I'm interested in conversations about and I want to talk about
Know exactly what you want?
Show search

Notification

Error

Completion of radiotherapy

Email this conversation Print this conversation
User
Posted 24 Aug 2016 at 19:42
Hi,new to this site,first post in fact,but wondering,today completed course of radiotherapy(20 fractions),but instead of feeling euphoric,feel really depressed and worried,is this usual??.
User
Posted 25 Aug 2016 at 01:04

Yes I think it is quite common JT - there is something about going into a next phase of a sort of no-man's land where all you can do is wait to find out whether it worked. Plus you have belonged to something for 4 weeks, a sort of club where 'everyone's in it together and there was maybe a sense of camaraderie. Add in that while having RT you feel like you are fighting back in some way and then it finishes and you are left with a 'what next' feeling.

Hopefully, it will only last a couple of days and then you will start to work out what your new 'normal' is, just as you did after diagnosis and when you started the RT.

Are you on hormone treatment as well? That can also play havoc with your emotions :-(

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 08 Sep 2016 at 23:13

A test so soon would probably be no help to you at all. The PSA should have dropped significantly due to the hormones, but may have risen in objection to being zapped so could end up being not so different to previous tests as the rise competes with the drop. Better perhaps to wait until the point when onco wants it testing - he knows what he is expecting / hoping for.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

Show Most Thanked Posts
User
Posted 25 Aug 2016 at 01:04

Yes I think it is quite common JT - there is something about going into a next phase of a sort of no-man's land where all you can do is wait to find out whether it worked. Plus you have belonged to something for 4 weeks, a sort of club where 'everyone's in it together and there was maybe a sense of camaraderie. Add in that while having RT you feel like you are fighting back in some way and then it finishes and you are left with a 'what next' feeling.

Hopefully, it will only last a couple of days and then you will start to work out what your new 'normal' is, just as you did after diagnosis and when you started the RT.

Are you on hormone treatment as well? That can also play havoc with your emotions :-(

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 25 Aug 2016 at 08:28

Hello Johntom and welcome

Lyn is the expert but even I have picked up on here that when a treatment finishes, such as RT, where you've had a reason to get up in the morning, and have shared (probably) some laughs and intimate details with what essentially started as complete strangers, then yes, it's a let down.

Like anything in life that becomes a habit. Work for instance - you might hate it and look forward to retirement, but when it happens life is confusing for a while because there is no pattern to it any longer, no routine. You still plan your day around the times you got up and it takes a while before you remember you can actually please yourself.

You'll get a new routine in no time I'm sure

Best Wishes

Sandra

We can't control the winds - but we can adjust our sails
User
Posted 25 Aug 2016 at 09:49
I am sorry you feel this way after your treatment but having read the other responses I can understand how you might feel this way. Personally I was found that once it was finished, enjoying the luxury of going for a walk and taking time to watch the birds, take in the activity on the farms, enjoy the garden and quietly take stock quickly put a smile back on my face. I was so grateful that I had completed the treatment with no dramas and there was such a lot to be happy about. I hope that you will be able to get things back on track and this will be a temporary blip. I did not have any HT and so if you did then from what I have read this could be affecting your feelings.

All the best to you.

Kevan

User
Posted 25 Aug 2016 at 10:50
Hallo,how kind of you to reply,yes I do miss my club so to speak,should be on the table as I type!,and yes I'm on hormones until the beginning of October,so been messed up emotionally for the last 6 months,so no doubt will only get better,once again thanks for taking the time to respond.

User
Posted 25 Aug 2016 at 12:18
Hi,thanks for your reply may I ask how long it took for your normal routine to resume?.
User
Posted 25 Aug 2016 at 18:33
I am lucky in that I am retired and so on many days normal is what I choose it to be. I was getting up at my usual time and doing the routine stuff from day one but found that by about 8 p.m I was falling asleep in the chair. It took about 2 weeks before I could honestly say that bowel, bladder and tiredness all felt normal again but then I didn't have any real physical problem following the RT.I am lucky in that I had no HT to complicate things for me but we are all following different paths with this. It is useful to hear the experiences of others but try not to compare progress because of these differences. Take pleasure in each little victory and bit by bit you look back and realise that you have in fact made progress.

Be kind to yourself.

Kevan

User
Posted 25 Aug 2016 at 18:34
I am lucky in that I am retired and so on many days normal is what I choose it to be. I was getting up at my usual time and doing the routine stuff from day one but found that by about 8 p.m I was falling asleep in the chair. It took about 2 weeks before I could honestly say that bowel, bladder and tiredness all felt normal again but then I didn't have any real physical problem following the RT.I am lucky in that I had no HT to complicate things for me but we are all following different paths with this. It is useful to hear the experiences of others but try not to compare progress because of these differences. Take pleasure in each little victory and bit by bit you look back and realise that you have in fact made progress.

