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

Notification

Error

How to survive radiotherapy

Email this conversation Print this conversation
User
Posted 06 Mar 2022 at 07:12

Hi.


I've just have finish my radiotherapy but have seen many men here in a very confused state...they have not been given much information.


I respect Andrew Gabriel for his How to Survive HT and wondered if I could a write a similar thing for radiotherapy?


Would people want to share their experiences?


Did you know that they are going to ditch the water drinking regime? It's not necessary with the newer Vmat kit


Thanks


 

Steve


Blog: prostatecancer.vivatek.co.uk

User
Posted 21 Mar 2022 at 13:17

Hi, yes, the main reason for starting this post was to sound guys out about the possibility of writing a guide to RT from the patients perspective... 


I loved Andrews How to Survive HT....next one is in June I think?


During my last week I was waiting for my chat with my onco... I overheard a couple at reception...we're here for my first treatment....they came and sat opposite me. So I started chatting....it soon became obvious that they hadn't a clue.....he'd given up his job....and this day was just the "hello, this is what is going to happen...sign this evil consent form...you'll hear from us in a couple of weeks or more, bye"


He would have weeks to wait for his planning scan, then anything between 4 and 6 weeks before his 4 weeks of treatment!


I'm thinking a patient's guide might be useful.. I've even got videos of the treatment room to put them at ease!

Steve


Blog: prostatecancer.vivatek.co.uk

User
Posted 06 Mar 2022 at 10:47
I didn't find RT too bad at all. Somewhat tedious having to travel to the hospital 5 days a week for nearly two months, but the actual process is no big deal. You drink your water, put on a gown, lie on a table for 5 minutes while the machine does its stuff, get dressed and go home.

In the latter part of the treatment I had to pee a lot and had some bowel issues due to the radiation irritating the bowel and bladder, but no more than mild inconveniences.

Cheers,

Chris
User
Posted 06 Mar 2022 at 11:43
In the UK the vast majority of men have HT along with RT so they suffer combined effects. There are different ways of administering RT, External Beam and two types of Brachytherapy and standard or Hypofractionated regimes for example. Your best chance of surviving RT is to have follow up monitoring and additional treatment when appropriate. Are you medically qualified or are you just proposing to write on the basis of some anecdotal experiences?

NB. Not all men have to drink water prior to RT, I didn't and that was back in 2008. It rather depends on the protocol of the treating Hospital.
Barry
User
Posted 06 Mar 2022 at 13:41

Found the radiotherapy very tolerable the hormone therapy much more off a problem 👍

User
Posted 06 Mar 2022 at 17:34
I'm 2 sessions away from completing my course of treatment. Overall the experience has not been too bad. Physically its pretty easy but doing it, day in, day out, wears thin after a few weeks.

Electric car drivers can experience "range anxiety", well for me it was "bladder anxiety". You don't want a ( very gentle) bollocking from the radiographer for not being full enough ( or even worse being sent out to get more water in) and then delaying all the patients stacking behind you, especially those guys in the queue " holding their bladder".

I have , however, learnt something about myself. I can lose that top inch off my bladder! Sometimes the urge to void completely is almost overwhelming. Luckily I managed to avoid that but it was close.

User
Posted 06 Mar 2022 at 21:24

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member
Electric car drivers can experience "range anxiety", well for me it was "bladder anxiety". You don't want a ( very gentle) bollocking from the radiographer for not being full enough ( or even worse being sent out to get more water in) and then delaying all the patients stacking behind you, especially those guys in the queue " holding their bladder".


Oh yes, absolutely 😀!


The only thing I can add to this is that when you're under the influence of both ADT and RT it can be hard to know which one is causing the side effects, particularly fatigue. I'd thought that post RT I'd bounce back to a reasonably normal level of energy but it remained a battle to get there. I presumed that it took time to recover from the RT


Now, I think that HT might have been more to blame and that it takes quite a long time, maybe a year from starting ADT, for the body to get used to a new endocrine system minus testosterone. Others might not have had the same experience but for anyone heading into RT, or near the end of it, you could find it's still hard to function normally after RT [while still on HT] but it does get batter with time, though I think you actually have to work hard to get through the perceived barriers to re-energizing.


