Did you get covered during radiation treatments?

TB90

I spent all day having pre-op tests. I had to have an EKG. I mentioned to the young male tech before the test that I had had a mastectomy. I wanted to protect him from a surprise. Not quite certain why I felt the need to protect him. Just cannot stop myself. But his response was so sweet and supportive. Neither of us even considered my nakedness further. He does EKG's all day long. Every work day of every month of every year. Even as a youngish man, he had seen so much and had do much respect for all bodies. But tests in CancerCare can be expected to be sensitive to bodies having experienced cancer. My experiences have always been so respectful. But never to ignore the exception. All women's preferences need to be respecyrf

TB90

I spent all day having pre-op tests. I had to have an EKG. I mentioned to the young male tech before the test that I had had a mastectomy. I wanted to protect him from a surprise. Not quite certain why I felt the need to protect him. Just cannot stop myself. But his response was so sweet and supportive. Neither of us even considered my nakedness further. He does EKG's all day long. Every work day of every month of every year. Even as a youngish man, he had seen so much and had do much respect for all bodies. But tests in CancerCare can be expected to be sensitive to bodies having experienced cancer. My experiences have always been so respectful. But never to ignore the exception. All women's preferences need to be respecyrf

grandmaadams

I am a sexual assault survivor. Before I started radiation therapy, I had read some of these postings and was incredibly surprised to find out some of you had male therapists … it doesn't matter how kind and considerate they are it is traumatizing to sexual assault victims to have to lay on a table, in an incredibly vulnerable position, told to lay still and allow strange men to be there much less touch you. No one warned me, I had to ask more than once if there were male therapists and if I would be naked to the waist. I had a complete meltdown during my last visit with my RO before radiation started. He asked me what was going on and I gave him a little of my history. I told him that he didn't have a gun in his hand but that is what it felt like … take off your clothes, lay still, allow some man to touch you or you are endangering your life by not having radiation … not what was said but it is what I heard. I REFUSED to follow their "protocol", I refused to be naked to the waist. I didn't know until my treatment started that my RO talked to the ONE female on the therapist team about my situation. I showed up for treatment with a "modesty" band made out of thin t-shirt material, cut to allow eye sight of the radiation markings while keeping my breasts covered but not constrained. It was similar to a swim suit top. I didn't know until the first day of radiation that the one female therapist was going to be the only one in the room. After the initial set-up my treatment had to be put off a week because she was going on vacation and I was physically incapable of going into that room with just men. For treatment, I had to be exposed a little on the breast being treated but she covered me back up as soon as I was lined up. I continued to wear the band because I knew men were watching on a monitor.  I asked the female therapist if I was compromising my treatment by refusing to be uncovered and she assured me it would make no difference! I was never naked to the waist and my left breast was never exposed at all.

I went back last week for my 3 months follow-up with my RO. I let him know I was back in therapy dealing with the trauma I experienced in the two weeks before radiation started and I discovered I would only have a female therapist. I also asked my RO what didn't happen or what was different because I was covered during therapy. He said "absolutely nothing". The machine they use has cameras that "see" your chest wall but the thin material didn't interfere with the process. After having three months to decompress I was better able to talk about the experience with him. I let him know that although I truly appreciated him not dismissing my fears and coordinating with the therapists, I was left to figure out the solution by myself. He knew I was terrified and offered no alternative, no suggestions and no options. I found out later the group has a location about a 45 minute drive from my house with an all female therapy team. I would have gladly made the drive. I also questioned him of why the radiation field of medicine thinks it's perfectly OK to leave a woman in a room, half naked, with male therapists when a male doctor would never dream of examining an unclothed female patient without a female nurse in the room. I asked him to please consider how to treat women in the future who expressed their fears. He seemed to be genuinely listening to what I said without being offended or defensive. 

Ladies, you have rights. The problem is no one explains what they are. Good luck to all who are starting the process or are still in it.

Meow13

grandmaadams I am so glad you posted. I am very uncomfortable with exposure and I feel like medical personnel tend to ignore my concerns. I feel much better with female doctors and technicians. I go to a wonderful all female facility for mammograms and MRIs it is a longer distance but worth it to me.

