I close my eyes and I hear the waves crash onto the shore. I push my toes deeper into the soft sand and raise up my chin so I can feel the warmth of the sun on every inch of my face. As I shift, I remember that my breast are bare.... I've never been to a topless beach before. I recognize the anxiety of being exposed and let it go. I take a deep breath and relax farther into the sand. It's so warm and cozy here. I doze off to the sounds of seagulls swooping down for a midday snack.
I feel pricks on each side and on my sternum and it wakes me up. I look around and I'm not in the Caribbean at all! I'm on a cold, hard table, at the opening of a CT machine and there are two nurses with ink jars and needles. They're tattooing me....oh yeah, they're prepping me for radiation.
___________
Two nurses and one doctor hover over me with stickers, pens and measuring devices. I have my arms up over my head and I'm completely exposed from the waist up. (I can now add 3 more people who have seen/felt up the girls) The prep takes much longer than the actual scan. After marking me up, they take one scan with me breathing normal and one scan with me holding my breath. Each scan takes 17 seconds.
After scanning, they give me the "tattoos" - these "tattoos" are actually little pin-size marks (no larger than a freckle) that are permanent. It's to ensure they hit the same spot every time. I'd rather have these marks and be sure I never have to go through this again, so I'm ok with my new tats.
After getting tatted up in the Caribbean, I scheduled my 33 rounds of radiation. Gonna be fun 6 weeks. Too bad I can't really go to the Caribbean.... soon maybe.
Hi Susan,
ReplyDeleteI also find the Caribbean to be my happy place. Even before I ever stuck my big toe in it. Maybe next time I need to go there I will envision you and a pina colada sitting next to me! Liz