yippee RT has finished......!!!

User

Posted 14 Oct 2016 at 22:37

Today is a milestone, my 37 sessions of RT came to an end, all I have to do now is wait 4 weeks until I have my end of treatment review.

Mind you the fact sheet they gave me this morning suggests that the next four weeks could be a tad uncomfortable as apparently the radiation does not peak for between two and four weeks after the end of treatment.

So my diarrhea and sore 'Man equipment' look to be 'Friends' for a while longer and the tiredness could even get worse - looking forward to that!!!!!! 😡😡

However now the actual daily 60 mile round trip and, daily enema use if finished the uforia is incredible and long may it last...😀😀

I have to say a HUGE thank you to all the Radiography staff in the Oncology unit at Treliske Hospital in Truro who have given me unbelievable treatment and have been so kind and patient when I was having problems.

They are the unsung hero's of the NHS who save lives and give people a new lease of life and all of us with this awful disease owe them everything.

May I wish all my fellow PC sufferer's the best of luck and hope you all have a successful result from your treatment.

Harley

User

Posted 15 Oct 2016 at 17:38

James, I am sorry to hear of your problems, however please don't worry about your forthcoming RT treatment.

I had 37 sessions over 8 weeks and although I did suffer some side effects, the end result of beating Cancer was my goal and hopefully that has been achieved.

To try and reasure you, not everyone has many side effects and some people have none at all, everyone is different so you have to take things as they come.

I was lucky, I only had a couple of serious SE's, the soreness of passing urine after about 4 weeks and bowl soreness after about

5-6 weeks, plus some diorea, which they give you Imodium to help with the problem.

The only SE that seems to be a constant with nearly everyone is the tiredness but I found that when I came home I went to bed for a couple of hours and this made the problem easy to cope with.

The one thing to remember is do EXACTLY as they tell you, I stuck to their information/instructions to the letter and I feel I have had a relatively trouble free journey, but some of the guys I see every day at the unit don't bother, they carry on eating spicy foods, drinking coffee and fizzy drinks, and not drinking the requirerd 2 litres of water a day to keep hydrated and then complain they are experiencing some awful SE's.

From my perspective you get out of anything what you put into it so for me it was a no brainer not to do as I was told.

I do hope my the information on my journey is helpful to you and that it eases your mind on undergoing your forthcoming RT, for which I wish you well and that you get a good outcome.

As an aside, a guy I met at the unit who has become a good friend over the past few weeks has had the same operation as you and unfortunately had the PC come back in the Prostrate bed, and has had to undergo a course of RT, he did the same as me, stuck to the insteuctions and other than tiredness has suffered very little and he is over half way through his treatment.

Good luck with your treatment and if you would like to know anything else please get in touch.

Harley

User

Posted 15 Oct 2016 at 18:03

As far as I am concerned one of the reasons for this site is not only to get support when you need it but also to gather the information available from those who have undergone a particular treatment.

Our personal experiences are just that - personal - and may not be relevant to another undergoing the same treatment, but if we don't post what it was like for us then it's an opportunity wasted to help another member. It isn't going to hurt us to follow the advice of somebody who benefited from doing as he was advised. He had personal knowledge having listened to those blokes who decided they wouldn't give up the spicy food, the coffee etc and suffered.

The tip about tiredness is good. John did get tired following his brachytherapy, so he would "power" nap for 20 minutes/half an hour and then feel refreshed.

We are here for each other and that's what's important. Giving, exchanging, and accepting knowledge. If it doesn't work for you what have you lost?

I wish all those undergoing the trials of RT the best experience possible and a successful outcome.

*******

We can't control the winds - but we can adjust our sails

User

Posted 15 Oct 2016 at 11:06

Really pleased for you that your RT is over and I hope that you get over the s/e soonest. The staff at my RT centre were fantastic too and had put up with all the problems I presented them, especially towards the end. However they kindly told me that they'd seen it all before and I was not to worry about it.

The RT is becoming more of a distant memory for me now though and I am feeling so much better with far more energy and with just occasional fatigue from the HT.

Hopefully your first results will be encouraging and that you will reach undectable status in the very near future.

S33

User

Posted 15 Oct 2016 at 11:22

Well done harley.

I hope that the end of the
"actual daily 60 mile round trip and, daily enema use "
goes some way to balancing out what is too come.

At least you are on the home strait.

I hope the side effects of the next few weeks are minimal so that you can continue to enjoy your current sense of euphoria.

All the best

Sandra

*******

We can't control the winds - but we can adjust our sails

User

Posted 15 Oct 2016 at 12:03

Harley,

No, I've not had any further scans post RT. Just the routine blood tests. It has taken me 18 months to achieve undectable status and I'll confess that I was envious of seeing others achieving that after only a few months. However I was told by my Onco that you usually achieve your nadir about 18 months post RT, so I was bang on the money there. I just do not want to see any future rise in Psa scores though!

Now you can start enjoying life again, keep active and stay positive.

John

User

Posted 15 Oct 2016 at 19:01

Harley,

Thank you for that, I feel more confident and less worried about the future.

Many thanks

James

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User

Posted 15 Oct 2016 at 11:06

The RT is becoming more of a distant memory for me now though and I am feeling so much better with far more energy and with just occasional fatigue from the HT.

Hopefully your first results will be encouraging and that you will reach undectable status in the very near future.

S33

User

Posted 15 Oct 2016 at 11:21

Thanks for your good wishes S33, I am glad your treatment has worked out well for you.

Did you have a CT or MRI scan anytime after your treatment end to give an indication on weather it had worked....????

I keep getting mixed messages from Doctors, including my GP on weather they are done routinely or not, or wether you have to ask for one..??

Cheers

Harley

User

Posted 15 Oct 2016 at 11:22

Well done harley.

I hope that the end of the
"actual daily 60 mile round trip and, daily enema use "
goes some way to balancing out what is too come.

At least you are on the home strait.

I hope the side effects of the next few weeks are minimal so that you can continue to enjoy your current sense of euphoria.

All the best

Sandra

*******

We can't control the winds - but we can adjust our sails

User

Posted 15 Oct 2016 at 12:03

Harley,

Now you can start enjoying life again, keep active and stay positive.

John

User

Posted 15 Oct 2016 at 14:08

Harley,

I had an operation to remove my prostate 11 months ago however since then my PSA level has risen and I will be undergoing RT, was your experience similar to mine, reading your posts I'm not looking forward to the RT.