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Radiotherapy coming soon

User
Posted 24 May 2026 at 17:49

I know this is a common topic but husband's 20 sessions of RT are scheduled for July 28th. His planning scan is on June 1st. He did ring and query this length of time but was reassured it's how they like it at the  Churchill. 

When it was booked he was told to drink 1.5 to 2l water a day for 2 weeks prior. So I bought 14 bottles of bottled water and labelled them with dates and he grabs one each day . He's really liked this as he can see how much he's got left and just keeps drinking till it's gone. It's working really well.

Apparently he will be given a self administered small enema to use and then have to drink 600mls of water. That bit could be tricky. 

Any other suggestions? I've watched a good video on YouTube saying the daily 5mg dose of Tadalafil is a good thing to do during RT. 

I think his GP would be open to this as she is very good to talk to. She recently upped his Sildenafil  from 50mg to 100mg with the advice to break it in half and if not so good and use thec100mg. He has been doing so well so far on 5 to 6 months Decapeptyl. 

Many thanks for any suggestions from all those men who've gone through this . 

User
Posted 24 May 2026 at 21:22
All I can say - from experience of radiotherapy albeit salvage - is be prepared for plan B!

While the Churchill may be different, in my hospital the plan was evidently that the planning scan should be done at high resolution in the absolute optimal state of both bladder and rectum. That isn't easy to achieve, in my case they decided there was still too much in my rectum, I needed another mini-enema which inevitably was accompanied by urination and therefore another hour or two to get the badder back to their target level of content. It was a long and stressful day.

But as I understand it, the aim is to get a high resolution scan that allows them during treatment to adjust the dosing according to how the actual situation that day (determined each time by an initial low resolution scan) varies from that "optimum". The point being to target the cancer as best possible regardless of minor variations in location due to bladder or rectum fullness. (In practice, because bladder fullness was the biggest concern they did an ultrasound scan before I went on the machine, so I could readjust if necessary).

Good luck. The folk who operated the radiotherapy machine were amazing, dealing with people dealing with scary and embarrassing issues in a very empathic and supportive way.

User
Posted 25 May 2026 at 20:46
Alex Cycles, I cycled to my radiotherapy sessions, I think about 7.5km each way with three hills - one long and steady and two short and steep. That worked fine for the first three weeks, though might have contributed to issues of achieving exactly the desired level of hydration. But by the fourth week the impact of the radiotherapy hit me and I was too fatigued to consider it. Happily they had given me early morning appointments so I managed to find a parking place even if not in the closest car park, and had a scheme where cancer treatment patients weren't charged.

(The fatigue eased off after about a month, and we were able to go on holiday to the Alps and do some reasonable but not over-ambitious hikes).

User
Posted 26 May 2026 at 09:58

South Tees has 6 units, each with its own phone number and team. I was on the same one for almost all of my fractions so you got to know the people who are very helpful. The first session was quite long as you're taken through the whole process and given a timetable for you visits then so that's a good time to ask the question about phone calls. It took me 23 visits to get my 20 fractions due to machine maintenance and me not getting bowels/bladder in the right places.

In passing, S Tees didn't use mini enemas.

Good Luck.

User
Posted 26 May 2026 at 17:36

I had 20 sessions of RT in Jan/Feb this year. Was advised to drink 2 litres water every day. This more of a lifestyle thing to carry on after treatment as it’s good for you to keep well hydrated at all times. 
About an hour before each session I was told to empty my bladder then drink around 400 ml water. It worked for me. Only once was I sat cross legged when they were running 45 mins late!

A daily self administered enema around 2 hours before each session. I did find this caused me some discomfort after the first few days. 

About half way through the treatment, I did have some issues passing water. More of a weak dribble rather than my usual strong flow. I resisted the temptation to take any pills for this even though they were offered.

