jamesharriosn, The high dose I am referring to is the 5 dose a lot of facilities are using instead of the lower dose long term ones. The lower dose ones can range from 20-40 over 5,6,8, weeks or even higher depending on facility, your treatment and your oncologist/radiologist. Mine was 30 treatments over 6 weeks.

Mayo Phoenix and Mayo Rochester have been providing (depends if qualify for them) the high dose 5 treatments. There is 3 treatments first week and week two, 2. It is higher dose but a lot less time and days to complete your treatments espeically if you are traveling to the provider. I am not sure if there is high dose 5 treatments using photon but know they are doing them with proton. This high dose 5 treatments is what I would have preferred to do but when I was making decision there was not much information on the high dose. It has now moved to I think from what I am reading almost to the standard.

Space/Oar is a gel that hardens after being put in (and is left) and is placed at rectum to move and help protect it from radiation. If you cannot have the Space/Oar, or don't want it, the radiation techs insert a baloon in rectum before each radiation treatment. It is kind of hard to describe. It is not the type balloon you blow up. It kind of looks like a very large wide pencil with fluid in it.

The balloon is yes a method to HELP protect rectum from radiation. Proton radiation ends at target but like my treatments they did margins. Thus you can have some radiation exposure to rectum. Anything you and radiologist can do to help lesson radiation damage to other organs and tissues is worth it in my opinion.

Drinking water prior to radiation. To help move bladder away from prostrate and radiation a common technique is drinking water prior to treatments. This suppose to help move bladder away from prostrate.

I did the water (16 ounces) each time. This was determined at my Simulation test where they look (xrays and CTs) at your bladder, rectum, and prostrate to determing how much water to drink and can look at Space/Oar, or the balloon, and the Markers. The simulation helps them make a "BED" that you lay on each time to get you in the position for radiation treatments. They also use low dose xrays each time to see your "Markers" and ensure your prostrate has not moved (normal for it to) each time prior to radiation treatments. The tech will re-position the table, or make sure you are in correct position in bed, to correct anything out of tolerances.

Hope this helped.