Research Paper on:
Radiotherapy and the Impact of Isolation

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
use of the therapy--patients have difficulty with the treatment. A primary problem is that the patients have to hold still for quite some time and remain in isolation during the  treatment. This can be psychologically difficult. While a lot is not known about the psychological effects of isolation, some studies regarding capsule habitats help to find clues in terms of  such effects ( Suedfeld & Steel, 2000). In order to understand the psychological impact of radiotherapy, with particular attention to the necessity for isolation, medical literature and case studies should  be discussed. One example is reported by Massad (1997) and tells of a woman named Anna and her experiences. Anna had been wheeled into an isolation unit where the  radiation oncologists would insert cesium pellets into the cylinders, and after the procedure, Anna had to stay alone in a lead-lined room, lying down for forty-eight hours (1997). It is  difficult as any movement could shift the apparatus away from her cervix, and thus decrease the dose of radiation to the cancer, diminishing her chance for a cure (1997). The  loneliness is difficult, but not being able to move is psychologically devastating. Anna was not allowed to walk, nor was she allowed to sit up, and a catheter had  been inserted to drain her bladder (1997). Constipating agents had kept her bowels in check, and because she was radioactive while the cesium had been inside of her, she  could only see visitors for a few minutes per day (1997). Hospital staff would stay only as long as their tasks mandated, and examinations and questioning would occur from  behind lead shields (1997). After two days, the radiation sources, gauze, apparatus, and catheter were removed and when she finished all radiation treatments, Anna