Tuesday's are Doctor Days August 17, 2010

Checked in, changed, waited. Karen was already there today so we were talking for awhile when Sara came to get me.

This time I was lying down ready to begin when Amelia, one of the other techs, flipped the light switch as she left to get behind the wall. I didn't want to say anything this time so I just dealt with it. Silly that something like that would be disconcerting, but I really didn't like the bright overhead lights on in the room.

When Trilogy finished, I mentioned to Sara that I hoped I didn't have to have the bright lights on every time because it wasn't as comfortable for me. She told me all I needed was to say something and they would keep them off, relying only on the lower lighting. It was just habit that had them turning the lights up because many patients prefer that.

After treatment, I went back to the dressing room, got my clothes out of the locker, and waited patiently for Dr. Tate's nurse to come and get me. After about 15 minutes, I was taken to the other side of the wing and accompanied into an exam room. There, the oncology nurse took my temperature which was 97.2, pretty normal for me; then my blood pressure which was 123 over 83, and asked about any problems I'd been having, etc. After putting everything into the computer, she left me to wait for the doctor.

When Dr. Tate arrived, he greeted me warmly and asked how I felt about the radiology procedures and my two treatments so far. We chatted in general for a few minutes, he reviewed the information on the computer screen and checked on a few things regarding my health. He told me some things to watch for and then said that the first two appointments with him were likely to be a bit boring, to which I couldn't help but laugh. After those, he said, we'd likely have some things to talk about more extensively. He asked me if I had any questions, thanked me for coming in and he was off and so was I.

Two days down, 31 more to go. Still, no big deal and today I'm off to Starbucks for a white chocolate mocha latte. What a treat!