HAD HORRIBLE DAY AT RADIATION

Complain to your radiologist oncologist
You are right to be upset. I suggest to have a talk with the rad onc and say that they better get there act together. You have enough stress without that. Sometimes we forget that we are clients. They NEED our business. If you don't get satisfaction, go to the doc who referred you and ask for his/her involvement. You deserve the best!

Good luck.

Roseann

Moopy23 said:

Unbelievable
E_hope, I agree: it was disgraceful to have you lying there, exposed and uncomfortable, while the techs tried to figure out what they were doing.

Honestly, I would contact my Radiation Oncologist before going back. You also have the option of asking for the radiation therapists' supervisor. I can't say that I would go back to that radiation department in any case, but I sure would ask for the most experienced techs if I did.

One thing you learn very quickly with a cancer diagnosis is that you have to be your own advocate. It's tiring, but nobody cares as much about your treatment as you do.

so sorry e_hope
E_hope, I am so sorry the appointment went so bad, was it the same techs that did the simulation for you? Was the doctor present ? Seems like they were forgetting a human being was there on the table. I would ask to talk to the doctor before I got up on that table again, like Moopy said, be your own advocate.

I am new to radiation, just had my consultation yesterday, so first off I may be wrong or didnt understand everything, and I do expect the radiation centers everywhere do not always do the same sequence of preparing you for treatment, But I understood I would have x-rays, CT planning, tatoos or marks done, then a simulation during my next appointment this Thursday.
I thought the x-rays was for planning how deep the breast tissue is since they don't want to radiate the lungs, just the breast. All this needed to be done before first treatment is scheduled, usually 2-3 days later.
E_hope, it may be a blessing in disguise for you, if the area to be radiated was not marked properly it's a good thing they didnt zap you, but they certainly should have explained to you what the problem was, and also give you a break and a blanket during the hour and a half you were stuck there. I am always cold inside docs offices, and I hope they supply a blanket.
Best wished for better treatment next time you go,
sgamtd

Katz77 said:

I'm sorry. Sounds like
I'm sorry. Sounds like someone should have ran a test on the machine before they placed u there. I to start radition in Nov. I'm actually scared of getting it done. I hope ur tomorrow is better than ur today.

i found radiation to be the
i found radiation to be the easiest of all the treatments i have had over 128 treatments since nov 05 i was never in your predicament my radiologist crew were very good so i hope it gets better for you

This sinks to high heaven..
e_hope .. I am so sorry disgraceful way you and your body were treated today. I pretty much thought all the morons & yahoo's worked at Corona Regional Hospital. No woman .. should have to endure exposure laying on a table, waiting for xray tech's to figure out what they needed to get done. Original tats in the wrong place - wow. Just when I thought I've heard it all.

I would immediately place a call to your onc office .. yes, I know its after hours .. leave a voice message describing today's fiasco. Next, I would call back first thing in the a.m. requesting answers and a soluation ..I would also make a 2nd call to the radilogy department requesting the names of tech's - also requesting Supervisor / Manager of departments name. I would be very clear to state that if I returned as scheduled .. I would only deal with senior level personnel. Request information on misaligned tattoos. We need to hold doctors, hospitals and staff accountable. Yes, they are helping us in our bc fight, but damn it we are paying for it!!!!!!!!!!

Strength and courage will come once you voice your concerns. This is your body, your breast cancer .. your fight. We are our own best advocate - period.

VickiSam

im ss
i very sorry about your day i hopethings go better for you today god bless luv peggy

aurora2009 said:

I am so sorry this happened you
I second what the others have said, you've got to be your own advocate. I would definately talk to the actual doctor, and if that doesn't work then ask for a different referral from your onco. You in no way should have been treated like that.

I had my x-rays and tattoos done last Wednesday and my techs were great and very professional, not exactly the most friendly but good. I was told I would be there about 45 min to an hour and a half. I was out in less than 45. The whole time I was there they must of asked me at least 6-7 times if I wanted a warm blanket, and was told what they were doing step by step. They never left me exposed for no reason..

I really hope they were just trying to get it right. And that things are better for your next appt.

Best wishes
Aurora

My experience
I had the same experience as Aurora did. The only difference was that my Radiation Oncologist stayed in the room the whole time and he was the one running the show. We had the problem of bending the beams to minimize my heart & lung field and I was still out of there in less than an hour.
I would ask to file an incident report for the mis-marked tattoos. They are very small, but still un-neccessary. ♥Pammy

MyTurnNow said:

It does sound like a
It does sound like a terrible day. But, you definately want them to "get it right" before they start zapping. Best of luck on your next visit!!

Good luck.
Radiation was easy for me too and visits were for the most part very short. However, if you have to pick up your daughter maybe have someone who can be called because it is not uncommon for the machines to break down.

I had radiation after chemo and then surgery. It always has to be a personal decision, but for me it was easy..anything I can do to prevent a return..and 7-8 weeks is nothing in the long run.

e_hope said:

better today..
Had a much better experience today.. still took them 1 hour to finish the x-rays and do the radiation. but everyone was much nicer. they treated me like a human not a slab of beef. I did complain to my radiation oncologist and to the techs and their supervisor. Thanks ladies...

e_hope
I am glad you did complain maybe they will think twice before they leave someone lay for so long while they figured things out! That would really "burn" me too ( no pun intended) I am glad things went better today we all deserve to be treated with dignity. Hope it gets easier and easier each day.
Hugs, Jackie

surfinbyrd2 said:

i found radiation to be the
i found radiation to be the easiest of all the treatments i have had over 128 treatments since nov 05 i was never in your predicament my radiologist crew were very good so i hope it gets better for you

radiation TX
Can you tell me what kind of side effects to expect with radiation Tx? Thanks