just call me the "man in the mask"...

Today was my radiation prep appointment. They DID NOT prepare me very well for this appointment - thankfully I am NOT claustrophobic or this could have been a nightmare. I was told that this appointment is not a big deal - just a CT scan and fitting of the treatment mask, sounds easy enough.

The CT scan was pretty standard and very quick. The fitting of the mask (read as medieval torture device which secures one to the scan table BY YOUR HEAD) was another story. It starts out innocent enough as a little mesh frame/sheet which is then stretched over your face/head to form the mask. The part they leave out is that it takes 45 MINUTES to fit the mask, take the scan, and then let the mask cure.

Overall, it was not too bad. I was very glad that (1) I am not claustrophobic, and (2) I had my relaxation/meditation skills from Taekwondo to help calm me down as the time dragged on and on and on and....