All in all, it was fairly easy. Just the inconvenience of going to the hospital 5 days a week for 4 weeks. I’ve stopped the hormone therapy too - relugolix tablets for 6 months. I await my first of 6 monthly PSA tests probably in August. Fingers crossed for that ! 

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User
Posted 24 May 2026 at 19:11
Allowing for the fact that things affect us, probably, differently, I had 32 sessions of RT with the mini enema but had 3 cups of water when asked to by radiologists. I wasnt asked to drink a specific amount leading up to RT likewise I wasnt advised to change diet (apart from avoid particularly bad wind producing foods) it was suggested that change especially after planning could cause more 'harm', this was at Clatterbridge Wirral in 2016.

I'd get to Clatterbridge and use the mini enema once there, I found that no problem. I'd then just wait until the radiologists knew I was approx 15mins from my session when theyd checked I'd used the enema and tell me to drink 3 cups of water. I found this to be ok, no big urge to empty bladder whilst on the bed. Sometimes machines arent working or long delays (they preferred to get me on same machine throughout&this was the case apart from once) which I think the cups of water at certain time whilst at cancer centre helped. I wasnt on any Tadalafil/Sildenafil so can't comment on that.

Peter

User
Posted 24 May 2026 at 19:26
Thank you very much for that Peter. I've not heard of anywhere else asking you to drink so long before. I've heard of a couple of days before. But we're doing OK
User
Posted 24 May 2026 at 21:22
All I can say - from experience of radiotherapy albeit salvage - is be prepared for plan B!

While the Churchill may be different, in my hospital the plan was evidently that the planning scan should be done at high resolution in the absolute optimal state of both bladder and rectum. That isn't easy to achieve, in my case they decided there was still too much in my rectum, I needed another mini-enema which inevitably was accompanied by urination and therefore another hour or two to get the badder back to their target level of content. It was a long and stressful day.

But as I understand it, the aim is to get a high resolution scan that allows them during treatment to adjust the dosing according to how the actual situation that day (determined each time by an initial low resolution scan) varies from that "optimum". The point being to target the cancer as best possible regardless of minor variations in location due to bladder or rectum fullness. (In practice, because bladder fullness was the biggest concern they did an ultrasound scan before I went on the machine, so I could readjust if necessary).

Good luck. The folk who operated the radiotherapy machine were amazing, dealing with people dealing with scary and embarrassing issues in a very empathic and supportive way.

User
Posted 24 May 2026 at 23:09
Thank you. I hope the people who trwat my husband are the same. I can imagine it's very tricky getting your body in the right state for the scan
User
Posted 25 May 2026 at 13:37

I had 20 fractions and took along a spare pair of pants ... just in case, but fortunatley I didn't need them. Those who had to drive a good distance had an issue in scheduling a toilet stop on the way home. A couple of people had options depending on the traffic.  I found that the other participants for the treatment were very supportive and we all got to know each other well over the days. I'm sure that he'll have no problems!

 

User
Posted 25 May 2026 at 14:21

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

I know this is a common topic but husband's 20 sessions of RT are scheduled for July 28th. His planning scan is on June 1st. He did ring and query this length of time but was reassured it's how they like it at the  Churchill. 

Same hospital here (Oxon). Probably going ahead in September. Parking on-site is more stressful (to me) than the oncology visit, so I am planning to cycle over from the Thornhill Park and Ride. I did that last Onco visit and it worked out very well. Obvs will have to see how it works out with/during RT though.

I was told initially "planning appointment in 6 weeks, then treatment about 6 weeks after that" which lines up similarly with your data. (But we decided to defer for a while - reasons in my profile).

 

_____

Two cannibals named Ectomy and Prost, all alone on a Desert island.

Prost was the strongest, so Prost ate Ectomy.

