Monday, February 9, 2009

Let's meet Dr. Radiation Therapy

Ok, I've been lazy but it's time to get back to our mini-series. Let's skip ahead because the Australian guy was nice but kind of boring. On to radiation therapy. For the next six weeks, every morning I will have to go to radiation therapy.

At my first visit I meet Dr. Radiation Therapy. I won't put his real name in the blog. He's a good guy but he's entitled to his privacy. He comes in and asks who my surgeon was. I tell him. He leans back and says "Oh, I have to tell you a story". Ok. Clearly this man has time in his schedule. Or at least he thinks he does.

Dr. R.T. - Did you notice your surgeons clothes?
Me - Uh. He had a white coat on.
R.T. - Well, your surgeon has all of his clothes tailor made. Me (he pulls on his shirts and pants), I buy all my clothes at Farm and Fleet.
Me - (thinking - yea, I believe that.)
R.T. Well, your surgeon has bugged me for ten years to dress better. Now he's leaving the hospital so he had his tailor send me a brochure. On the back was written in pen "We do casual too".
Somehow I find this very amusing. I say "You must save a lot of money".

I get all of the instructions for what to do during therapy and I learn I will meet with Dr. R.T. once a week.

Week two
R.T. (who, by the way, is all excited that I am a scientist). I want to tell you that I'm seeing you early because I won't be here on the regular day.
Me - O ....K ....
R.T. Want to know why?
Me (do I have a choice?) Sure
R.T. I've been invited by NASA to be part of a study group with ten physicists and ten radiologists. We're going to try to to figure out how to protect the astronauts from cosmic radiation when they go to Mars. The problem is, cosmic radiation isn't anything like the radiation I work with. No one knows how humans will be affected by that much radiation and we're not sure we know how to shield it. They've exposed mice to cosmic radiation and the mice seemed normal afterwards. The problem is, I can't tell if the mice can fly a space ship. So a bunch of us are going to pretend to be experts when really we don't know anything at all. But I'm really excited.
Me - Hmm. Sounds like fun. Let me know how it goes.
Dr. R.T. Ok, I will. (Starts to leave)
Me - Hey, were we gonna talk about me?

This becomes a recurring theme.

Next post - the long awaited cameo by Frank Zappa.

2 comments:

  1. Jude, You should really author a book! Love, Janet

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