In th
his guide,, you will find inforrmation aabout:
• What iss brachyth
herapy?
nt
• Importaant dates for your treatmen
i
• How to prepare for your implant
d
thee treatmen
nt
• What happens during
t call for help
• When to
Bracchytherapy
y (bra-kee-tthera-pee) is a radiattion treatm
ment using sspecial
applicators thaat are placeed near or in
i the tumo
our. A radio
oactive sou
urce is put
into the applicaator for a period
p
of tim
me and theen removed
d. This treaatment is
donee at the Lon
ndon Regio
onal Cancerr Program’’s (LRCP) B
Brachytherrapy Suite.
Afterr the pre-admit visit, you will bee booked fo
or one visitt to the hosspital. At
this visit,
v
a special applicaator is inseerted that w
will help deeliver yourr
treattments.
You may receiv
ve up to thrree treatments. The ffirst treatm
ment will haappen in
the afternoon
a
after
a
the ap
pplicators are
a inserted. The seco
ond treatm
ment will bee
donee the next morning.
m
The
T third treatment w
will happen six hours aafter the
second one. You will need
d to stay ov
vernight in
n the hospittal.
Do you take blood thinners?
If you take blood
d thinnerss, such as A
ASA, Warfa
arin or Cou
umadin,
pleasee tell your prescribing
p
g doctor so
o that planss can be maade to stop
p
this medicine.
m
RADIATION THERAPY
Brachytherapy
Interstitial Needle
(Applicators)
Implant Dates and Times
Pre-admit Appointment

Not
N Applica
able
The purpose off this appoiintment is to do a varriety of testts. For morre
inforrmation ab
bout this ap
ppointmentt, please reead your prre-admit bo
ooklet.
Datee: __________________________________________________________________________________ Time:
Locaation:
______________________________________
C2
2-600, Pre--admit Clin
nic
Viictoria Hosspital, 800 Commissio
C
oners Rd. E
E.
dicines, vittamins, and
d herbal su
upplementss you are
• Bring alll of the med
taking to
o this visit.
If you need help finding th
he room, call 519-685-8500 or visit the Lo
ondon
Heallth Sciences Centre website
w
at www.lhsc.o
w
on.ca.
VISIT #1 - Day of Admission
Adm
mission Date: ________________________________________________________________________
Adm
mission Tim
me: _______________________________________________________________________
If yo
ou haven’t received a phone ca
all explain
ning what time to arrrive for
yourr admissio
on, call 519
9-685-850
00 the morrning of yo
our admisssion date
and ask for “P
Patient Reg
gistration”” to find ou
ut what tim
me you wiill be
adm
mitted to th
he hospita
al.
Impllant Date: _____________
_
______________________________________________________________
Locaation:
B2
2-100, Patiient Registration
Viictoria Hosspital, 800 Commissio
C
oners Rd. E
E.
• You will need to prrepare for this
t visit. P
Please referr to the speecial
instructiions listed in this pam
mphlet.
2
Preparing for the Implant

1-2 week
ks before your
y
proced
dure, you w
will have an
n MRI and a vaginal
applicato
or will be placed
p
by your
y
doctorr.
Date:
D
____________________________________________________________________________ Time:
______________________________________
How do I prepare for the implant day?
• Do not eat or drink
k from midn
night (12:0
00 a.m.) thee night beffore your
procedure.
• Bring the medicinees you are taking.
t
• Leave all your valu
uables at ho
ome, like jeewellery an
nd watchess.
• Bring something to
o read or so
ome small handwork
k to help paass the timee.
You may
y also rent a television
n when you
u register ffor your prrocedure.
• Arrange to have a family
f
mem
mber or a fr
friend take you home when the
treatmen
nts are don
ne.

You willl need to purchase
p
thigh
t
lengtth anti-em
mbolism sttockings
and brin
ng them with
w you on
n your trea
atment da
ay(s). Thesse can be
purchassed at a me
edical sup
pply store such as Sh
hoppers H
Home
Health Care
C
for ap
pproximattely $25.00.
What will happen before the treatment?
• You will register att Patient Reegistration
n.

Once reg
gistered, yo
ou will be brought
b
to the inpatieent care un
nit where
the healtthcare team
m will prep
pare you fo
or the Operrating Room
m (OR). An
intraven
nous will bee started.
• From thee Unit you will be tak
ken to the O
OR. You willl be given a general
anesthettic.
3
What will happen during the treatments?
The following describes
d
what
w
will happen durring your im
mplant. You
ur healthcare team will give
g you more
m
detailss the day of your treaatment.
• The appllicators will be put in
nto position
n in the OR
R while you
u are asleep
p.
• A catheter will be placed
p
into
o your bladder to draiin off urinee.
• When yo
ou awake in
n the recov
very area, yyou may feeel some paain. You will
be given
n medicine for this.
• A CT scaan will be done
d
to help
p plan for yyour treatm
ment. When
n it is donee,
you will be taken to
o your room.
• Once you
ur treatmeent is plann
ned you willl have you
ur first treaatment.
• In the Brrachytheraapy Suite, tu
ubes will b
be attached
d to the app
plicators
and the treatment
t
will begin. It will onlyy take a few
w minutes.. During the
treatmen
nt, staff willl leave thee room.
• After you
ur treatmeent, you willl return to
o your room
m with the applicatorrs
in place until all treeatments are
a finished
d.
• When th
he treatmen
nts are don
ne, the appllicators will be removved in the
LRCP Brrachytherap
py Suite.
• You will be discharrged home.. Please havve someon
ne take you
u home.
Questions?
If you
u have any questions about bracchytherapyy call 519-685-8600
and the
t extension below. Leave
L
a meessage. You
u may call d
during
regullar businesss hours beetween 8:30
0 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. M
Monday to
Fridaay. It may taake up to three
t
busin
ness days to
o return yo
our call.
Have
e your chart numberr ready wh
hen you ca
all:
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4
When do I need to call for help?
Go to
o your nea
arest Emerrgency Dep
partment if:
• You cann
not urinatee for more than 4-6 hours, or yo
our lower aabdomen
feels fulll.
• Blood in
n the urine increases.
• Your tem
mperature rises aboutt 38°C (100
0.4°F).
• The pain
n cannot bee controlled
d with med
dicine.
• You havee increased
d bleeding from the surgical sitee or heavy vaginal
bleeding
g.
If you receive care
c
that is not directed by LRCP
P staff, pleaase tell you
ur health
care team at yo
our next vissit.
Your Brachytherapy Team:
Radiiation Onco
ologist: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lond
don Region
nal Cancer Program:
P
519.685.8
8600
OR Nurse:
N
Tam
mmie Murraay
519.685.8
8600 ext. 5
51355
OR Nurse:
N
Lean
nne Derrah
h
Radiiation Therrapist: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Plea
ase have yo
our chart number
n
re
eady when
n you call::
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5 (2008/06/05) Updated January 2013
3
NS6155
5