Drain Free and Tattooed

The Hero often stands out from his peers in some way or another. It may be his size or appearance, his intelligence or his ability to perform specific skills such as fighting or magic. Whatever it is which sets him apart, it also aids him in his journey. My special feature is a set of five new freckle-looking tattoos which will enable the radiation technologists to aim the treatment when it starts.

Today was a great day. Firstly I made good time going across town, in spite of the early morning rush hour traffic. I had my drains removed and had the tattooing completed. All of this, and a stop for a coffee and muffin, and I was home before noon.

The nurse was very pleased with the scars, and the removal of the drains only took about five minutes, most of which was just the preparation -- removing the old band aids, setting up new dressings and snipping the stitches. Removing the drains didn't hurt, it just felt peculiar; I could feel the movement of the drain as it was sliding out from under my skin. I was surprised by the actual appearance of the drains. I guess I was thinking it was just more of tubing extending underneath my skin, like a hose siphoning water out of bucket. Instead each drain was flat, about a centimeter wide, half a centimeter thick and about 15 centimeters long with numerous small holes dotting it. I now look like I've been stabbed with a carving fork in the middle of my chest, but I'm told the holes will heal over in short order. I felt immediate relief after the drains were removed. Although they weren't hurting, they were causing discomfort and irritating my skin, and both those issues disappeared along with the drains.

The appointment with radiology consisted of an information session, a quick meeting with my radiologist, and the actual calibration and marking. The information session reviewed the potential side-effects -- tenderness, possible redness, fatigue and possible scarring on the lung tissue which could appear in future scans.

I also got my beginning date. Radiation commences on October 13, the Tuesday following Thanksgiving. I'll have 25 sessions in all, Monday through Friday (except holidays) so I should be wrapped up by November 17. I love having start and end dates; it must be all those years working with deadlines.

The calibration was relatively quick. I was asked to lay on a table, my left arm positioned above my head and bent at a 90 degree angle (this is why the post-surgery exercises were so important), my knees were bent and rested on a foam wedge and they put plastic markers on my skin around the affected area. Finally, the technicians made temporary marks with markers, checked the calibration using the scanner and then I got my tattoos. The spots are little and look a bit darker than my natural freckles. I'm told they'll fade some over time. They basically mark the outline of the area to be radiated. I'm looking forward to starting this next phase and getting it behind me.

Yesterday I dropped by the office for a few hours. The team had lunch together and I had a chance to touch base with many of my colleagues. I think it was about four o'clock before I was able to work my way out of the building. It was great visiting and catching up with everyone.

This weekend Kelly is coming out. She, Marion and I are going to do some shopping together. The next weekend we're taking a Becoming an Outdoor Woman workshop. The next few weeks are going to be busy and I'm sure the time between now and when I start radiation will fly.