User
Posted 25 May 2026 at 20:46
Alex Cycles, I cycled to my radiotherapy sessions, I think about 7.5km each way with three hills - one long and steady and two short and steep. That worked fine for the first three weeks, though might have contributed to issues of achieving exactly the desired level of hydration. But by the fourth week the impact of the radiotherapy hit me and I was too fatigued to consider it. Happily they had given me early morning appointments so I managed to find a parking place even if not in the closest car park, and had a scheme where cancer treatment patients weren't charged.

(The fatigue eased off after about a month, and we were able to go on holiday to the Alps and do some reasonable but not over-ambitious hikes).

User
Posted 25 May 2026 at 22:07

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member
Alex Cycles, I cycled to my radiotherapy sessions, I think about 7.5km each way with three hills - one long and steady and two short and steep. That worked fine for the first three weeks, though might have contributed to issues of achieving exactly the desired level of hydration. But by the fourth week the impact of the radiotherapy hit me and I was too fatigued to consider it. Happily they had given me early morning appointments so I managed to find a parking place even if not in the closest car park, and had a scheme where cancer treatment patients weren't charged.

(The fatigue eased off after about a month, and we were able to go on holiday to the Alps and do some reasonable but not over-ambitious hikes).

Thanks for that info J-B. It's about 2 miles to the Park and Ride and not very hilly so I'm hoping I'll be able to do it most days. But one day at a time. See how it goes. I was more concerned about potential continence issues than being able to do the distance (I ride about 6-800 miles/month). Hydration shouldn't be much of an issue for a 15 minute ride.

The RT procedure at Oxford seems very sensibly put together and means you don't have to load up and travel uncomfortably. Will be very interested to hear how Antoinette's husband gets on.

Edited by member 25 May 2026 at 22:13  | Reason: Not specified

_____

Two cannibals named Ectomy and Prost, all alone on a Desert island.

Prost was the strongest, so Prost ate Ectomy.

User
Posted 26 May 2026 at 08:56

My Hospital (South Tees) gives free parking for frequent users like those having radiotherapy. If you can arrange treatments outside visiting hours then finding a space is easier. I was also told by the therapists that if we were stuck and had to park in an 'unapproved' space and got a fine to just let them know and they'd sort it out.

Because I live only 10-15 minutes drive from the Hospital, I was able to phone about 1 hour before my session was due to see if they were running to schedule. If all was well, I drank my 600mls water and arrived fully hydrated and ready to go. This meant that not so much of the day was taken up with waiting around.

Good Luck.

User
Posted 26 May 2026 at 09:10

Broomfield, yes we get free parking during RT too. That's a good tip re water. We only live same distance away. I always go with him so if we got late I could drop him off. But it's usually OK just takes a while to get a space. Thank you 

User
Posted 26 May 2026 at 09:58

South Tees has 6 units, each with its own phone number and team. I was on the same one for almost all of my fractions so you got to know the people who are very helpful. The first session was quite long as you're taken through the whole process and given a timetable for you visits then so that's a good time to ask the question about phone calls. It took me 23 visits to get my 20 fractions due to machine maintenance and me not getting bowels/bladder in the right places.

In passing, S Tees didn't use mini enemas.

Good Luck.

User
Posted 26 May 2026 at 17:36

I had 20 sessions of RT in Jan/Feb this year. Was advised to drink 2 litres water every day. This more of a lifestyle thing to carry on after treatment as it’s good for you to keep well hydrated at all times. 
About an hour before each session I was told to empty my bladder then drink around 400 ml water. It worked for me. Only once was I sat cross legged when they were running 45 mins late!

A daily self administered enema around 2 hours before each session. I did find this caused me some discomfort after the first few days. 

About half way through the treatment, I did have some issues passing water. More of a weak dribble rather than my usual strong flow. I resisted the temptation to take any pills for this even though they were offered.

All in all, it was fairly easy. Just the inconvenience of going to the hospital 5 days a week for 4 weeks. I’ve stopped the hormone therapy too - relugolix tablets for 6 months. I await my first of 6 monthly PSA tests probably in August. Fingers crossed for that ! 

 
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