Cancer Musings (Radiation Mapping)

Today I had an appointment with Radiation Oncology to "map out" exactly where the radiation will be targeted on my body. This "mapping appointment" made sense to the medical staff setting up the appointment, and it made sense to the techs performing the procedure, but it didn't make a lot of sense to me.

I have learned along this cancer journey that medical staff make a lot of assumptions about what the patient is understanding about the procedure of the day. They have performed this particular procedure hundreds, maybe thousands of times before and know what to expect. 

In any appointment I attend, I'm told I can ask questions at any time, but I don't always know what to ask. For instance, never did it occur to me before this particular appointment began to ask if there would be any permanent marks made on my body as part of this "mapping" process. So, you may be able to imagine my surprise when during the procedure appointment I was told, "Now we'll do the tattooing" and "It's just a small needle, so you'll barely feel it." 

Shortly after the tattooing, I was told they would now put on the marks that would tell them where the "breathing box" was going to go. You might be asking, "What is a breathing box?" Me too. I'm still not sure. But, I was given the option of having the marks drawn on me with a permanent marker and covered with plastic tape (which I was told would be hard to remove and could be uncomfortable) or I could just have those marks tattooed on as well. This last decision paralyzed me in thought. I didn't know how to proceed. Thankfully, my indecision was a decision, and I was told they would use the marker and tape for now and I could change my mind about it later if so inclined. In the end, I was happy with my decision (or lack thereof) because the arrows they drew on my stomach and covered with tape were rather large. I would prefer those not to be permanent. 

In the end, clearly, I survived the appointment and lived to write about it. Each experience like this along the way continues to make me grateful that God is with me. He sees me, He knows me, and He helps me. It reminds me of the words that were said to Joshua in the Bible when he was given a task to do that was larger than mine, "Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)