Getting Into The Daily Radiation Routine

When I was undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer, I got into a daily routine that worked with my fatigue and appointment schedule. Since radiation treatment happened every weekday, I needed to arrange my daily routine around the appointments.

I was very fatigued during my treatment, so there wasn’t much else on my calendar during radiation treatment. I needed to prioritize my days so that I worked with my energy level, not against it.  

When I first got my treatment calendar, I felt overwhelmed. How was I going to cope with going to the appointments every day?  

Daily Radiation Routine

Here is how I approached the treatment schedule and my daily routine.

1. Treatments on the Family Calendar

The first thing that I did was to put all of my treatments on our shared family calendar. We use Apple’s iCloud service and have a calendar which all of us see. I placed the appointments on the calendar and made sure that I included the treatment center’s address. If an appointment got moved, then I would immediately adjust the calendar appointment. 

2. Allocate Travel Time 

Dave was going to head back to work during my radiation treatment, but he had worked out some flexibility with his boss so he could drive me to my appointments each day. We had the opportunity to choose a close location to our house, so the travel time was only about 10 minutes. I decided when I wanted to leave each day, and I put that on the calendar. That way, Dave knew when it was time to go. It also made it easier for me to tell my friends what time to pick me up, if I had a different person giving me a ride that day.

3. Getting Ready to Leave

Before we left for radiation, I took time to get myself ready. I made sure that what I was wearing would be easy to take off and put on. I made sure to get my AirPods prepared so that I could listen to music during treatment. I did this a few minutes before our designated departure time.

4. Have a Post Treatment Care Bag

I had a bag that lived in my purse during radiation treatment. This included some things that I wanted to use after my treatment. The bag was small enough to leave it in my purse and have it be ready for me every day.

Here is what I had in my bag:

• Deodorant
• Small Bottle of Avène Thermal Water
• Small bottles of lotion

It was easy to use these items in the locker as I was getting dressed after treatment.

5. Arrive slightly early, but not too early

My radiation center usually ran on time. This was nice because I wasn’t arriving early, only to be waiting a long time for treatment. After a few trials, we were able to tweak our departure time from home to arrive about fifteen minutes before my treatment time. This gave me enough time to prepare for treatment.

6. Get Checked in and Changed

When I arrived for radiation, I would say hi to the receptionist, then walk directly back into the locker area. I would choose a gown and go into my favorite changing room. I used the same room and locker every day for treatment. I would change into my gown, place my belongings into the locker, and then I would pair my headphones. I was allowed to wear AirPods during treatment. I would pair them with my AppleWatch and have a specific playlist going during treatment. This helped me manage my anxiety during treatments.

7. Wait To Be Called Back

I was usually only waiting a few minutes in the secondary waiting area after I got changed. I enjoyed the seasonal decorations and read the books available in the area. My treatment was before Covid, so there weren’t restrictions on shared reading materials.

 8. Positioning On The Table

The actual treatments were very short. The radiation tech would call me back, and we would chat about our days while I got arranged on the table. I had a custom bean bag which I would lay on. For my treatment, I was on my back with my right arm above my head. 

 Each treatment, the techs would line me up precisely using the markings they had set up during radiation planning. In my case, this was a few freckles on my chest area and one radiation tattoo. The techs would have me lie still while they moved me around.  

Then, they would cover me up and offer me a warm blanket. I loved the warm blankets because the treatment room was so cold!

9. Treatment Time

I had CT guided radiation treatment. Every treatment, the machine would take a CT scan of me and then map it out to the image they had on file for me. Then, once the images matched up, my radiation would begin. 

First, the table would move me into the CT tube. I would be there for a few minutes while the imaging was taking place.

Then, the table would move out, and the radiation machine would begin warming up. During this time, it would start making a rattling noise.  

The table would then move me back in the tube. I would hear the rattling sound moving all around me. It sounded like rats running in circles. During the first treatment, I nearly had a panic attack because I was not prepared for the noises.  

After that treatment, I decided to bring my music to counteract the noises.

Once the treatment was done, the table would move me out of the tube. The techs would come back in, lower the table down, and then I was free to go and get changed.

The treatment took about 10 minutes or so. This included some of the preparation time.

10. Treatment is Painless

Getting radiation was painless. I felt absolutely no discomfort during it. I did have some issues with my hand and shoulder falling asleep because of the positioning. But, there wasn’t any pain at all during the treatment. The discomfort I felt was due to the skin effects caused by the radiation. 

11. Moisturize and Get Dressed

Once I was done with the daily treatment, I would head back to my locker. I pulled out my care bag. First, I would spray my breast with the Avene thermal water, and I would dry it with the treatment robe. Then, I would apply lotion to the treated breast. I would also apply my deodorant. I was allowed to use deodorant in the morning because of my afternoon treatment time, but the restrictions might be different for you.

12. Once a Week- Meet with Radiation Oncologist

Every Monday, I would have an additional step to my appointment. I would get weighed and then go to an exam room. I would talk about my side effects with the nurse. Then, the radiation oncologist would come in and take a look at my skin and ask me how I was doing. If I had any questions about side effects, this was an opportunity to get my questions answered. 

13. Time to Head Home 

Once I was done with my daily treatment, I would grab my things, put my robe in the linen basket, and head out the door. It was usually about half an hour total from arrival to completion of treatment unless it was a day I met my radiation oncologist. Those days would run longer.

14. Check off the Calendar

I had a treatment calendar on my refrigerator. Every day I would come home from radiation and place an x over the day. My treatment was 20 sessions long, so every week I completed a quarter of my treatment.  

15. Collapse on Couch

After treatment, I was exhausted. I would sit on the couch, put a heating pad on my legs and watch a tv show. I didn’t plan anything at night during my radiation treatments because I was too tired.  

16. Go to Bed Early, and Do It All Again

I would go to bed early because I was exhausted. After a good night of sleep, I would wake up with a little more energy. I would be able to do a few things in the morning, like walk the dogs and supervise the virtual school. Then, it was time to head out the door again.

Radiation became a daily routine during my month of treatment. I enjoyed getting to know the staff at the office. We would talk about our holiday plans and our children. I was excited to finish treatment, but it was strange to think that my days wouldn’t be punctuated by daily radiation treatment.