How did you deal with simulation?

Sorry I can't be of much help - I freaked out and got hysterical!  If I'd anticipated that I could have asked for a valium or something beforehand, but I'm generally not a hysterical sort of person.  Perhaps a valium would help?  Just in case...

My arm was very sore during & after the simulation because of the axillary node dissection.  Other than that and the hysteria - it was a piece of cake!  Hahahaha.

Best of luck to you!

E

Mine didn't last anywhere near 45 minutes either.  The padding/form didn't take all that long and the tattoos were pretty quick and painless as well.  Everything went fine with it.  Good luck!

I knew that it would take some time and used visual imagery to escape.  Do you have a favorite bicycle, walking, hiking route?  ...or a favorite vacation place that you like to walk around?  I imagined myself going through such a scenario in detail and tried to visualize it moment by moment.  It worked for me.  When the tech and rad onc came back into the room I felt like they were bringing me back from a place far away.  I actually have no idea how long it took.

I had a lumpectomy with no nodal surgery and was not in pain.  If you had a mastectomy and nodal surgery, pain may be more of an issue.  The position for simulation is the treatment position so if you are in real pain, tell them and maybe they can adjust.   The treatments are much faster so a position that you can maintain for five minutes should be enough.

My simulation took about 30 minutes and wasn't all that bad. I just made a mental list of things to do for later that day and thought of some of my favorite songs.

Simulation was the first time I cried since diagnosis.  I found it very long and uncomfortable.  As it seemed to go on, and on (and I think they lied about the time!), I knew I had to cope somehow.  I did use visual imagery.  I went back to sweet memories of galloping on my beloved horse.  Then, when it  still wasn't over, I started to sing.  I was alone in that weird room and singing at the top of my lungs.  Weird songs too, ones I don't necessarily like, Tom Jones, Mick Jagger, The Who!  The techs, who surely heard me, never mentioned it during the next 6 weeks of treatment.  Best of luck.  I hope it is easy for you.

Mine didn't take that long.  I had a little hard time holding still but more because I was a bit ADD and not so much because it was so long or uncomfortable.  

I hope yours isn't bad.  Sorry you have to go through more treatment.  I hope your radiation therapy is like mine was - no big deal.   

The radiation simulation was a lot easier for me than the MRI.   I had two sessions and they included a bit of time for paperwork and instructions as well.  It was more comfortable to lie on my back than on the stomach for the MRI--plus you don't have to lie still for such long intervals straight through.  The only thing I didn't like was when they brought out the syringe for tattoos---had a hematoma aspirated twice and had been poked with needles too many times. However, it was only 2 shots and only one of them stung a bit.   The rest of it is pretty easy.  I usually think about my favorite beach or my friend Charlie who died last month--sending me the rays to zap out any leftover cancer cells. 

The breast MRI is way worse! Simulation is not bad at all!  Good Luck!

Ditto others who said that breast mri was worse! Totally agree, very creepy and closed in. The worst part about the simulation, at least for me, was just the mental realization that the rad. process had begun and I found the worrying about what to come far worse than what it actually was. Good luck and take this part just one day at a time and before you know it, you'll be done!

They didn't make a mold for me at any point. Just lots of measurements to line me up.

I was given the option to have tattoos or sharpie markers and stickers, and I chose the markers/stickers. I was very careful with these but it was definitely worth it, because I didn't want any permanent marks of this stressful process, I don't care how small the markings were to be.

I'm not claustrophobic so I didn't find either the MRI or simulation or CT scans to be problematic at all. I am as they say "a hard stick" so getting an iv is always a crap shoot for me. I usually let the techs know that I'm not an easy IV and also that I can faint rather suddenly from simple blood tests but not always. Then they usually give me the most experienced tech to do the job. I don't remember the simulation taking more than a hour and never had my head covered by anything. The tiny ratios were nothing but quick pricks. I can't even find them now.