What's it like

Its very difficult to explain the experience.  There was a feeling of claustrophobia due to having to lie very still on a solid bed/gantry with the inability to move your head

Once on the gantry it spun around 180 degrees to put me in the heart of the machine
Two motorised x ray arms come out of the back of the gantry. These were used to ensure the correct positioning before the proton beam was transmitted

There is music playing in the background (they have a satellite radio and you can choose your own station) along with muffled voices of the technicians organising the treatment
This all added to the surreal experience

The x ray arms were retracted and the proton nozzle whirred into place
The bronze aperture and plastic compensator are loaded onto the proton nozzle
They then rang a bell and left the treatment room for the proton zap to take place

I counted approximately 90 to 120 seconds.  I heard an kind of winding up sound and then a winding down sound.  Very difficult to explain to sound as its very quite. Almost lost in the background hum and music playing
Within this period the proton is released for approximately 20 seconds to 60 seconds, it varies.

The technicians come back in and change the nozzle position they also change the bronze aperture and corresponding compensator for the next area to be zapped
I have 6 bronze apertures and 6 corresponding compensators.  These are pics of a couple
Click to enlarge

One of the bronze apertures shaped to the tumor area to be zapped

A close up of the aperture - see me on the gantry behind

The compensator

Compensator ridges - vary the power of the proton to surrounding tissue