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Modern radiography machines are incredibly advanced and precise. The one I am being treated on can be adjusted to an accuracy well below a millimetre which means that the treatment can be focused and targeted on just the right place for maximum effect. That’s not only good for outcomes but it also helps to minimise the potential side effects.

The treatment relies on being able to replicate with high precision the position of my body so that the beams can be directed accurately each day. This is achieved with a clever combination of low and high tech.

While I am on the table my feet and head are cupped in shaped holders. My calfs and thighs are supported by expanded polystyrene mouldings which as well as helping keep me in position also tilt my pelvis slightly (to help target the beam correctly). A green laser line marks the central position of the table and I need this to pass through my navel.

Before the treatment starts, the machine does a preliminary CT scan. The results of this are matched against the image obtained during the planning scan a week or two before my treatment started. The machine then automatically makes micro adjustments to the table which moves my body into the correct position before the day’s treatment is delivered.

I discovered today that the machine also shines some patterned images onto my body during the treatment. These are also used to detect and assess the position of my body. If I move even slighly during the treatment the machine will stop and I will need to be repositioned before the remainder of the dose is delivered.

So far it hasn’t happened.

So that’s two thirds of my treatment completed. Not too long to go now.

Day 22

Tiredness: 0/10

Side Effects: stable