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

Notification

Error


Dad just diagnosed. Need advice

User
Posted 31 Mar 2021 at 14:50

Hey Bob!

Lovely to hear from you! 

It was very reassuring to read your post. I showed dad and told him that things will get better. He just needs to go with it for now.

He is really struggling with lack of energy. He says he finds it difficult to move his legs as they have become heavy?? I wonder if this is to do with losing muscle?

Really glad to hear you are getting back to your usual self and getting energy back too!

We all need to get out of lockdown and back to doing whatever we enjoy!

Take care and thank u so much for the reassuring post.

User
Posted 01 Apr 2021 at 09:54

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Hey Bob!

Lovely to hear from you! 

It was very reassuring to read your post. I showed dad and told him that things will get better. He just needs to go with it for now.

He is really struggling with lack of energy. He says he finds it difficult to move his legs as they have become heavy?? I wonder if this is to do with losing muscle?

Really glad to hear you are getting back to your usual self and getting energy back too!

We all need to get out of lockdown and back to doing whatever we enjoy!

Take care and thank u so much for the reassuring post.

Glad to be able to help. RT & HT is a rather long process - but at least, there is no Knife involved. I think there is a greater risk of incontinence with Surgery - & sometimes bits of Cancer get left behind, so Radio therapy is often still needed as well - you have a  dose of both treatments. I think one, is more than enough!  The worst part of RT, is holding on to the water, then finding the Loo is occupied! & Getting there 20 times if you live some distance away.

I am again having a bit of a piles problem - but I had that long BEFORE any prostate treatment 😂 Another of the joys of getting older I guess. Getting treatment at the hospital for them is difficult ATM, due to Covid. I saw a consultant last week, & all he wanted to do was talk, not even examine me - passed the buck to the "Camera up you", team....
He wore his mask under his chin, BTW.....

User
Posted 02 Apr 2021 at 22:31

WOW! Maybe a mask on the chin stops covid from spreading. We have been wearing it wrong for a whole year! Oh dear, hope they can sort out the piles ASAP!

Dad has been in a better mood last few days. Phew. He had his radiotherapy on empty bowel and bladder, he was really glad about that as he had read the stories about full bladder! 

How is your wrist? I remember reading you had some pain there. Was it the wrist?

User
Posted 03 Apr 2021 at 09:49

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

WOW! Maybe a mask on the chin stops covid from spreading. We have been wearing it wrong for a whole year! Oh dear, hope they can sort out the piles ASAP!

Dad has been in a better mood last few days. Phew. He had his radiotherapy on empty bowel and bladder, he was really glad about that as he had read the stories about full bladder! 

How is your wrist? I remember reading you had some pain there. Was it the wrist?

Thanks for the ask - thankfully, my right wrist & arm is fine now. Probably caused by Tennis playing, whilst still with Hormone therapy (Weakening) in me 😅 It took a long time to get better though, suffered from Nov - Feb I think! RT is not much fun, but I'm glad it was not too bad for your dad.

User
Posted 03 Apr 2021 at 12:19

Really glad you are better now and pain has gone. So worrying when something else starts to hurt. Yeh dad coped well with the treatment whilst it was ongoing but defo is seeing the side effects now! 

Hopefully he will be better once he can start to go out and see his friends!

Have a good weekend. Take care and thanks for the advice!

User
Posted 04 Apr 2021 at 12:40

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Really glad you are better now and pain has gone. So worrying when something else starts to hurt. Yeh dad coped well with the treatment whilst it was ongoing but defo is seeing the side effects now! 

Hopefully he will be better once he can start to go out and see his friends!

Have a good weekend. Take care and thanks for the advice!

Thanks. I've been enjoying listening to Radio Caroline this morning - whilst cooking my Sunday lunch.
It will be great to get back to Pub & cafe Sunday dinner though. I just hope travel back & forth overseas, is severley controlled though, otherwise we will be back where we started.

User
Posted 05 Apr 2021 at 11:36

I have a feeling we will have restrictions during the winter months.. pubs and restaurants.. just can't wait!

User
Posted 05 Apr 2021 at 20:59

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

I have a feeling we will have restrictions during the winter months.. pubs and restaurants.. just can't wait!

Lets get the vaccines into everyone & that will not happen. 

I'm optimistic, this Pandemic will be gone, very soon.

NO, repeat NO foreign  Holidays, that will open floodgates.

User
Posted 05 Apr 2021 at 21:39

True! But you know the government get a bit excited about holidays! Lol!

