Radiation treatment for Prostate ancer.

Posted by mauiboy89 @mauiboy89, 6 days ago

I will be starting 4 weeks of daily radiation this week. My Cancer center is about an hours drive away. Will I be able to drive myself or should I seek assistance? I am 81 years old but I do my own drivng.

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mauiboy89, you shouldn't have any trouble driving. Radiation is painless, but can make you a little sleepy.
Best wishes for your successful treatment.

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I had 45 session..9 weeks.. drove myself..it is not a big deal but by week's end you may notice some fatigue...the radiation lasts maybe 10 minutes..you lie still..you hear some mechanical noises but usually they play music in background..they have you lower your pants and drape you will a towel or sheet..then ask you your birthdate to make sure they have the right program selected..then the machine slides you into place..day dream a bit and you are done..
oh gotta drink 5-8 glasses of water before hand and make sure you take a dump before hand..bladder full, bowels empty..
you will be done in no time.. good luck, skipper..!!

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I just did 20 sessions of radiation ending the last week of October and I too was about an hour away from treatment. I'm 10 years younger but if you drive anyway, no reason you can't drive yourself to and from. As already said, the full bladder, empty bowel is the toughest challenge. The treatment itself is no big deal at all.
Best wishes. 👍👍👍

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@mauiboy89
I had 5 radiation treatments. For a month or so, I carried a hospital pee bottle in the car and although I was able to drive 40 minutes home after radiation, I was glad to have the bottle as there were a couple of times I had to use it. thereafter.

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Been there, done that! In addition to the previous comments .... by the end of each week of treatment and increasing as the weeks went by .... my ass/rectal area became quite irritated and sore to sit on. While not a game changer, it was uncomfortable for the long drive home.

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Profile picture for xahnegrey40 @xahnegrey40

I had 45 session..9 weeks.. drove myself..it is not a big deal but by week's end you may notice some fatigue...the radiation lasts maybe 10 minutes..you lie still..you hear some mechanical noises but usually they play music in background..they have you lower your pants and drape you will a towel or sheet..then ask you your birthdate to make sure they have the right program selected..then the machine slides you into place..day dream a bit and you are done..
oh gotta drink 5-8 glasses of water before hand and make sure you take a dump before hand..bladder full, bowels empty..
you will be done in no time.. good luck, skipper..!!

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Profile picture for gently @gently

mauiboy89, you shouldn't have any trouble driving. Radiation is painless, but can make you a little sleepy.
Best wishes for your successful treatment.

Jump to this post

REPLY
Profile picture for tjs911 @tjs911

Been there, done that! In addition to the previous comments .... by the end of each week of treatment and increasing as the weeks went by .... my ass/rectal area became quite irritated and sore to sit on. While not a game changer, it was uncomfortable for the long drive home.

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@tjs911
Thanks for the tip!

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Profile picture for gently @gently

mauiboy89, you shouldn't have any trouble driving. Radiation is painless, but can make you a little sleepy.
Best wishes for your successful treatment.

Jump to this post

@gently
thanks for sharing!

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Profile picture for xahnegrey40 @xahnegrey40

I had 45 session..9 weeks.. drove myself..it is not a big deal but by week's end you may notice some fatigue...the radiation lasts maybe 10 minutes..you lie still..you hear some mechanical noises but usually they play music in background..they have you lower your pants and drape you will a towel or sheet..then ask you your birthdate to make sure they have the right program selected..then the machine slides you into place..day dream a bit and you are done..
oh gotta drink 5-8 glasses of water before hand and make sure you take a dump before hand..bladder full, bowels empty..
you will be done in no time.. good luck, skipper..!!

Jump to this post

@xahnegrey40
thanks for the information and best wishes. Now I feel a lot better.

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