Get up every morning from your alarm clock's warning

Takin' Care of Business - Bachman Turner Overdrive

Get up every morning from your alarm clock's warning
Take the 8:15 into the city

This week was the start of my radiation.  It's daily treatment for 16 days (weekends excluded).   I had a choice of morning, afternoon or evening appointments and chose morning.   It has been a very long time since I have had something scheduled every day so this is somewhat of an adjustment.  

The treatments are downtown which means I need to coordinate with transit schedules and traffic patterns.  It's really a very smooth journey by transit but still, I can't do that from the comfort of my bed.   The time of the appointment is different each day and I only get the schedule for the following week on the Friday before.   This means that I often have to readjust all the other appointments that might conflict.   It's a bit of a juggling act but I seem to have it under control.   It's somewhat like trying to keep a work schedule going when you have to book meetings with a number of parties.   It's always up to revision.

The treatment itself takes 15 minutes maximum and they run like clockwork.    First I confirm my arrival, then change into a gown - same gown every day which is numbered.   From there I wait to be called.   Pop on the table where they position me and then treatment begins.  

In the preparatory meeting for treatment, they show a video so you know what to expect.   They also do preliminary measurements so they know how to position you each visit.    They also apply a number of little tattoos to use as markers.     And yes, these are permanent tattoos.     So I now have 3 permanent tattoos - more than my teenage daughter!!!

My tattoos are small - like a small freckle but there's something about them that I love.   I am drawn to them for some reason.    I guess they are a reminder - small reminder of this type of treatment.and something that it uniquely mine.  I'm feeling very sentimental about them.   Either that or it's the effects of the hormone treatment I also started a week ago.   If I get all weepy about them then I'll know for sure.  There are many possible blog titles for that one but please don't hold your breath.  I'm hoping to keep things on the level without the potential mood swings and hot flashes.