But first, I asked about how often they calibrate the machine (which, by the way, is a Varian Systems Clinac iX Linear Accelerator) and the answer was: Daily. But OK... I didn't ask how that was done. But according to the technician, a great many of the errors that were possible early on in the IMRT history have been fixed by updates to the machines and software. The machine itself is huge... I'll post some pictures on the next page... and I would love to see it with the covers off. Not likely to happen.
The doctor's office I go to has a special section for patients getting radiation treatments that has a set of small changing rooms, some semi-comfy chairs, a card table with a jigsaw puzzle on it, and a closed-circuit camera that someone down the hall monitors. So, you just walk in, change into the uniform, and wait until someone comes to get you. It's kind of nice... as long as you're OK with waiting a bit. Machines, being what they are, have some glitches sometimes. Personally, I'm just fine with waiting until they're working properly. Like I'm fine with the pilot who wants ALL the engines to work before taking off.
The first thing that happens, after getting on the table and lying down (with the requisite paper drape) is they get me aligned using the tatoos on my hips. Anthony usually says "lie heavy" which I take to mean "don't help me move you" rather than tell him some heavy-duty lie from my past. He scoots me a bit, and once I'm in position, he leaves the room. Today I asked about the need to have clothing out of the way, and Anthony told me that some material causes the sensors to register a kind of false signal... like thick skin, so the machine compensates with more radiation. They don't want that, hence the drawing back of the clothes and the paper drapes.
Next..
