Nelie,

The head rest should not be painful. I remember once that we went into the rad room and put Harry on the table and they had not removed the rest from the patient before. He did not complain but the techs noticed it as soon as they put his mask on. If your treatments are 30-40 minutes (Harry's were exactly 42 minutes until the boosts which were 23 minutes each) then by the time the rad starts making you feel near death you will refuse to complete them.

This I can promise you just from an observer and cheerleader perspective and I am sure that many of the folks here who have experienced the giant machine would attest to that.

Make damn sure that you are as comfortable (i.e. pain free) as is possible now because down the line you do not want to cry mercy and quit.

Do you have a friend, spouse, etc. who can be an advocate for you and/or go with you to your txs?

I think that my husband will tell you (when he can talk again) that one of the most reassuring things for him was that he always knew that I was there making sure that the techs were taking the best care of him even when he wasn't sure how to tell them what he needed. We had the best techs around, IMHO. They were always concerned with his comfort and ease in doing these txs and they were encouraging when he wanted to quit. They helped me to help him and I trusted them completely with his life.

If you do not feel that way about the people treating you.... go elsewhere or at least make sure they do what YOU NEED, not what is convenient for them. If they don't like it, too bad. You are the patient, you pay the bills, and most important of all.... IT IS YOUR LIFE!!

Keep pestering, asking questions, etc. Eventually what they learn (the docs and techs and nurses) is that it makes theirs lives a lot easier if they are responsive and straight forward. Just never let up on them and always remind them that you are there and participating fully in your care.

If you do not lie there still, they can't treat. If you complain and refuse until they fix the head rest then that is what you need to do. Please do not lie there and suffer silently in pain. It is their job and sometimes you just have to make them do it right.

I wish you all the best and I hope this helps a little.

Cindy