Radiotherapy gown?

Good morning!

The radiotherapy department is very busy, so when they take the person before you in or during their treatment, they will come and ask you to get ‘changed’ into dressing gown/cardi (you could take a jumper), ie with nothing else on your top half.

This is so when they call you in, you can quickly take off your gown and be ready to lay on the bed, rather than them standing there waiting for you to get undressed on your top half as some people have many layers (bra, vest, t shirt, jumper, jacket)

The dressing gown is to cover you, as someone else may need the changing room, so you may have to pop back to sit in the waiting bay, but also walking between changing room and the radiotherapy room. In my hospital (mount vernon) each radiotherapy Machine/room has its own waiting room and changing room so the walls between each of these room is a matter of about 3 steps.

potentially, you may be happy to just go to your appointments with your jumper on and nothing else underneath, ready prepared and then you don’t have to go and get changed at all because you can say your already ready.

Last radiotherapy today for me!

sorry for the long explanation, just feel like covering every base if you’re saying you’re feeling anxious

I wish you good luck in your treatment :-) 

Sorry, that was supposed to say ‘walk’ between rooms.

also should have added, best to wear a top and bottoms to your appointments (eg jeans, leggings, joggers) if you wear a dress you’d have to take it off so you’d be there laying in your knickers (each to their own if you fancy that ha ha!)

hope this eases your anxiety 

Weston Park in Sheffield has navy wrap around tunic gowns in different sizes. I grabbed one and changed into it leaving my jeans on and sat in waiting area. When called through you jump onto the machine and lay back undoing the wraparound gown only exposing the one side you are having treated. It also keeps you warm as the machine can be cold to lay on.

It’s all over very fast and you’re soon on your way out. Hope it goes well.

I Hi Deebee60 Istart mine in Jan Same as you L breast but havnt been told anything yet but i go for planning tomorrow so they will perhaps tell me tomorrow will let you know after tomorrow 

Xx

Thank you EmAndBob for your reply. 
I'm being treated at Mount Vernon too !!
I hope your last Radiotherapy session went ok - that's another milestone completed x

I have now found a dressing gown - my sons! he's backpacking for the next few months so I'm going to use his ;)

I have had NO written information at all from the hospital - no letter, no booklet- nothing. I received a brief phone call explaining where to find the hospital and where to park - and the need for a dressing gown- I was given a list of appointment times after my planning session , that was it.

The lack of information makes me terribly anxious.

Since my planning session I have found some great videos to show how to do the 30 second breath holding

Mitsie this might be useful to you...scroll to the bottom of the page for the videos

RESPIRE Project

Good luck with your planning session tomorrow Mitsie

I feel a lot better now I have a dressing gown ...I will feel even better when I have worked out which moisturiser I need.

Thanks for taking the time to reply xx

Thank you deebee60

Thank you for that info, sorry i was no further help im sure they will look after you. Good luck to you hope all goes well.

Xx

Hi, my team told me to wear a scrappy vest top.  I took my bra off in the changing room, kept the vest top on and then on the r/t table I just slipped the straps down, vey easy and kept me covered well. best wishes 

Hi deebee60,

What a strange coincidence - I’ve only come on the macmillan community about 3 times since my diagnosis in March, and just happend to have a bit of a wobble and come on and see your post. I’m not sure how this all works, but I just clicked your name and a ‘more’ section and it said ‘become friends’ I was looking to direct message you rather than filling up the forum with differing hospital protocols/routines. Not sure if you accept it allows us to direct message? (im actually a nurse myself, not a weirdo I promise!) Maybe if you wanted I’ll happily reach out to have a personal chat with you before you start, on what Mount Vernon do during our sessions? As I was so anxious too and things that would have been helpful know like the ‘barcode login’ before other patients in the waiting room told me when I was at about treatment eight or nine which would have been helpful before! And also the measuring and feelings re the machine.  Sorry if too much to offer, but I’ve felt very out of the loop and in the unknown myself so hoping to just help someone x

last one done! Hubby treated me to lunch out and a glass of fizz after! Onwards and upwards I hope! 

Our radiotherapy department doesn't have changing rooms, just a chair in the room where you take your top half off. I was given a square of the blue paper towel, to cover my self for the walk across the room from chair to bed.

Sue x

Hi deebee60, hope all goes well with your radiotherapy. I will be starting radiotherapy at mount vernon on Wednesday, finishing on Christmas eve. I was told that they like you to change and be ready before your appointment, which is the reason for a dressing gown. This just helps to keep things running on time. Xx