Problems with radiation treatments

losing control of your bladder on the treatment table should be the least of your concerns...the techs should be used to that & just do a cleanup...the bladder must be suitibly 'full' for effective treatment...I suggest the 'tensed buttock' exercise versus the exercise to 'hold it'...clamping off the penis sounds insane...Anyway, a 'fix' has to be found...I am a patient, not a doctor.Good luck & God Bless to all! edk

You are correct that losing bladder control was a minor issue. It was embarrassing to me at the time, but, as you said, the techs were completely unfazed by it, which helped ease my mind. Still had the nagging feeling in the back of my head, but I relaxed the next day when I heard the IMRT treatment begin without incident.
As I noted, my treatment ended on Wednesday, so no more worries about that. Aside from the pain of the 1,000 or so miles I drove getting to and from my daily appointments, I consider myself extremely lucky not to have had any real side effects from the ordeal. I never missed a day of work and didn't any problems from the ADT treatment I had before Christmas. Now, once the minor aggravation from urinating goes away and my testosterone levels get back to where they should be, I can go back to "normal" life.

I underwent 20 sessions of Tomotherapy. On the 2nd session I was told that my bladder was not adequately full, so had to abandon the procedure. Thereafter, I used to drink around 700 ML of water 30-40 minutes before my turn came for the procedure and all went well, just that I would do a Roger Bannister to the loo after I was done with the procedure. Speak with your doc and see if catherization can be avoided. All the best.

I very much appreciate everyone's comments and advice....this site is great!
I am nervous about hubby going ahead with the catheter, but his docs at Mayo feel it's the only way to get though 19 more treatments. He has tried and exhausted all other options over the last 2 weeks. Thanks everyone!

I also had the same issues hen I went in for salvage radiation . And I still do. I can have very little urine in my bladder and it feels full. I also get the urgency to pee at any moment. It was a real issue with me to get through the radiation treatments with a “full” bladder. I do find that now , if I double void , I can make it an hour or so before urinating again.

Just had my 5 radiation planning visit. I drank the bottle they gave me for the CT scan and all went well. Fely full but nothing I could not tolerate. Problem occurred waiting 2 hours for the MRI. I must have drank too much water while waiting as I urinated at the correct time and then drank the bottle but by the time, I was halfway. through the MRI my back teeth were floating and by the time it was done I was in pain. No putting shoes back on just get me to a bathroom please. Next time I will be careful how much I drink before as the CT nurses said my bladder was fine.

I had 45 EBRT treatments in late 2015. My PSA before treatment was approaching 11, the last time it was checked, last fall it was 0.09. The status of my bladder was never mentioned during any session. They used the 3 gold seeds that had been implanted in my prostate as their guide for each session.
Recently I have been dealing with urine retention, to the point of two visits to the ER for catheterization. My stream had been getting weaker and weaker, but things were working fine until sudden retention. Now on Silodosin (cannot tolerate flomax, horrible cough), and self-catheterization periodically, and in case of retention.
Cystoscopy last week, and got a guided tour by the urologist. Of interest were the radiation cystitis locations in the bladder, caused by the radiation. She stated this is normal and appears 7 to 10 years after radiation treatment. Treatment may include hyperbaric oxygen in the future. The prostate itself is very red due to the radiation.
The gastroenterologist has also shown me pictures of similar radiation damage in my colon.

When they told me "full," they later specific (in my case... always check) they were okay with 70% and could safely do 60%. Below that, they would've made me wait. I tried to come in around 75-85%. 90% would become uncomfortable at the end of 7 or 12 minutes, I don't recall. Good luck!

Update, they are reconfiguring his radiation plan so it can be be implemented on a less than full bladder..fingers crossed...he has now missed 7 treatments...which will be tacked on to the end of his schedule, but disruption is concerning. They added gabapentin and oxybutynin meds to help his bladder pain and spasms. We doctor at Mayo in LaX Wi and cant say enough about thire care, understanding, kindness and overall treatment! Kudos to the team.

Were you pleased with the MRIdian treatment?
I am looking into this treatment plan as it seems so much more precise than traditional radiation. Was yours done with the LINAC simulator?