Be kind to yourself.

Kevan

User
Posted 27 Aug 2016 at 08:17
Hi,as previously mentioned,i completed course of radiotherapy on Wednesday,and having read the excellent advice provided by the incredibly kind people on hear have realised that it's not actually beneficial to compare my circumstances to others as obviously we are all different,however since Wednesday,ive been unable to think about or concentrate on anything other than,"has it worked","am I cured"etc,and I'm wondering,in general,is this something most men go through after radiotherapy,and if so are we expected to just accept it for so many years,and carry on regardless?.
User
Posted 27 Aug 2016 at 09:49

Hello Johntom

I think for the lot of people who have had cancer (not just men with prostate cancer) the answer to your question would be yes.

Before John had his prostate cancer we had our niece, my grandson, my daughter then John and with the exception of John, they have all lived (re living with)with the knowledge that they have been treated and will it come back.

(John may well have that thought in his mind but he doesn't discuss it with me)

I'm not saying they think of it on a daily basis, but have learnt to live with the thought at the backs of their minds.

I know that for my young grandson, particularly this year, he found it difficult as he was feeling unwell and much like he did when he was thirteen so his first thought was that it was back.

What can you do other than get on with your life. If you spend the rest of your life worrying about when or if it will come back you will spoil your enjoyment of life now.

I'm sure one of our men will be along to reassure you with how they cope, and what strategies they use.

Rest assured though, it's human nature to wonder whether you are "cured" so you are not an oddity !!

***

Edited by member 27 Aug 2016 at 09:49  | Reason: Not specified

We can't control the winds - but we can adjust our sails
User
Posted 08 Sep 2016 at 08:50
Hi,just wondering,2wks after completing radiotherapy,about a month of hormones inside me doing there thing,any point in me having an early psa test done just for my own benefit, or as I suspect would reading just be irrelevant????, any opinions would be greatfully appreciated.
User
Posted 08 Sep 2016 at 09:46
Hi There

Google .. psa half life. I can't see from your profile any psa values. Basically take advice from consultant. I had rp. Mine was 0.04 after 6 weeks. From 10 ish pre op . Since then 0.01. For 18 mths. I understand Rt you will reach a natural base level. Ie not at or near zero. Other Rt members will probably post more as I assume values are specific to every individual. Again you may know or could ask whether your own psa can be effected by prostate 'activity' giving potentially incorrect values. It is early days for you in my opinion. . All the best.

PS I remember clearly at 6 weeks that I thought 0.04 was high. !! Consultant seemed pleased though. It was 3 to 6 months when we relaxed more as values came down to 0.01 .. Our lab does to 2 dec. places by the way.

User
Posted 08 Sep 2016 at 20:19
Hi,thanks for advice,psa was 1.8,then1.6,so low to start with,gleason 7(3+4).what's worrying is how reliable next PSA will be as original tests were so low,hence considering early test.
User
Posted 08 Sep 2016 at 21:40

John

PSA going into RT was the same on completion at 0.004. As my profile shows PSA floats around bit.

Ray

User
Posted 08 Sep 2016 at 23:13

A test so soon would probably be no help to you at all. The PSA should have dropped significantly due to the hormones, but may have risen in objection to being zapped so could end up being not so different to previous tests as the rise competes with the drop. Better perhaps to wait until the point when onco wants it testing - he knows what he is expecting / hoping for.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 09 Sep 2016 at 07:27

I had adjuvant RT and it took 2.5 years to drop from about 0.09 to 0.01. I had my PSA tested 6 months after the completion of RT.

I find the problem with our new normal is that we live in either 3 monthly, 6 monthly or yearly cycles depending on the frequency of your PSA testing. For me that makes time pass far too quickly

Bri

Edited by member 09 Sep 2016 at 07:28  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 09 Sep 2016 at 11:59

I have 12-weekly Zoladex, and I get the nurse to take blood for PSA every second visit, or if I have a doctor's appointment approaching. I rather suspect that that's a little more often than I need, but it gives me peace of mind, and I reckon that's good value for the NHS.

Once Zoladex kicks in, it WILL knock the PSA on it's head, but that means a low PSA during HT simply means that your blood levels of hormone are high enough. Until the HT finishes, PSA doesn't tell you much about the underlying condition - you have to wait for HT to finish before you find out how effective your treatment has been.

 
Forum Jump  
Email this conversation Print this conversation

Join the online community now.

Click through to become a member and gain access to support, information and real time replies.




MenuTop ▲
©2024 Prostate Cancer UK