they are not calling me until around 9:20 am. This morning I did not push it too much to get out the door early, and I was there by 8:50 am. Come to find that my treatment machine, the Alpha machine, is "down." I ask about this, it turns out the machine goes through a calibration routine and if it does not pass all the tests it does not come up. A good thing, I suppose. The first computers I worked on had this too, it was called IPL or Initial Program Load, and if it failed you were SOL. I was done and out to catch the bus by 9:45 and at work by 10:15 am. I'm going to put in a shorter day and take an hour of leave and call it a week.

My breast is starting to feel tender and pink already. I commented on this and was told by Mustaphe that dark people get darker and people "like me" get pink. It is "an expected side effect." I suppose eventually I will have a tan left breast. I had anticipated this but not so soon. Eight down, 20 to go of the "general" radiation series.
Dianne

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