Comfortable Full Bladder for IMRT 20 Treatments

[JWS13]

I am having 20 TX of IMRT at UCLA with Dr. Kishan at UCLA

Had 2 tx. M

y problem as is most is in guessing the comfortable bladder limit.

The first treatment went off fine . Drank 12 oz . one hour before TX and after voiding .

The second TX , I had to get off the table an release some urine but still was uncomfortably full during the 15 minutes. I do not want to go through this for 18 more TXS.

I have been told that I retain fluid in my bladder . (do not know exactly how much).

I am figuring that instead of the 12 OZ. I will drink about 8 OZ and the techs can tell me if I need more. How important is the 4 0z. difference? Can it cause a burn to urethra, or bladder? or Side effects later on after finished treatments.

I am also limiting my coffee to one in AM decaf and limiting my water intake during the day. I am now going to sip the water 1/2 hour before TX and it takes about 10-15 minutes for the techs start and 15 minutes for treatment.(total 60 min.

Any tips would be appreciated. I heard a valium or advil would help .

Thanks as always ....any other tip would be appreciated.

[Alturia]

I had the same problem. After some experimentation I drank aboutb14oz of water 15 minutes before each treatment. The techs never complained that I wasn't full enough and I didn't feel like I was going to wet my pants. I would arrive a bit earlier and when the person before me was taken in for treatment I would pee and drink the 14oz of water and that gave me the 15 minutes before my treatment.

[JWS13 in reply to Alturia]

how are you now..how long ago? any side effects?

[Alturia in reply to JWS13]

I had 32 sessions of salvage radiation to my prostate bed and pelvic lymph nodes starting in mid November 2022 and ending Jan. 4, 2023. The biggest problem was figuring out how much water to drink and how far in advance of treatment to drink it. Once I figured that out things went pretty smoothly. I had some diarrhea but not a lot. I was fatigued - some nights I went to bed at 7pm. But everybody in the radiation treatment waiting area reported fatigue and it has pretty much resolved now. No urinary issues. I been on Eligard, aberaterone, and prednisone since May 2022 and will continue until May 2024 so won't know until after that how successful it is.

[JWS13 in reply to Alturia]

what was your theory on the water that u figured out ? oz?

[Alturia in reply to JWS13]

After some experimentation I drank aboutb14oz of water 15 minutes before each treatment. The techs never complained that I wasn't full enough and I didn't feel like I was going to wet my pants. I would arrive a bit earlier and when the person before me was taken in for treatment I would pee and drink the 14oz of water and that gave me the 15 minutes before my treatment.

[Yearofthecow]

I suspect they will tell you if it is not sufficient. While I had SBRT with Dr Kishan, before treatment started they made sure everything was line up correctly, including badder etc. I am pretty sure they will do the same with you.

Just inform the technicians any concerns you have

[Tall_Allen]

Dr Kishan tells me that he has been able to reduce the amount of water in the bladder. I suggest you talk to him.

[fireandice123]

I lived about 45 min from the hospital and I woke up an hour before I left for the hospital. My RT appointments were first thing in the morning and I went to work immediately after RT. I would immediately empty my bladder when I woke up. I drank a 16 oz bottle of water while getting ready to leave for the hospital and drank another bottle while driving to the hospital. That seemed to work for me. I definitely needed to urinate by the time I got to the hospital but I wasn’t to the emergency phase yet. I had no complaints from the RT techs.

Good luck.

[Prostateless2020]

I was instructed to drink 24 oz of water one hour before I get on the table. Once on the table, approx 2 minutes for a CT scan, then 6 minutes of radiation. Longest 8 minutes of my life! Every day for 39 days

[leach234]

Talk to your RO!

[1Ubspaine]

I caught heck from the techs a few times due to they had to wait for the H2O to fill.

They did offer me a clamp of some sort that I should of accepted but didn’t.

Looking back it would have been helpful.

[jjpeabody]

I had tremendous urgency after the first couple treatments. They gave me a penis clamp which helped to make everything manageable. Before treatment if I just had to go, I could relieve a small amount and do treatment comfortably. It takes several treatments to figure it out. Good luck.

[fishrocky]

Just finished 40 treatments...for me it was 30 oz's 30 minutes before....portable pee bottle for drive home saved me many times!

[dixiedad]

Did they say anything about an empty rectum? That's what I had to do in addition to the full bladder.

[BanjoPicker]

I arrived at the radiation center fully hydrated. In my case that meant I needed to void about every 30 minutes. When the patient in front of me was called in, I’d hit the restroom. Fifteen minutes later they called me in. The tech said I was 80% full and that was perfect. When treatment was finished I was just beginning urgency so I hit the restroom again and headed home. The techs have seen it all so accept coaching from them.

[JWS13 in reply to BanjoPicker]

did you drink 12 OZ after you hit the restroom and went in?

[BanjoPicker in reply to JWS13]

I stopped drinking an hour before my 2:00 pm appointment time. Postponed lunch until after the appointment. I had been hydrating all morning so my bladder continued to fill after voiding. Worked well for me. Never had the techs tell me to add. First week I overfilled once and was a bit embarrassed that I peed a bit gettin off the table. That’s when the tech said that 80% full works well.

[LongevityAT]

JWS13 - I begin treatment with Dr Kishan at the beginning of March so very interested in your experience! And as mentioned above, it seems all the focus is on the bladder. Any instructions for the rectum?

[Jpl506 in reply to LongevityAT]

Ask Dr. Kishan or his PA, not some guy on the internet. And yes, Dr. Kishan is my RO.

[LongevityAT]

Of course. I was asking about his experience.

[JWS13]

kishan is great..ucla would like a bowel movement before each treatment....