The plan was my first 5 weeks of radiation were to focus on the right tonsil area and all draining lymph using IMRT. Then I would receive 2 weeks of radiation focused on the tonsil.

I went 3 days my first week (Wed-Fri) then the next week I went 3 days (Mon-Wed). On Thurday the IMRT machine broke and I missed that day. Today, Friday, I would have gone in despite a snowstorm, but the machine is still down. I know I will have to add the two days to the end, but I'm wondering if this interruption has compromised my treatment.

When my son was in the IMRT treatment phase, he was given a week long break after about two and a half weeks because of open painful sores in his mouth, and again later on a slightly longer break because of Christmas shut down of the Radiation office where everyone had a short break. In talking to other patients while waiting for him I found out there were other patients who had to have a "break" from treatment. To be sure regarding your own treatment, it may be a good idea to check with your doctor and ask him about any effects of the interruption in treatment.

I was told by my doctors that the "best possible" outcome had no interuptions. I would investigate the best ways to make up the time.

Rob J

Simple Gifts,

Your radiation oncologist should determine how critical this is in light of your treatment plan and where you are in the process. There were a couple of times fairly late in my treatment when I was truly miserable and begged for a day or two off. On one such occasion, my RO said it would be OK, but on another one, he said I absolutely needed to push ahead and not miss any more time.

Cathy

I missed 2 days because I was too sick from the chemo and several more days because of downtime of the machine. There is no way to make up the time. You can't get more then 2 Gy/day. They will just add more days. They were more pushy about the days that were my fault then the days that the machine was broken. Go figure. Others here have had small breaks with no adverse effects (and some because of adverse effects).

I was fortunate or unfortunate to not have missed any days. I was warned before I started that the machine might break down but other than that my RO told me he did not want me to miss 1 day for illness.

During my last week of rad I was in the hospital due to severe dehydration and nausea and they even nuked me then. They wheeled me down in a wheel chair, nuked me and wheeled me back to my room. And I thought I was there to make me feel better....oh well.

I didn't get any slack either, like David. I was hospitalized during week 5 for nausea, and they wheeled my bed down, transferred me from bed to table, nuked me, back on the bed and back to my room.

That week it really didn't matter a lot...there was nothing they could do to make me feel worse than I did anyway.

Wayne
(who is enjoying the ability to chew things again!)

The most important issue here is that you complete treatment. If you have 35 scheduled radiation visits, then you must complete all 35. It is a sequential treatment but missing a day or two shouldn't make a difference. Patients not completing the treatment protocol have poorer survival odds in general.

The machines are VERY busy and often are run for 2 shifts every day at many treatment centers, one can only imagine the logistical nightmare if too many patients were rescheduling. A day or 2 of downtime can really mess up their schedules as well. When I worked for Siemens we scheduled all maintenance, repairs and upgrades after hours and on weekends, unless the machine was inoperable or in a dangerous condition.

I want to make clear this applies mainly to the frontline treatment, i.e. radiation. Chemo is given as an adjunct and sometimes chemo protocols are changed or shortened without adverse effects or conversely, due to adverse effects.

Thanks for all your replies. After just 6 treatments, I was beginning to lose my taste and was going to bed at 7:30PM. I've enjoyed every minute of feeling great over the weekend. We grilled steaks last night and that's a rarity for me since I don't eat much red meat. I figured it was a chance to squeeze in some extra pleasures. Driving 250 miles to visit my mom in assisted living today. I'm determined not to tell her, so the broken machine let me squeeze in another visit. I'll hopefully get back on the treatment track on Monday.

On Monday, I went and the machine broke again. That means I