The department's location in an outpatient clinic provides easy access. The Clinic's commitment to outpatient treatment helps patients stay out of the hospital and maintain their usual activities during treatment. On your radiation days, just go to the back waiting area, and a therapist will call you as soon as they are ready. The treatment room is deliberately kept cool to make sure that the equipment operates properly. During the radiation treatment you will not feel anything, but you may hear noises from the machines or notice blinking lights which are used during therapy.
Some patients worry about receiving too much radiation.
In order to assure proper dose delivery, the equipment is checked on a regular basis, and the amount of exposure is carefully calculated. During each treatment session, the therapists preset the linear accelerator and check that the correct amount of radiation is given. The machine will stop automatically after completion of treatment. Monitoring Your Progress Mary Angelo, M.A., goes over possible treatment side effects with a patient. During the course of therapy, your radiation oncologist will see you regularly, usually on Wednesdays, to follow your progress and to discuss your treatment.