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How soon will I get my energy back

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User

Posted 14 Mar 2020 at 12:05

I finished my treatment with Zoladex and Radiotherapy on 19 February and expected that I would start to have a bit more energy by now. Instead I had a bit of a lift after about 8 days and since then seem to have gone backwards. I sleep badly, have to pee frequently and it is painful to initiate, I and completely tired out most of the time and even a little light gardening or very short stroll leaves me wiped out. Waliking up 2 flights of stairs makes my head swim. Is this normal. I don’t have any infections and ha e pretty much stopped all painkillers. Anyone got any advice?

User

Posted 12 Apr 2020 at 09:53

Thanks for your advice. It really helps to have some I put from those who have been through the same. I just felt like I had taken a big step backwards but that is probably my expectations. I appreciate the replies

User

Posted 12 Apr 2020 at 15:19

Lyn, try the ‘ little box of sleep ‘ by Tisserand oils. Three little oil roller balls that you put on your neck before bed. Really works for me :-))

User

Posted 13 Apr 2020 at 00:00

You and your balls ....

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

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User

Posted 14 Mar 2020 at 13:09

The side effects of RT tend to get worse in the first couple of weeks after the RT finished, and then slowly improve.

The side effects of HT, generally peaking, take as long to subside as the amount of time you were on them so if you had Zoladex for 69 months, it would take about 9 months to feel completely back to normal. There is some variation in that; if the side effects came on very quickly when you started having the injections they may disappear very quickly, whereas if you were a slow burner and the SEs came on over an extended period they may take longer to leave you.

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

User

Posted 14 Mar 2020 at 16:55

On the day of my last r/t fraction, on November 12th, I was told that the side effects (including fatigue) would actually get worse over the coming weeks, and would not show much improvement for 8 -10 weeks. I have found that to be about right. I had my last 3-month Prostap injection in September, and am still feeling the side effects of that. Having lost upper-body strength and muscle, I bought some dumb-bells and a kettle bell and have been doing light weight exercises every morning. I am sure these have helped - I certainly feel stronger than I did. Hang on in there - it's a slow business!

Hermit

User

Posted 14 Mar 2020 at 19:54

It definitely varies with the individual. My RT symptoms (primarily bladder irritation) peaked about 10 days after the end of treatment and had effectively disappeared a month later. The only long-term symptoms I was left with were mucus discharge and occasional bouts of proctitis (a burning pain inside the back passage). These gradually lessened in both severity and frequency over the next six months. Now, a year after the end of RT, I just have a bit of mucus occasionally.

Best wishes,

Chris

User

Posted 22 Mar 2020 at 15:01

Just an update, since I first posted things are improved, chatting to a specialist nurse the conclusion was that I still had the cystitis I had at the end of treatment but a a level just below the detection limit. I went back on antibiotics and things are better now. That said I understand that there are backward steps now and again.

User

Posted 11 Apr 2020 at 12:56

I had hoped that a month further on I would be feeling an improvement but things are no better. I am still exhausted most of the time and sleep only about 4.5 hours a night. No signs on any testosterone. Anyone had any similar experience?

User

Posted 12 Apr 2020 at 08:07

Hi,

My original Zoladex treatment ended in August 2016, in the months that followed, I felt no improvement of the HT side effects. I still felt very tired all the time , no improvement in libido or anything.

I was so disappointed that I had a testosterone test in the following May and the results came back at 0.3 instead of being in the normal range of 7 - 31. In other words, it was like I was still on HT treatment. A couple of months after that, in the July, it was obvious that everything was back to normal. My libido was back and I felt like a teenager again.

So, that was nearly a year for things to return to normal for me, so maybe, don't expect things to happen for a while. Like with most treatments, everyone's bodies react in a different way.

I hope everything goes well for you.

Steve

User

Posted 12 Apr 2020 at 09:53

User

Posted 12 Apr 2020 at 15:07

I am concerned for you that you are only getting 4.5 hours sleep at night. Is this because of hot flushes, nightmares, or perhaps because you are sleeping a lot during the day as well? It is a weird thing that people with extreme fatigue find it hard to sleep and that the quality of their sleep may be poor. I have been an insomniac for most of my adult life and have recently been trying things like the 'This works' range from Boots or John Lewis and my daughter is using an app that plays white noise. If it is the flushes that are disturbing you, sage tablets from Holland & Barratt might help, and make sure your bedding / pyjamas are pure cotton rather than polyester cotton.

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

User

Posted 12 Apr 2020 at 15:19

Lyn, try the ‘ little box of sleep ‘ by Tisserand oils. Three little oil roller balls that you put on your neck before bed. Really works for me :-))

User

Posted 13 Apr 2020 at 00:00

You and your balls ....

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

User

Posted 13 Apr 2020 at 10:14

Thank to all I will give the recommendations a try.

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