Hi all. I am one week into 5 weeks of chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer. I’m struggling with anxiety when having the radiotherapy. I feel trapped and panicky whilst in the machine. Not helped by constantly feeling like I need to wee and might wet myself (which I know is all anxiety related). Has anyone else struggled with this? It seems so silly to worry about such a short treatment time but my anxiety seems to be building with each treatment not getting easier.
Hi Nikiknitter
I had 25 sessions of external pelvic radiotherapy for endometrial cancer in 2022.
I also felt similar- I would feel panicky and trapped. It's not unusual. I think also the anxiety is compounded with feeling that you may have an accident. I don't know if yours is any different but I used to have to drink 3 cups of water and wait for 30 minutes and have the treatment with a full bladder. I did always manage to hold on, but if there was any delays, it was hard.
I spoke to the radiotherapists doing my treatment and told them my worries and it really helped. They talked to me throughout my treatment and played music. Just having someone tell you what was happening and when helped. So they would say things like- well done- you are in a great position, we are just checking your scan, the machine is going to make a sound, its going to start moving etc- that really helped. As soon as the treatment was done- it was like- well done, thats another one off the list, I'm coming now etc.
Just telling them how you feel and getting the reassurance will help. I am sure also people do have accidents and for them it is no big deal.
Hope this helps- you are not alone- a lot of people find the machines tough.
Jane
Hi Nikiknitter
I struggled hugely with needing a full badder during radiotherapy for my cervical cancer, so you are not alone! I have had accidents, and yes they’ve seen it all before. My nurses kept some spare jogging bottoms in the room for this kind of eventuality and assured me it was ok, and they dealt with this often.
I used bladder incontinence pads in my knickers and always took a change of clothing in my bag, which helped me knowing that if I had an accident I could cope with it. I think the anxiety around the whole treatment doesn’t help either-especially if things are delayed, which happened often for me, meaning I’d have to go to the loo and then start the drinking again which meant things took even longer.
If you are able to get appointments early in the day, that could be very useful for you and hopefully help with any delays in the department.
Sarah xx
I found it very helpful to wear the pads I wore. I don’t see your worry as trivial at all-I absolutely dreaded radiotherapy and the accompanying uncontrollable diarrhoea, and worries about any kind of accident were very real for me from about week 3 onwards. A friend I made ant chemo going through the same treatment had accidents on the table too, but the nurses were lovely and very reassuring about it. After 32 sessions I was delighted that I would never be there again!
Sarah xx