Jules

Edited by member 06 Mar 2022 at 21:27  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 22 Mar 2022 at 01:23

This might seem a little flippant but I did nearly fall asleep once during RT and the team there said that it does happen sometimes.


Maybe it's useful for those about to undergo the treatment to have some real life evidence that all those beams passing through you are imperceptible, even if the Linac machines look quite formidable.


Jules

Edited by member 22 Mar 2022 at 01:44  | Reason: whim

User
Posted 22 Mar 2022 at 08:54

When I had my 20 r/t sessions in Sheffield, they projected nice pictures onto the ceiling for thepatient to look at! It felt strange when the technicians 'lined me up' using the 3 blue dot tattoos which they had given me at the planning meeting' They told me 'don't try to help - just let us put you where we need you'. I seem to recall the 'time on the table' to be  5 - 10 minutes, but the actual 'radiation beam' part of that was only about 30 seconds, I was told. To me, it sounded like an angry mosquito. I asked, and was told, that each Lineac costs the thick end of £1 million, and my treatment centre has 9! Then off the table (with help!) and straight out to the toilet! Sometimes I even got a Weatherspoons breakfast on the way home - but not every visit. Ain't technology wonderful!
Hermit

Edited by member 22 Mar 2022 at 09:32  | Reason: Not specified

Show Most Thanked Posts
User
Posted 06 Mar 2022 at 10:47
I didn't find RT too bad at all. Somewhat tedious having to travel to the hospital 5 days a week for nearly two months, but the actual process is no big deal. You drink your water, put on a gown, lie on a table for 5 minutes while the machine does its stuff, get dressed and go home.

In the latter part of the treatment I had to pee a lot and had some bowel issues due to the radiation irritating the bowel and bladder, but no more than mild inconveniences.

Cheers,

Chris
User
Posted 06 Mar 2022 at 11:35

Yes, quite typical.


It's the HT that is causing me grief....

Steve


Blog: prostatecancer.vivatek.co.uk

User
Posted 06 Mar 2022 at 11:43
In the UK the vast majority of men have HT along with RT so they suffer combined effects. There are different ways of administering RT, External Beam and two types of Brachytherapy and standard or Hypofractionated regimes for example. Your best chance of surviving RT is to have follow up monitoring and additional treatment when appropriate. Are you medically qualified or are you just proposing to write on the basis of some anecdotal experiences?

NB. Not all men have to drink water prior to RT, I didn't and that was back in 2008. It rather depends on the protocol of the treating Hospital.
Barry
User
Posted 06 Mar 2022 at 13:41

Found the radiotherapy very tolerable the hormone therapy much more off a problem 👍

User
Posted 06 Mar 2022 at 13:44

I agree, every man is different.


I've had emotional crashes, mental breakdowns....and will come off it after a year....see blog.


Let me know your personal experience


 

Steve


Blog: prostatecancer.vivatek.co.uk

User
Posted 06 Mar 2022 at 17:34
I'm 2 sessions away from completing my course of treatment. Overall the experience has not been too bad. Physically its pretty easy but doing it, day in, day out, wears thin after a few weeks.

Electric car drivers can experience "range anxiety", well for me it was "bladder anxiety". You don't want a ( very gentle) bollocking from the radiographer for not being full enough ( or even worse being sent out to get more water in) and then delaying all the patients stacking behind you, especially those guys in the queue " holding their bladder".

I have , however, learnt something about myself. I can lose that top inch off my bladder! Sometimes the urge to void completely is almost overwhelming. Luckily I managed to avoid that but it was close.

User
Posted 06 Mar 2022 at 18:27

Yes


I had that once...they scanned me and said...that's fine...carry on.


What larks


Good wishes for your remaining sessions!


 

Steve


Blog: prostatecancer.vivatek.co.uk

User
Posted 06 Mar 2022 at 18:37
I was fortunate never to be sent to the naughty corner for either bowel or bladder in my 32 sessions 🙂.

Chris
User
Posted 06 Mar 2022 at 21:24

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member
Electric car drivers can experience "range anxiety", well for me it was "bladder anxiety". You don't want a ( very gentle) bollocking from the radiographer for not being full enough ( or even worse being sent out to get more water in) and then delaying all the patients stacking behind you, especially those guys in the queue " holding their bladder".


