Radiation for rectal cancer

tko683
tko683 Member Posts: 264 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1
Happy New year to everyone! I hope that 2012 is a good year for all of us. It would be nice to have a year without cancer treatment for sure. We haven't had that in this house since 2003. Next up is radiation for my husband. We are trying to decide on a doctor. Looking for advice on this one. We saw a doctor locally who we liked but she is not with a large cancer center. How important is it to go to a major cancer hospital for radiation? I don't want to sacrifice treatment but since it is a daily thing we sure would like to be able to be closer to home. Also, is it really hard to try to work during radiation? Thanks for any advice about this subject. Hugs to you all, and God Bless, Teri

Comments

  • lauragb
    lauragb Member Posts: 370 Member
    #2
    I went to a smaller hospital
    I went to a smaller hospital for my radiation treatment as it was where I got diagnosed. I had a lot of confidence in the radiology oncology team there. To prepare for accurate treatment, they used a layered CT scan with a physicist to make the plan. Leg molds were made for stability. They were diligent in my positioning each time. I did receive chemotherapy during the 5 weeks of radiation treatments. The good news is I had a complete response to the treatments and no cancer was found during my surgery. I did choose to go to a large cancer center for the surgery.

    As far as working goes, I know people who have been able to work during radiation. I was on a leave from from work, which was good since I could not have worked with the diarhhea I had from the treatments. Your husband may tolerate them much better as many people do.

    Good luck, sending light your way.
    Laura
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #3
    Good Luck Teri
    You can check with the facility to see what type of radiation that they offer...there are a couple of different kinds....external beam radiation.....IMRT radiation, which is conformal radiation therapy where the beam shapes to fit the pattern....or Cyberknife, which is high intense radiation but given over a shorter amount of time.

    If the smaller facility offers those, then it may make sense to stay local.

    As for working with radiation, I've done it twice now.....25x to the hips and butt and up the back....I was local then and could drive myself to and from. I worked for awhile but radiaton is cumulative and builds up over weeks.....by week #3, I was very fatigued and gradually became bedridden to where I was in bed and unable to work.

    When I did IMRT radiation, I had 30x treatment to the lung along with the 5fu pump...I was already off work on STD and by week #3, I was really feeling badly and also spent much time sleeping it off.

    Once it accumulates in your system, that's it....you're not going to feel better until it's over, which could take up to another month AFTER treatment wraps up.

    It's very fatiguing and makes you feel pretty badly.

    When I was local, the trip was easier, just across town.....this last time it was about 80 miles round trip, but I drove them all....would get something to eat when I got in and crawl into be for long naps.

    It does pass. Good luck!

    -Craig
  • tommycat
    tommycat Member Posts: 790 Member
    #4
    My experience
    I received radiation every week day for six weeks, and although I felt tired toward the end, that wasn't as bothersome as the fierce pain in the anal area when going to the bathroom. It was a Catch-22 as far as pain relievers, since they constipate, and that led to straining--in an area that was already pushed to its limit.
    But.............it worked. Really shrunk the tumor and made it operable with clear margins.
    I went to a major hospital, but it wasn't a specific "cancer" hospital. Felt like I was in good hands.
    Good luck and God Bless~
  • tko683
    tko683 Member Posts: 264 Member
    #5
    tommycat said:

    My experience
    I received radiation every week day for six weeks, and although I felt tired toward the end, that wasn't as bothersome as the fierce pain in the anal area when going to the bathroom. It was a Catch-22 as far as pain relievers, since they constipate, and that led to straining--in an area that was already pushed to its limit.
    But.............it worked. Really shrunk the tumor and made it operable with clear margins.
    I went to a major hospital, but it wasn't a specific "cancer" hospital. Felt like I was in good hands.
    Good luck and God Bless~

