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How Important Is Having A Full Bladder During Radiation Treatment?
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Mar 26 7:18am | Replies (50)Comment receiving replies
@brianjarvis Thanks you very much for sharing this Brian. Unfortunately, it does not appear that my medical team is as dutiful to what you've shared.
More worrisome is that the tech who could visibly see the imaging of the situation emphatically explained that the bladder was not full, but this morning when I receive a call from radiation oncology and bring this up, I am told that "it was full enough" to do the treatment.
So it goes from the imaging tech being concerned about it to the point of being bothered by it, to "well, it was full enough to do the treatment."
In my medical history, I've been a patient in endocrinology, orthopedics, primary care of course, and ophthalmology. Have never felt unsure about doctors in these departments.
But in radiation oncology, I find myself needing to "sleep with one eye open" if I take a nap in a chair there.
Replies to "@brianjarvis Thanks you very much for sharing this Brian. Unfortunately, it does not appear that my..."
@thanks4sharing Full bladder is absolutely essential and necessary fir successful radiation therapy.
@brianjarvis said it all perfectly: your simulation with a full bladder was the blueprint or template for all future treatments.
If the bladder is not as full for your treatments, radiation is gonna go where it shouldn’t and your side effects will be increased down the road.
I had a few moments where i almost pissed on the table as well - not because of me, but because they were running a half hour behind and it affected my timing of fluid intake. You gotta grit your teeth and hold it!
Please get clarification from your RO/tech about how much water to drink and how far in advance you need to do it.
I traveled an hour to my hospital so I had to down 18 oz about 20 mins into the drive.
Phil
@thanks4sharing Man you have the self-advocacy thing right! They will run over us and take our last dollar if given chance.
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@thanks4sharing Having been diagnosed with prostate cancer in April 2012, and treated in April 2021, I’ve been in the trenches now for nearly 14 years. Though I’m not formally educated to give advice, diagnose symptoms, interpret lab results, etc., I found that I had to become a “student of prostate cancer” if I was going to understand and self-advocate regarding my diagnostics and treatments.
After being told that I had prostate cancer - which in hindsight my urologist could’ve done a bit more eloquently - my first comments to him were, “I don’t know anything about prostate cancer so, I’ve got a zillion questions to ask before you cut anything out of me, or bombard me with radiation, or inject toxic chemicals into me……” From that point on, it was about self-advocacy and shared decision-making.
I look at this diagnosis like having to cram for a final exam or defend a dissertation. I go into every appointment, blood draw, exam, test, injection, scan, etc. with a thorough understanding of what’s going on, as well as questions to ask if anything remains unclear before I’m poked, prodded, stuck, or anything invasive done to me.
That’s what I liked about my last urologist, my radiation oncologist and my medical oncologist….they were all open to thorough discussions and answering questions, fully understanding that I would go home, research what we had discussed, and (possibly) come back with more questions.
That’s the relationship we all need to strive for with our medical teams.