Getting Ready for Radiation

Radiation Mask

This morning I had my right knee check up.  All is going well and restarting the PT is helping enormously, especially with my leg extension.  Another check up in ten months.

Today's big appointment, however, was my CT scan and the making of a mask for my radiation appointments.  The paperwork took about 45 minutes.  The mask keeps my head immobilized so that the radiation can be aimed appropriately.  They start with a flat nylon mesh, which they then put in hot water to soften it up, and then mold to your face.  This takes about ten minutes.  It's not uncomfortable, although it's too difficult to keep my eyes open so I just keep them shut.  I'm told I get to keep the mask at the end of the six weeks. It looks like a fencing mask.

Thankfully, I didn't have to have contrast for the CT scan, which in this case would be radioopaque iodine, to which I'm highly allergic.  I would have had to take three days of pills to suppress my immune response just for the contrast.  Fortunately I got to skip this.  The CT scan itself only took about ten minutes.