    Great information
    Thanks Laura, Craig, and tommycat! That is really helpful information. I have lots of good questions to ask the doctors now. I am happy to hear that at least the radiation works to shrink the tumors. It sounds like it is going to be very painful. I had radiation for breast cancer and it was not really that bad. Thanks again for your helpful advice! Hugs, Teri
  • lauragb
    lauragb Member Posts: 370 Member
    #6
    tko683 said:

    Great information
    Thanks Laura, Craig, and tommycat! That is really helpful information. I have lots of good questions to ask the doctors now. I am happy to hear that at least the radiation works to shrink the tumors. It sounds like it is going to be very painful. I had radiation for breast cancer and it was not really that bad. Thanks again for your helpful advice! Hugs, Teri

    One other thing you might
    One other thing you might want to ask about is the age of the machine (the linear accelerator)if you are having IMRT. From what I've heard, newer ones can pinpoint the area that needs radiation better doing less damage to some of the other tissue.

    The treatments themselves are not painful but like tommycat said if you get burned, it does hurt going to the bathroom. I didn't use pain meds for the same reason she stated. Sitz baths with Domeboro astringint were recommended to me even before the problems begin as well as keeping Aquafor on the anal area. Hopefully, this won't be as bad for you, but it's good to be prepared with products to use in advance.

    Good luck to you.
    Laura
  • tootsie1
    tootsie1 Member Posts: 5,044 Member
    #7
    Good luck!
    I'm glad you got some good advice from some who are radiation vets (I didn't have it). Just want to wish y'all good luck!

    *hugs*
    Gail
  • Kenny H.
    Kenny H. Member Posts: 502 Member
    #8
    tootsie1 said:

    Good luck!
    I'm glad you got some good advice from some who are radiation vets (I didn't have it). Just want to wish y'all good luck!

    *hugs*
    Gail

    Good luck with it. Most of
    Good luck with it. Most of them main symtoms have already been mentioned. Also might add make sure you no longer wish to have children as it can make men infertile. (did to me)
  • karen40
    karen40 Member Posts: 211 Member
    #9
    Everyone is different
    Hi Teri,
    I don't have much to add, as far as what you should look for in a treatment center but I thought I'd share my experience with radiation. I was first tattooed. I had a dot placed on both my upper thighs and one in my lower pelvic area. The tattooing, along with leg molds were used to ensure that the radiation beams hit the intended area. I had 30X to the anal area. Along with the radiation I did chemo (the 5fu pump). My resectioning was very very low. The surgeon said I was lucky it took. I mention this because there may be a difference in side effects based on the exact area being radiated.(not for sure) I didn't have any fatigue. I had only two bouts of diarrhea.(was told this was good) My biggest issue was the 20-30 small bowel movement I had everyday. Using the toilet was excruciating. Although,not diarrhea,the urge to go was barely controllable. I used vaseline after every bowel movement and before each one, if there was time. This helped a little. A word of caution,do not use any vaseline or creams before treatment as it will intensify the effects of the radiation.I learned this the hard way. My joints hurt so bad after that experience, I almost gave up. I found soaking in the tub several times a day to help the most. I hope your husbands experience is easier, as everyone is different.
    Karen
  • rlridings
    rlridings Member Posts: 42
    #10
    age of the equipment
    I would agree that you want the latest machine - I had radiation at a large hospital in Minneapolis and they had the latest equipment and during the 6 weeks of radiation they were installing a newer model - if they have that investment then they know what they are doing
  • Coppercent
    Coppercent Member Posts: 158
    #11
    Radiation
    I am not sure about the large or small hospital. My recommendation would be to get with someone you trust. I don't really think the size of the treatment center matters. It is really the knowledge of the physician and the quality of the equipment. Others have had some great suggestions.

    All people are different but I had 28 days of radiation with Xeloda. I set my treatments up at the end of the work day so that it did not interferre with work. I continued to work and never missed a day. There were a few days I was tired but if I kept going the fatigue eventually went away. I really think staying active and keeping your life normal is some of the best medicine. I drove myself to and from each treatment.

    Good luck!

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