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Recuperation and recovery

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User

Posted 04 Nov 2020 at 14:19

I'm planning to get the operation and get my prostate removed, and then somewhere down the line I will get a but of Radiotherapy I'm 62,very fit and very active,I do weight training and long walks etc,I do a very physically demanding job, I'm a Scaffolder,how soon after the op can I expect to be lifting weights and back at work?

User

Posted 04 Nov 2020 at 15:39

Can you explain why you're planning on both surgery and RT?

If RT is necessary, why not skip the surgery?

User

Posted 04 Nov 2020 at 16:05

I don't fancy the 6 months of Hormone injections and the side effects.

Edited by member 04 Nov 2020 at 16:15 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 04 Nov 2020 at 16:07

The surgeon said I will need some light radiotherapy somewhere down the line ,maybe 2 years after the op, this is the case for to a lot of men after surgery.

Edited by member 04 Nov 2020 at 16:15 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 04 Nov 2020 at 16:12

Heavy lifting may be a problem for 3 months post op or even longer. If you will need to get back to work quickly and there is no way that reasonable adjustments can be made so that someone else is doing the lifting / strength work for you, I would suggest that surgery is not the right option for you - you would be better looking at external beam radiotherapy or brachytherapy perhaps.

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

User

Posted 04 Nov 2020 at 16:45

Thank you for your reply.

Iam stage T3b so Brachytherapy isnt an option for me. I am not keen on 6 months hormone replacment before Radiotherapy, this is all new to me and taking time to get my head round it, I have only been diagnosed a few weeks ago.

User

Posted 04 Nov 2020 at 17:41

As Lyn says above , surgery will seriously affect your ability to do your job effectively. It’s a major operation of your internals and whilst it heals quite quickly you can have many abdominal aches and pains and adhesions in your belly area , exactly where your lifting comes from.
And to be honest mate unless you are very lucky, incontinence and stress incontinence could be a real problem for you in your line of work. You may need to be changing pads many times a day with a lifting job

User

Posted 04 Nov 2020 at 18:19

I think you can have Radiotherapy, without the Hormone Therapy - I know a chap who works for Radio Caroline, who had that quite successfully, a few years ago.
The Doctors do think, there is less likelihood, of a recurrence of cancer, if HT is also used though.

User

Posted 04 Nov 2020 at 18:55

And some areas will not offer ‘ part ‘ treatments as they think it may be a waste of their budget. That is they won’t maybe offer RT alone if you don’t have the HT , as they see at as a waste of time.
At my palliative radiotherapy recently I was urged by the radiologist to have bone strengthening infusions if I wasn’t having HT , yet my oncologist said there was no point in infusions if I wasn’t having HT. I just guessed it was a money thing but didn’t bother asking

User

Posted 05 Nov 2020 at 00:55

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

The surgeon said I will need some light radiotherapy somewhere down the line ,maybe 2 years after the op, this is the case for to a lot of men after surgery.

This really sounds like the surgeon is telling you the surgery isn't going to work.

HDR Brachytherapy can be used with stage T3b in some cases, but you haven't given enough of your diagnosis. Do you know what your PSA at diagnosis was, gleason score, and full staging (T3bNxMx)?

If you are T3bN0M0, then you might be eligible for HDR Boost, which is a combination of external beam radiotherapy and HDR brachytherapy.

User

Posted 05 Nov 2020 at 04:15

Firstly, have you ordered the ‘Tool Kit’ comprehensive information pack from this website?

https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostate-information/our-publications/publications/tool-kit

Secondly, why is your surgeon convinced you will need radiotherapy after your surgery? You could probably just have hormone therapy and then radiotherapy in the first place. Have you consulted an oncologist, as well as a surgeon?

If you know the results of your biopsy, there are calculators which try to foretell the possibility of recurrence (and hence HT & RT) for up to fifteen years after a prostatectomy.

Please give us more information as requested above, and keep a more open mind about non-surgical treatment.

Best of luck!

Cheers, John.

User

Posted 05 Nov 2020 at 07:36

I agree with the advice to speak to an Oncologist, but I'd also suggest talking to another Surgeon, because RT is certainly not a given after surgery on *localised* cancer. Unless you've misunderstood and he was advising that you *might* need it - that is certainly true, just as you might need further action after going the RT route originally.

As noted, after surgery it will take months before you should do things like weigh-lifting, because strain can cause problems with the internal stitching. You're not even allowed to push a supermarket trolley for the first few weeks.

Is it keyhole surgery you are being offered?

As far as incontinence is concerned, I think Chris is offering a gloomy picture - at 62 and fit (presuming that you don't smoke and are not obese) you may have very few continence problems; or you may be unlucky. You have a catheter fitted after surgery and when that comes out you will need to re-train a bit as your "waterworks" will have changed, but that ranges from days to never. You can improve your chances by starting pelvic floor training as soon as possible.

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