Best time of day for radiation treatments ?

chamblee54,
sweet grandfather, you can reset your digestion with the help of milk of magnesia and maybe a little dietary shift. You might consider taking your grandaughter with you depending on the facility. I was at CA Proton. The treatments quick ten minutes, never at the facility more than thirty minutes. It might be very interesting for a nine year old. It was a stand alone facility and very safe. If you are in a big hospital or have long wait times, or if you are any distance from the facility, not a good idea.

I found that being the first appointment in the morning, or the first after lunch would give me the best chance of not having to be delayed in the reception room with a "comfortably(??!)" full bladder.

Stay Strong Brother!

I didn't get to choose a time of day — at the end of each week they gave me a little card with my times for the next week.

I preferred earlier in the day, because I had to wait until afterwards to have tea (caffeine is a strong diuretic).

@chamblee54
The best time of day to get radiation treatments is what is best for you. The major issue with radiation treatments is just the anxiety over them and the time.

Did you get Space/Oar? That device is put in to move your rectum away from prostrate. If you have feces in rectum this will help move it away. If you are not doing Space/Oar are they doing a balloon? All these are to move rectum away from prostrate.

By the way when I first started my treatments there were not enough gantries during day and had to do mine at 12 midnight (yes 12 p.m.). Then the gantry upgrade was finished and I asked for 12:30 p.m. and was scheduled each day at that time within 1/2 hour either way.
Good Luck

My Salvage Radiation (37 daily treatments over 8 weeks) were late in the afternoon - varied from 3:30 - 4:30 pm.
Afternoon worked very well for me.
And I am a morning bowel mover (to be direct).
Also took ADT during radiation therapy.
Whenever I am finished in the morning, I am "done for the day".
Additionally, I had some loose and multiple bowel movements in the morning during 2d half of radiation and needed to have a bathroom accessible. Could have been radiation or ADT or combination.
Did not have problems with "mostly empty rectum " for afternoon treatment.
My experience was the "mostly full bladder" half of the preparation was more challenging for me and most of the men.
Also, my two cents worth, I would not want to take my GD to my treatments. The bladder prep portion was stressful for me, and I had some distance to travel to treatments.
And while I would not hesitate to take a mature 9 yr old to my treatment if necessary by schedule or curiosity or for education, the waiting area was at times a sad and solemn place.
Good luck during your treatments. And enjoy the time with your granddaughter.

Ya. I think I’ve ruled out having my Grandaughter go with me.
She doesn’t know about my diagnosis and a 9 yr old doesn’t need that weight on her. Plus I don’t want her to be afraid of me/ my condition.

I wouldn't worry about making her afraid of (or for) you — children are far more resilient than we give them credit for — but agreed that age 9 is probably too young for the responsibility of going along with you for treatment.

I was very aware of my grandma's breast cancer when I was 12: I saw her lose her hair during chemo, and eventually, I saw other symptoms like her skin turning yellow as the cancer metastasised and her liver failed. None of that made me scared of her, or made me love her any less.

And, to end a sad story on a positive note, the type of breast cancer that ended her life in the 1970s is easily treatable today. The cancer news keeps getting better.

Even though I only did 5 treatments the best time for me was after morning rush hour so I did not get stuck in traffic and could use the HOV lanes if needed on the way home.

I finished 29 treatments at UFHPTI in Jacksonville in mid-May. They have 5 gantries and I was assigned to no. 1, the Blue gantry. Times varied and you didn't know the exact time until after treatment the day before, where they assigned you a "tomorrow" gantry time while you were getting your treatment. You could request a time, but that had to happen a couple days in advance and they were usually very accommodating. The further along you were in treatment, the more likely you were to request and receive a chosen treatment time.

I had early morning, late morning, late afternoon and early evening appointments. As long as I had a bowel movement before the treatment, it didn't matter what time of day. I could have a bowel movement in the morning and treatment at 4:30 p.m. and it was still okay. We had to stay hydrated, drinking about 80 oz. of water a day minimum. I also took a probiotic, Culturelle, every day to ensure my gut was functioning well.

The routine for me was to show up an hour earlier than the gantry time because they could be early or late and they have a website link to show the current gantry times: https://www.floridaproton.org/gantry-times , so you could check. Following UFHPTI's recommendations, thirty minutes before gantry time, I emptied my bladder, and then immediately drank 16 oz. of water. This gave me the required, full bladder for the procedure time.

I did not have the spacing gel as somehow that procedure went sideways and the doctor backed away from it when the needle aspirated some blood. So I am an official "Brotherhood of the Balloon" member.

I had to eat a non-gassy diet for six weeks and drink lots of water, but the gantry times mattered little. If you stay hydrated, drinking 16 oz. of water within a minute or two will give you a full bladder a half hour later.

I appreciate your insight and details to help me prepare. I should get a call tomorrow scheduling my first radiation treatment 44xs proton (due to past stricture ).