Optimal Time Of Day To Schedule External Radiation If You Work?

It sounds like you have several good reasons why afternoons would work best for you.  I went first thing in the morning due to my work commute.  After my radiation appointment, I had to drive about 45 minutes to the train station and I then took a train into the city.  I didn't want to have to worry about possible train delays or traffic problems on the way home, so I got my treatments out of the way at the beginning of the day.  I started on the first day of summer and recall that the only day it rained during my entire 5 weeks of radiation was the very last day, which worked out well for me, but was not good at all for the environment.

Best of luck with your radiation treatments!

I've been a management consultant for most of my career. The consultants all worked from home when not at a client's site. So I timed the onsite meetings with my new client to take place after chemo ended and before I started radiation. I chose to do the radiation sessions first thing in the morning so that I could work uninterrupted the rest of the day.

I never ate or drank until treatment was over. It's been interesting to read, but I was never told to have a full bladder before treatment. There is a comment in my doctor's simulation note that says "Custom complex blocking was designed to decrease the amount of small bowel, bladder, rectal and perineal tissues within the treatment fields to decrease the risk of associated side effects. Beam modifiers and weighting will be evaluated to provide for a homogenous dose distribution throughout the treatment volume." I hoped it worked – so far, no issues with other organs, except for the ongoing diarrhea issues that I had even before cancer.

I do remember that once a week they reviewed the radiation settings and the doctor ordered machine adjustments as necessary.

I was able to work a full day during radiation. I was probably more tired, but nothing like how I felt during chemo.