Tattoos and a Facial

Good news, they let me go home from the hospital Sunday night. It was a pretty uneventful stay to be honest. But Monday, that's a different story. On Monday I had an appointment with the radiation team; a preparatory consultation for my upcoming treatment. I am scheduled to undergo six days of TBI - Total Body Irradiation - but before we get to the details on that, lets address this whole radiation vs. irradiation situation. In physics the word "radiation" is used to describe energized particles that are traveling through a medium. "Irradiation" is the process in which an object (in this case me) is exposed to "radiation". From what I've read the side effects of this treatment are extremely irritating, so irradiation is quite a fitting title. Alright, enough of that nonsense! What does all this have to do with me getting a tattoo? Well four tattoos actually...

The TBI takes place in a fairly large room. The radiation machine looks like a giant telephone with an eyeball on one end of the receiver (this is what shoots out the energized particles). During my treatments I will stand in a strange apparatus that kind of looks like one of those home gym infomercial rigs...

"The bones of steel home gym comes fully equip with a bike seat, parallel bars, armpit rests, and hand grips. Be one of the first 100 callers and we'll throw in a custom fit face mask free of charge! So what are you waiting for? Pick up the phone and order your bones of steel today!"


The purpose of this peculiar contraption is to help me stand completely still while they zap me. Apparently the lungs are particularly sensitive to this kind of treatment. As such we fitted a set of lead plates that will hang in front of my lungs to minimize the radiation they are exposed to. To ensure that my lung shield is in just the right place they tattooed a couple marks on my chest and back to ensure it is aligned properly each time. During my treatment I will spend about 10 minutes facing forward and then 10 minutes facing backward. Luckily, I am allowed to bring an ipod and some headphones.

 

After I got my tattoos it was time to design my face mask. I will wear this mask when I have radiation done to my brain - yep right to my head. When chemotherapy was first being tested they made great strides with leukemia patients. Using multi-drug regiments they were able to send the cancer into remission for nearly a year. Sadly however, patients who were seemingly cured returned with cancer in their brain and spine, and ultimately died. This is why lumbar punctures (chemo injected into my spinal fluid) and radiation to my brain are necessary and crucial for my treatment. In order to help me hold still during radiation to my head, I was fitted with a custom face mask. This was done by stretching a hot, wet piece of netted plastic across my face and then letting it dry and cool. Markers are attached to the mask that will be lined up with lasers to ensure that the radiation is administered with exact precision. 

I am scheduled to be admitted to the hospital on May 22nd (this is when I begin radiation) and my transplant is to take place on June 1st. If all goes well I should be out of the hospital in 6 to 8 weeks. I am told that it can take up to two years for my immune system to rebuild and recover. This is partially due to immuno-suppressant medications that ensure I do not reject the transplant. I'll post some more details about the transplant at a later date. For now, I am resting up at home and trying to kick this flu - gotta be healthy for the big day!