I am not sure why pyschologically I can't handle it but it is a tremendous relief when I am not in that position. This feeling is why I am hestitant to get nipple tattooing that I very much want.

carmstr835

I had rads and also was bare chested during positioning. I did not want a male tech and stated so. When he was there, it was the women techs that positioned me then covered me before he came in. I appreciated that, I did not like rads at all because of the requirement of being naked from the waist up while they were positioning me. It was cold and embarrassing. I knew the male techs were behind the window.

beach5

I guess it is up to each of us to voice our needs, drive our care plans and be respectful of others. I'm in rads now, and I fall in the camp of I gave up modesty with my diagnosis. Its interesting so many of you talk about gowns/robes and changing rooms. My current facility (world class teaching), has none of those things.

You enter the treatment room in your street clothes, set your belongings on a chair and strip to the waist. They have a small mirror above the chair to help get dressed or situated when you leave. You walk 3 feet from the chair and hop on the table, get positioned, zapped and unstrapped. You grab your top form the chair and get dressed while they get the table ready for the next person. The great news is that I can scan in and be walking out all inclusive within 20 minutes (16 on the table). That efficiency is high on my list of priorities. So, even though it seemed a little cold/odd the first time through, I've grown to really appreciate it.

Lucytnbc

I have to tell you about my experience. I am a survivor...of molestation, rape, breast cancer and RADIATION. I would rather go through chemo again than experience radiation again. When I first came in to radiation, two young men were the techs. I told them I was uncomfortable with this and they sent in two women (though clearly they weren't happy). The next thing I knew, the men were in and out of the room and one of them came in and started taking pictures. Many pictures. At this point, I'd been told not to move. I laid there with my chest exposed and my arms hanging onto handles over my head and felt horrible. Tears streamed down my face and not one person noticed. When I left, I felt as though I'd be assaulted all over again. I got into my car and cried for about a half hour. Then I called my husband, who was over 100 miles away and he talked me through my ride home. I was re-traumatized every time I went in for treatment. I spoke with my GP who called my radiation oncologist who called me. She said she'd speak to the techs and make sure I wasn't entirely exposed during treatments. Several times, staff forgot - until I asked. One tech in particular used to "slip" all the time and pull the pillow case (which was what they used to cover me) partially off of me. I'd walk by the room where they sat and would see my breasts larger than life on the screen. It was horrible! If I ever have to have radiation again, I will be more insistent. I was too traumatized to speak up for myself at the time. I will never put myself through that experience a second time. It was 6 weeks of hell. I still have nightmares on occasion and it's been 2 years and 2 months since my last radiation treatment. I hadn't had nightmares for over 20 years prior to this experience. I'm crying just writing about it. PLEASE cover a woman whenever possible. PLEASE always ask. PLEASE be understanding if a person tells you of their trauma history.

Beaverntx

The facility where I had radiation had both men and women techs -- important for them because they had both male and female clients for all kinds of cancer! To the best of my recollection I was never in the treatment room (yes, there was a changing room and the gowns were not pink!) with only a male tech. While the breast being treated was left exposed they were always careful to keep the other side covered, even going to the effort to tape the edge of the gown down. I apparently am part of the "modesty, what modesty" group as my focus was on getting the treatment done. That said, I can totally understand those who are/were uncomfortable with the whole process and want to echo those who have encouraged folks to speak up. No one knows your feelings unless you express them. I found the staff very willing to follow reasonable requests and IMHO asking to be covered as much as possible without interfering with the efficacy of the treatment is very reasonable!

santabarbarian

I am doing proton rads. You have to be uncovered during the zaps with protons. In between zaps they cover me back up right away while they reposition me, and every time they uncover my breast they say they are about to do it. I find it very respectful and not at all bothersome. OTOH breastfeeding long ago de-sensitized me to my boobs getting glimpsed.

My center gave me a white waffle-weave robe to keep, and bring back and forth with me. I can put it on over the gown for my brief waits in the coed room.

My boob and underarm area is photographed once a week.

The tattoos they did look like freckles.. there are four tiny dots N,S,E W. They are tiny. I am very freckly, so they are not noticeable at all unless you are really looking.

grandmaadams

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Meow13

I feel badly for your experiences. I don't think I could go through it myself. They seem to think you should be ok with it but I am not. Just listening to you guys makes me feel the pain. I still haven't had a nipple tattoo, I just can't bring myself to walk into a tattoo parlor. I never was presented with radiation as a treatment and I am so glad. The medical profession seems very insensitive to privacy needs. I remember feeling horribly uncomfortable with delivering my son, I mean they had the blinds to the outdoors open. Unbelievable really.