[Margerie]

Terri,

I think the pad/blanket is called a bolus. For me, it was a thick gel pad. They explained it to me as keeping the radiation near the skin, to keep it from penetrating deeper. The gel pad has the consistency of the skin itself. Good for getting the skin a bigger dose. This is the tissue with the most risk, want to keep the radiation away from my heart- left side mastectomy for me. Bad news is it causes the tissue to break down more. I did fine until about #20. Then they discontinued using the bolus.

Hope it all goes smoothly for Ruth. I just love the picture of you two!