Panic in the waiting room!!!

My worst was when I arrived nearly bursting, and was rushed into the room (to my relief), only to have a trainee doing the work. It took F O R E V E R!

Then there's the machine breakdown and no one tells you what's happening...

Or the traffic jam when a road was closed, forcing a 45-minute delay. Suddenly wished for an empty soda bottle in the car.

But now it's only a humorous memory.

Nellie

Chris - sorry to hear of the stressful day - but glad you had the guts to voice your needs!

-here's to a better calmer routine for the rest of your treatments - and a good report after the fact!

-all the best,
very gentle hugs,
Bronson

George Burns use to say "timing is everything." But he was talking about comedy. Most of us can recall close encounters of the same kind that happened to you today. Glad you made it safely.
Michael

The route to my clinic was under construction as well. There were two days that ended with my jeans in the washer and the car at the detail shop getting the seats shampooed.

Ah, the memories

Purgatory said...
Bad stories, but not as bad as having a radiation oncologist that failed to have me have anything in my bladder at all, thus causing all the radiation damage and pain, thus resulting in the loss of my bladder and the need of an urostomy for life. i would trade some wet pants for this in a heart beat.

good luck as you continue your treatments

david

David, does she not allow anyone to have a full bladder before radiation treatment, or was it just in your case? That seems just downright strange that she didn't have you drink water beforehand, then again, maybe that isn't the protocol at all facilities.

My RT techs/nurses were excellent regarding keeping an eye on things like time/delays etc.
There was one time they ran late as the had had to do an unscheduled RT session for someone brought in by ambulance, but they came to warn me (and others) before my scheduled time, they said it would be about a 30 minute delay so they suggested I had a pee at that point and then drink more water (they offered to go and get the water too).
Another time the computer system crashed and the safety protocol required everything to be shut down and rebooted etc from scratch by the engineers and IT people so that was an hour's delay, but we were also warned of the delay as soon as the problem occured. And again they suggested when I should pee/drink to fit in with the new time.
Occasionally they ran early and would ask me how full I was in case they could offer me a chance to be done ahead of my time, but I would usually wait and let someone else go ahead of me (The department handled all kinds of patients, so a breast cancer patient, for example, would have had no bladder issues if they were done early.)

I suggest you mention your difficulty to the techs/nurses and ask them in the future to tell you about any delays etc to give you time to adjust and avoid worry. My ladies and gents were very easy to talk to and welcomed input. You sure develop a relationship once they start holding little Alf out of the way to search in your pubic hair for the tattoo marker!

And as the others hinted RT waiting-room worries will eventually be just a distant memory.
Alf

I, like David, was told do not worry about bladder, they take a scan every day.  I asked if it was OK to come in with a full bladder? I was told no problem, but not necessary.  After reading David's posts I made sure my bladder was full.  What makes it even more remarkable was the fact that the nurse who set me up with a PET scan prior to RT gave me a water bottle and told me to drink a full bottle prior to PET and for each treatment thereafter.  Then RT therapist tells me not necessary.  That was last February to April and no problems so far. But who is to say.

Post Edited (mr bill) : 1/6/2012 4:48:41 AM (GMT-7)

I knew someone who had SRT at a major Research University in California. The Oncologist and nurses never mentioned or asked him to have a full bladder prep during radiation treatment and he did not have any problems during or after.

142 said...
I think the saying goes "even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then". The experience of the RT people to deliver a plan, and the RO to create it are equally important. Both need to be perfect.


I've heard of with and without the water, and I would not be surprised if there are clinics where the staff can do it without. Mine had signs all over the lobby - "Tell us if you forgot the water"; "Remember 500ml 45 minutes BEFORE"; and a water cooler with big cups, and a sign "Got Water?"

To me that validates the importants of having a full bladder before treatment.

I wonder if there has been any studies done on this issue.

I remember one of those situations.
Happily, they asked the person in front of me, there for some other type of cancer, if I could take cuts and got me on the table right then.