I understand what you are going through and there is a lot of good info on here. I also don't want to tell you what to do but if you ask me going to california is to far away. I live in Missouri and my doctor is 20 minutes from me. I started my rt treatments on the March 1st for 10 days. You see the doctor and they do the drawing on your hands and they also do molds for your hands and tattoo on the palms of your hands. Small black dots. You might have to come back the next day to do drawings and molds and tattooing but that would be up to you. I didn't have a metal plate over my hands because they used super flab bolus to cover hands and the metal plate with the holes was above my hands in the radiation machine. Started my treatments 1 week later but that was my decision. I could of started my treatments the next day. If your interested in going to my doctor just let me know and i will give you all the info. After all Liberty Missouri is so much closer from Alabama. And if you need a place to stay they have a building across the parking lot from the doctor office where you get treatments that you can stay. Its like a hotel and its called the treehouse and the cost is $25 a night. Its about 3 minutes away from doctors office for treatments. This doctor is very nice and makes you free very at ease around him. And everyone that works there is so very nice. I have pictures on here of my treatments and my hands. Just look for the topic radiation experience and that shows everything. And i did not have to have a ct scan so that will save you some money. Take care

Edited 05/04/10 20:31