While I was doing my table dance (as it were) yesterday, feeling like I was the center stage entertainment, I decided the one thing that was missing was music. This morning for my first radiation exposure, they asked me what my favorite kind of music was, so they could turn on Spotify for me. I told them I listen to just about anything, but if they wanted to search for my favorite, then they could look for Marillion, whom I was certain they'd never heard of. I was right. They had no idea. But they managed to spell it right when they searched, and as I lay there, waiting for the big, intimidating machines to start circling me menacingly, I heard the gentle refrains of Season's End start, the song my band wrote about climate change way back in 1988 or 89. It still sounds relevant today. I haven't yet repurchased my entire collection onto iTunes, after CDs became obsolete, so when it transitioned into Rich, I almost didn't recognize it. I probably haven't heard that one in almost ten years. When the techs came back into the radiation room, they asked me whether the music helped make it go faster, and I had to confess that it did. The third cycle went by in the span of two songs, a mere blink of an eye. I haven't decided whether to tell them there is a whole album by Marillion called Radiation.
I met the radiation oncologist for the first time this afternoon. Normally I would have met her a couple of weeks ago, before any of this got going, but she was away that day, and I met the man from Boulder who was filling in for her here. She seemed quite pleasant and encouraging. I told her how I felt like this was distinctly easy compared to chemo. We discussed fatigue and pain, and whether I was feeling anything yet that wasn't attributable to lupus. I'm pretty sure I'm clear so far. The effects of radiation are cumulative, so I'll probably be getting extra tired by this weekend. My main concern for now is taking care of my skin, which is super dry.
Time got away from me early today. By the time I got out of the shower, I only had twenty minutes before I had to be in the car, on the way to the cancer center. I thought I'd put a little extra effort into my clothes today, since it was also a Rotary day, and the rest of my day was going to be packed from morning until night. I was prepared to match my outfit, with a brown button-up over a yellow short sleeve shirt, and my yellow knit beanie to coordinate. I was rounding the corner at the first stoplight before I realized I ran out of the house without my hat on. I briefly considered turning around and getting it, but then I decided to brazen it out. This is Boulder county, I reasoned, and I probably wasn't even the only bald woman driving through my small city at that exact moment. I'm not that weird looking, by Boulder standards. I kept my chin up, and didn't hide at all. It was a little chilly this morning, though, and I am still glad that I have a thin layer of peach fuzz starting to show up on my scalp this week. It's almost autumn, and I'm going to want the insulation.
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