Oh yes, absolutely 😀!


The only thing I can add to this is that when you're under the influence of both ADT and RT it can be hard to know which one is causing the side effects, particularly fatigue. I'd thought that post RT I'd bounce back to a reasonably normal level of energy but it remained a battle to get there. I presumed that it took time to recover from the RT


Now, I think that HT might have been more to blame and that it takes quite a long time, maybe a year from starting ADT, for the body to get used to a new endocrine system minus testosterone. Others might not have had the same experience but for anyone heading into RT, or near the end of it, you could find it's still hard to function normally after RT [while still on HT] but it does get batter with time, though I think you actually have to work hard to get through the perceived barriers to re-energizing.


Jules

Edited by member 06 Mar 2022 at 21:27  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 21 Mar 2022 at 13:17

Hi, yes, the main reason for starting this post was to sound guys out about the possibility of writing a guide to RT from the patients perspective... 


I loved Andrews How to Survive HT....next one is in June I think?


During my last week I was waiting for my chat with my onco... I overheard a couple at reception...we're here for my first treatment....they came and sat opposite me. So I started chatting....it soon became obvious that they hadn't a clue.....he'd given up his job....and this day was just the "hello, this is what is going to happen...sign this evil consent form...you'll hear from us in a couple of weeks or more, bye"


He would have weeks to wait for his planning scan, then anything between 4 and 6 weeks before his 4 weeks of treatment!


I'm thinking a patient's guide might be useful.. I've even got videos of the treatment room to put them at ease!

Steve


Blog: prostatecancer.vivatek.co.uk

User
Posted 21 Mar 2022 at 14:34
Sounds like a great idea Esteban
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard
User
Posted 22 Mar 2022 at 01:23

This might seem a little flippant but I did nearly fall asleep once during RT and the team there said that it does happen sometimes.


Maybe it's useful for those about to undergo the treatment to have some real life evidence that all those beams passing through you are imperceptible, even if the Linac machines look quite formidable.


Jules

Edited by member 22 Mar 2022 at 01:44  | Reason: whim

User
Posted 22 Mar 2022 at 08:07

No, not flippant at all. With all the raised anxiety, coping with cancer, the thrills of CC, the actual few minutes of treatment can be quite soporific!


It's a bit like sitting an exam...the actual exam can be fairly easy ..it's the stress before and taking the analogy too far ....the pain of the results!


I found it initially...anxious, alarming...then routine...then...get on with....then, god, only 5 to go.   


I could never have fallen asleep. That odd movement, never quite continuous and that sound...the chewing wasps, also constantly changing (I know it's the beam energy and those multi leaf collimators moving)...all too much to watch and listen. Plus the rather annoying local radio station on in the background...i would have preferred the War of the World's music! More apt!


Trying to remember how to spell bremsstrahlung and what questions to ask the team this time... I needed facts and figures for my blog ...mV and not meV...how much does all this cost..."how was my bladder filling?"....no, for me I could never have slept but then I "only" had 20 sessions....not sure I could've coped with 40 or more....


Gracias amigo


 

Steve


Blog: prostatecancer.vivatek.co.uk

User
Posted 22 Mar 2022 at 08:54

When I had my 20 r/t sessions in Sheffield, they projected nice pictures onto the ceiling for thepatient to look at! It felt strange when the technicians 'lined me up' using the 3 blue dot tattoos which they had given me at the planning meeting' They told me 'don't try to help - just let us put you where we need you'. I seem to recall the 'time on the table' to be  5 - 10 minutes, but the actual 'radiation beam' part of that was only about 30 seconds, I was told. To me, it sounded like an angry mosquito. I asked, and was told, that each Lineac costs the thick end of £1 million, and my treatment centre has 9! Then off the table (with help!) and straight out to the toilet! Sometimes I even got a Weatherspoons breakfast on the way home - but not every visit. Ain't technology wonderful!
Hermit

Edited by member 22 Mar 2022 at 09:32  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 22 Mar 2022 at 09:17

Thanks.


And those 20 sessions about £30,000!


That magic table...solid carbon fibre!

Steve


Blog: prostatecancer.vivatek.co.uk

 
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 ▲
©2025 Prostate Cancer UK