New CT scan required

Tuesday. Another radiotherapy session, and then, for a change, I need to have my mask remodelled, and a new CT scan done of the tumors.

Due to the (great!) shrinkage, a new CT scan needs to be done to allow June and the physics department to recalibrate my treatment for maximum effect. I am told this is quite normal for Week 5 patients so I lie back, get wheeled into the doughnut machine and listen to it hum as it whirs around me at high speed. I also think about how lucky I am to live in a country like Australia where I can get great quality treatment. I ponder on this and think about someone else in the world with the same condition as me who is not in such a prosperous country. It's a sobering thought.

The mask that keeps me immobile during radiotherapy is tight-fitting. It needs to be so that I don't move during treatment. Due to the major shrinkage in my neck, the mask has quite a bit of wiggle-room which needs to be fixed.

This is a high-tech procedure and no expense is spared. A hair-dryer is brought out by Paula and heated to a comfortable temperature that allows the plastic to be pliable, but not burn me.



Once it's ready, they place the mask on me and massage it to fit me again. After 5-10 minutes it has cooled and set in its new position.



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