Day 1 – no  kidding, for reals, as my daughter likes to say when she is being silly.

Today was the main event, the real deal…you get my drift; no cancellation or reprieve today.  I got to hang around in the radiation department for an hour and a half today, most of that time lying on my back looking up at a tile ceiling with what appeared to be laser lights staring down at me.  Yeah, I’m thinking they could use a scenery change, like ocean scenes or botanical gardens.

As soon as my name was called and I walked through the door leaving the waiting room, God gave me a grace gift for the day. Someone laughed and said my name; I looked up to see an old friend from an oncology center where we both formerly worked.  She was one of the people I called when I was doing my research, so I knew that she doesn’t normally work at this hospital.  What a sweet surprise to see her smiling face, to be hugged in her arms, and to hear her words of encouragement!  I smiled all the way to the changing room!

Without realizing it, in the changing room I happened to grab the most giant hospital gown I have ever seen.  I think it could have wrapped me 3 times!  When I walked out, I pulled it out quite a bit to show the two guys who were the techs working with me and they laughed out loud.  One of them said, “There are smaller ones in there.  I think they are gray.”  “NOW you tell me!” I replied.  We were off to a good start.  😉

Next came the table that felt like granite – I laid down on a small, thin, rectangle piece of cloth that was positioned under my back.  Tech #1, Brownie, (because he told me I could bring him brownies any time), and Tech #2, Chipper, (because he was Mr. Upbeat),  kept sliding me by moving this cloth tiny, barely discernible millimeters left or right to line up the markings on my body with their lasers.  Finally, I was where they wanted me and I was told not to move…or take deep breaths, so there I was with my arms over my head, on my back with Star Wars grinding and clicking and dinging around me for 45 minutes.  And what did I want to do?  Take deep breaths and move!  And my nose itched, naturally, so Brownie used a cloth and tried to scratch it for me.  Dear man – bad nose scratcher, but dear man.  😀  It was all somewhat unnerving, so I prayed…for people I knew were hurting, or in need, for my back to cooperate with all of this back sliding and back lying, and for my husband who is struggling just a bit because his beloved is having to weather this storm.

Radiation time is a good time to hang out with God.