Radiation Preps

I had never really planned to get a tattoo in my life, that's why a week and a half ago I got five!

My wife and I went down to the hospital to get a CAT Scan in order for my oncologist to make preparations for radiation therapy. Little did I know that I would have to get this custom made mask and five tattoos! While there were prepping me for the CAT Scan, I laid on this table and they placed this warm sheet of plastic over my face and then strapped it me to the table by my face! It was a most unpleasant experience, and I had to get them to let me up for a couple of minutes after the mask dried (I was about to freak out; it seemed like they were used to people being uncomfortable with the mask formation procedure). Once it hardened, it was a little more comfortable. I will have to wear this special mask each time I receive the radiation therapy because my spine has to be perfectly aligned our the radiation could hit some of my internals that it is not supposed to. I also had a leg mold made to add in the proper positioning.

While I was having this mask made, the specialists were poking around my chest and lining up these lasers. Little did I know that when they removed the mask, there was a man there to give me some tattoos! No joke, there was a needle with the ink and everything! The tattoos are especially key because they will be used to line up where the radiation is going to enter my body. After much needling (they said my skin was the toughest to tattoo of anyone in 12 years--the ink might have been bad, I like to think my skin is think-who knows), I was left with five little dots on my chest and sides. This whole series of events was rather unexpected, but I did learn that after all these guys had to go through to simply make five little dots, I will never get a real tattoo--ouch!