I had some kinda day yesterday.  I woke up in kind of a bad mood, and I didn't quite know why.  I thought it was the weather because it was really gross out yesterday, but I think my body was just foreseeing what would happen.  I had my follow-up appointment at my radiation oncologist's office yesterday.  I get there, and a technician comes out to get me and says this is the day we "will figure everything out".  I thought oh well good, we can get the ball rolling ya know?  So, they take me back and explain that they will be doing a "mask" today.  I had read about these online.  They didn't look like much fun at all.  But, I figured hey, no needles, who cares!  Now a mask looks something like this:

First they lay me down on the scanner, and start to position me so I am completely straight.  Then, they begin to mark me up.  I will have to be in the same position every day, so these marks are pretty important.  They scan me once to see if I'm in the right position, and it looks good.  So, they proceed to explain how this mask thing will work.  It supposedly keeps my head in the same position, sure looks like it to me!  They freaking bolt it to the table!  So, they begin the process.  They dip that thick mesh stuff in hot water, then slam it over my face.  It was awkward, to say the least.  I felt like I couldn't breathe for a minute.  They begin fanning it so it will dry.  After it has dried a bit, they do the CT Scan on me from head to stomach.  OK, no big deal.  Everything is still going pretty good at this point.  Then this is when my day went from good to just plain terrible.  They get me out of the scanner and begin to pull the mask off.  It won't come off - IT IS STUCK TO HALF OF MY HAIR.  Without any warning, the technician rips the right side of the mask off, hair and all.  When she pulls it up a little, I can see about 30 hairs stuck to it, I mean long hairs from the root.  I am in shock.  She is repeatedly saying she's sorry, and I am kind of like, is this seriously happening right now?  She says, I'm going to need  you to get up and look in the mirror to see if you can get the other side of this mask off.  Needless to say, I have to rip the thing from the left side of my hair, I didn't rip it out, just broke it off.  Yall should have seen my hair.  It looked like someone had just chewed it up, swallowed it, and spit it out.  I am still in shock at this point.  I get dressed, she gives me my next appt date, and I get out to the car.  Then it hits me.  I burst into tears, I mean sobbing whining tears.  I couldn't believe what had just happened.  The hair I had worked so freaking hard to keep was just ripped out by some idiot that can't do her job.  Now, granted - you all won't be able to tell some hair is gone, but I sure can.  It just looks worse than it did before I went in there.  I didn't deserve that.  I don't deserve any of the crap I've been through for the past 5 months.  With that said, my sister-in-law Brandy and my Mom will be attending my next appointment with me on Monday.  Brandy is a radiation oncology technician in Augusta, GA - and she knows exactly what should and shouldn't be done to me.  She said she didn't even know why they did that mask.  She also said that they should have known the mask would stick in my hair, and it was like they had never done that before.  I am still just fuming mad over the whole situation.  

So, yesterday was a terrible day.  I hope I never have a day like again.  EVER.

My next appointment is Monday at 11:30 - I will be tattooed then (oh joy!) and I will begin radiation on Tuesday, Feb. 3rd.

FUN STUFF PEOPLE!

Aren't you jealous?

Love yall, I will be in touch.

Kerri