Not that it is anything I might have ever considered either
way, but for years I have known that tattoos are generally prohibited in Jewish
law. The source of this is Leviticus Chapter 19 Verse 28, which states “You
shall not make gashes in your flesh for a dead person; you shall not etch a tattoo on yourselves.”
Still, I did not think twice (and was assured by our rabbi
that I should not think twice) when told I would need to have tattoos to help
guide the radiation therapy. These marks are put on the skin to help the
radiation oncologists and therapists accurately aim the radiation at the
correct area during each treatment.
They did not give me a book of pictures to look at to select
my design: I might have chosen a big heart with the names of our six grandchildren.
Instead, four very small dots now lie on the perimeter of the area in which my
bladder lies to ensure that the radiation consistently gets to the same target
for each of the 37 planned treatments.
Here is a picture of the mark on my upper left thigh. The
black lines in the picture are from a marking pen and will wear off.
So we are one step closer to beginning radiation therapy (note: this is sometimes called “radiotherapy” but that sounds to me like listening to a classic rock marathon on the radio). Now we have to wait for the completion of treatment planning that will define in detail precisely how the beams will be directed to maximize the amount of radiation going to the area where the tumor had been located. I am scheduled to begin radiation therapy on Monday August 14th.
During this upcoming break in the action I hope to get a lot of rest and a nice long weekend up in Sharon. Those two things will hopefully provide me with the strength I need to travel the road ahead.
Love,
Rebecca
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