User
Posted 06 Apr 2021 at 10:05

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

True! But you know the government get a bit excited about holidays! Lol!

It's the "Raking in the tax" factor 😄

User
Posted 06 Apr 2021 at 23:23

So finally dad told us today why he feels so low. It is because he is experiencing some leakage from his bowl when he doesn't expect it. Apparently a fart is not a fart.. i remember reading about this side effect from RT, a while ago.

He said it is making him feel scared to go for walks etc and he doesn't want to wear pads.

Will this side effect wear off in time?

Any suggestions?

He said this, together with having to wake up 3/4 times a night to pee, is really depressing him. And the hot flushes too!

Any suggestions would be great. Thanks once again.

 

 

 

 

 

User
Posted 07 Apr 2021 at 10:30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHwVglPQR_w

This might help.

User
Posted 07 Apr 2021 at 14:58

Thank you Bob. I have shared it with dad.

User
Posted 07 Apr 2021 at 17:31

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Thank you Bob. I have shared it with dad.

Exercise in any form, is of course, good - I like a good  walk around somewhere interesting. 
This afternoon, I had a walk around the Lake & old Hotel at Lynford, in Norfolk. It's about 7 miles from where I live. It has been a TV location in the distant past. Mainly Allo Allo, but some bits of Dad's army, were filmed there as well. 

Old Hodges was in the water of the lake a few times!  The inner courtyard of the Hotel, was dressed up to look like France, with the exterior of the Allo Cafe - the interiors were shot in a BBC studio ! 

Two nice lakes to walk around, & some memories. 

User
Posted 07 Apr 2021 at 18:40
Hi yes I fully go with the feeling down, scared of going out etc due to bowel issues. I suffered after RT, had 'accidents' whilst out, had to use bucket in garden as bathroom getting remitted et., pretty degrading and you just can't predict if when it'll happen. Imodium worked quite well for me on occasions out for a while (e.g. Hyde Park Neil Young couple years ago), tried not to use too often.

But, if like me, definitely clears up, seemed to take for ever to do so but may have been few months.

Peter

User
Posted 07 Apr 2021 at 23:00

Thank you Peter and Bob.

Reassuring to know that it can clear and hopefully isnt a long term side effect. Glad you are doing well Peter.

Bob, your walk sounds amazing! Dad walks lots too which is fab.

Thanks for the advice. The people on this site have just been amazing!

User
Posted 12 Apr 2021 at 18:33

Me again!

Dad had routine full blood count done last week. The blood count (HB) came back slightly reduced so they want dad to give a stool sample to check for bleeding in the bowels. Dad has got slight bleeding since finishing RT. Happens very occasionally. We spoke to Macmillan who said this was very common after RT. We explained this to the GP, however they still want dad to give the stool sample.

I am guessing they want to check for Bowel cancer? He only just finished the RT in December. Shouldn't they give it a few months? 

Anyone else had experience of this at all? Maybe we should speak to the Onco?

Apart from that everything else came back fine.

User
Posted 12 Apr 2021 at 19:31
You can't always see blood in the stools with the naked eye and it may not be bowel cancer they are checking for - more likely they are ruling out anaemia caused by bleeding higher up in his stomach, an ulcer or infection. Slight bleeding from RT is unlikely to affect HB levels so best to have the stool test & rule out other problems.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 12 Apr 2021 at 20:44

Ah i see. OK, thanks Lynn. Dad suffers from Barrett syndrome (acid reflux) so does get checked every 3yrs for esphogues cancer. It was due last year but didn't happen because of COVID. I hope its not that.

Mind is going into overdrive. Best to just get it done and hopefully get to the bottom of this. Why can't things just be OK for a bit. One thing after another.

So glad i posted on here. Thank you.

User
Posted 25 Apr 2021 at 23:07

Just an update. We spoke to the Onco via the Macmillan nurse. The Onco said Zoladex can reduce HB levels and that there would be blood found in the bowels due to RT side effects so she would rather wait until August (next PSA test)  to redo HB test at that point before they start any other investigation work. Unless the Barrett's is bothering dad, which it doesn't seem to be. Hopefully he will have the endoscopy this July. 

So we will wait it out till then and see what happens. He is getting blood now and then when he empties bowel but he doesn't seem too concerned about it for now. 

The GP prescribed another medicine which stops his body from producing urine at night. This seems to be working well. He is now only getting up once or twice rather than four times a night. Cant remember the name but happy to ask him if anyone is interested.

Take care!

 
Forum Jump  
©2025 Prostate Cancer UK