Me and the CK Robot

Here I am with my new friend, the Cyberknife robot. Shall I call him Roby? And, check out the referee vest. This is what it looks like as I'm getting hooked up and positioned on the table. Clint was allowed to come in and take a few pictures. Once I lie down on the table, and get settled into the cradle, I don't move until everything is over. Total time is about two hours. I was a little nervous about holding still for that long, but it's amazing what you can do when you set your mind to something.



After I lie down, the sensors are hooked up to the white stripes on the vest, and the "arm" that senses my breathing is directed toward me and the robot. Next, the technician wraps my arms, legs, and feet in those wonderful heated blankets, leaving my referee vest uncovered. This allows the breathing sensor to send a message from my vest to the robot during the treatment, causing the robot to adjust the shooting of the radiation to match my breathing.

Next, my CDs are put in a CD player (that really make the time pass faster), and the technician does the final positioning of my body. The table moves up and down, back and forth, and the tech actually comes in the room and moves me physically a little to the left or right. I'm not quite sure how it is all done, but there are several lasers beaming across me during this part of the set-up. All this assures that everything is positioned exactly like the CT and PET scans I had last week. This part takes about 15 minutes. Either a physicist or surgeon must be present for the final go-ahead, and then the big, lead door slowly closes. The door is about ten inches thick. This is the big signal that the treatment is about to begin.

Michael, yesterday's technician, explained to me that Roby, the CK robot, will follow the exact pattern each day. So, my treatments are all the same. I had a treatment on Thursday, and one yesterday (Friday). My final treatment is Monday afternoon. So far, I'm feeling fine, just very tired, with some pain in my back. Gratefully, Tylenol takes care of that discomfort. I have to take an anti-nausea pill each day before the treatment, but have had no problem with nausea. Mostly, I sleep and think of reasons why ice-cream will make me feel better!

Yesterday as I was leaving, Michael, the tech, told me I get to take my referee shirt home with me. I guess this means I will need to brush up on the rules of football or basketball so I can use my shirt. I've been wondering what part-time job I could work into next year after retirement, so perhaps this is my answer! Okay, let's see, no tripping the guy with the football, right? Free throw! or... It's not nice to bump into the guy with the basketball who is trying to make a basket... five yard penalty! Do I have it right?

Thanks for your prayers that Cyberknife does what it's supposed to do -- kill those three tumors on my liver. We are so grateful for this opportunity -- just imagine... surgery... with no wound or major recovery problems. I go back to work on Tuesday! Our experience with Sinai Hospital staff has been very pleasant and inviting. They have made a rather complex process into a simple step-by-step procedure, and we praise God that this procedure was made available to us. Keep praying.