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Bladder and Bowel Preparation for prostate radiation
Is there an alternative for a Fleet enema every day before prostate radiation? I an scheduled for 28 radiation treatments, and my oncologist wants to ensure a full bladder (drinking 32 ounzes of water one hour before treatment) and an empty rectum ( a Fleet enema before treatment) in order to increase the accuracy of my treatment and reduce the possibility of side effects from the radiation therapy.
I am on the hormone therapy(4 month Lupron) and also had the SpaceOAR procedure done. I understand the prccaution for the bladder and the rectum, but an enema every day - if a natural bowel movement does't occur each morning - seems like a real hit to the system. Any over the counter alternatives that would be applicable here?
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I worried about the bowel part before my treatment began. I read that UK patients routinely take an enema but it was never mentioned to me. I'd eat light at night, wake, poop, and no issue.
It was the full bladder part that I struggled with at first. In the first couple of sessions I developed what I called 'the terrors' while inside the accelerator, so not being full enough and having to wait longer on the table was not an option.
My water intake was kind of casual in those first few day but when my friend (who drinks a lot of water) saw my distress she gave me a simple daily routine for hydration. After this, apart from the two days out of 28 when the hospital was off schedule, I had no issue. I started and finished my ounces at fixed times, drove to the center, had treatment and then usually, ran to the bathroom.
The upside of being in the radiation center is that every single person there understands your bathroom rush 🙂
28 sessions of x-ray EBRT for me. For prep, I was told they wanted my rectum empty of both fecal matter and gas, and they wanted my bladder "moderately full." I ate a diet that helped assure a bowel movement each morning. Wound up giving myself an enema three times when the BM didn't seem to completely empty me out. They wanted me to finish drinking 20 ounces of water 45 minutes before my treatment (and of course, don't pee). None of it was particularly bothersome. And the treatments themselves were simple - less than 10 minutes on the table, no muss, no fuss, no pain. No change of clothes - just lower my pants a few inches and pull up my shirt so they could see the markers on my hips and belly to get me lined up properly.