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Diet and radiotherapy

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User
Posted 11 Nov 2022 at 17:47

Hello, 

It's my first time on here, I hope that someone can help.

My dad has his CT planning scan next week and starts his radiotherapy the week after.  I'm looking for some dietary advice please.

I know that it's important for patients going through these procedures to avoid gassy foods in order to keep the bowels clear.  However, I also read one patient information leaflet that advocated a low fibre diet, but another leaflet that recommended a high fibre diet!  Can anyone help with this?  I would imagine that many high fibre foods e.g. nuts and dried fruit, are hard to breakdown, so they're worth avoiding, but if the diet is too low in fibre, then this could lead to constipation.  So, are we looking for a middle ground?

I'd be grateful if anyone had any useful links to dietary recommendations or guidelines that my dad could follow for the course of his radiotherapy.

Thanks

User
Posted 11 Nov 2022 at 20:14

Welcome to the forum Lara.

It is confusing, you do hear of different advice. I had salvage radiotherapy in August, having had an increase in PSA six years after being operated. My hospital was most concerned about gas, and their major advice was to avoid green vegetables. They did have me taking a (not too strong) laxative daily, so constipation wasn't their big concern.

In practice I switched from my usual fruit + muesli breakfast (fairly high fibre) to toast + marmalade and reduced but didn't totally avoid green veg/salad.

The other concern was degree of bladder filling, and to be honest I found that more challenging. The theory was that if you emptied your bladder then drank 750 ml water you would have the right volume 30-45 minutes later. My body clearly didn't play ball, and all too often I was sent away after an ultrasound scan to drink more, or on a few occasions to try to half-empty my bladder (they gave me a container with a line to aim for - quite a challenge!)

Other dietary instructions were no alcohol or caffeine (both are diuretics which might affect bladder filling) and no fizzy drinks (gas)..

I think a bit depends on the hospital and the kind of radiotherapy machines they use - some seem to have quite stringent requirements and some can adapt somewhat to circumstances. But it means your father will be given his own instructions.

To be honest, given the regime was radiotherapy Monday to Friday with the weekend off, I gave myself a little leeway on Friday after the session and on Saturday knowing it was over 24 hours before the next RT session - most especially by awarding myself a welcome glass of wine with dinner! And while it isn't a process one chooses to go through, I found the staff on the radiotherapy machines incredibly supportive and tolerant of my unpredictable bladder. Plus you find yourself in a little "club" of men with prostate cancer all experiencing the same issues, which is a great relief when you worry about not quite doing it right and realise you are not alone.

Good luck to you and your dad!

Edited by member 11 Nov 2022 at 20:16  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 11 Nov 2022 at 21:32
I was rather constipated during my RT and needed to increase fibre intake. In the absence of any advice from the treating hospital, it may be necessary to adjust according to individual experience. I got a little sore as sometimes happens and took the advice of the radiographers and gently dabbed with a little Bepanthen cream. It is used on babies for nappy rash but other creams are also recommended.
Barry
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User
Posted 11 Nov 2022 at 20:14

Welcome to the forum Lara.

It is confusing, you do hear of different advice. I had salvage radiotherapy in August, having had an increase in PSA six years after being operated. My hospital was most concerned about gas, and their major advice was to avoid green vegetables. They did have me taking a (not too strong) laxative daily, so constipation wasn't their big concern.

In practice I switched from my usual fruit + muesli breakfast (fairly high fibre) to toast + marmalade and reduced but didn't totally avoid green veg/salad.

The other concern was degree of bladder filling, and to be honest I found that more challenging. The theory was that if you emptied your bladder then drank 750 ml water you would have the right volume 30-45 minutes later. My body clearly didn't play ball, and all too often I was sent away after an ultrasound scan to drink more, or on a few occasions to try to half-empty my bladder (they gave me a container with a line to aim for - quite a challenge!)

Other dietary instructions were no alcohol or caffeine (both are diuretics which might affect bladder filling) and no fizzy drinks (gas)..

I think a bit depends on the hospital and the kind of radiotherapy machines they use - some seem to have quite stringent requirements and some can adapt somewhat to circumstances. But it means your father will be given his own instructions.

To be honest, given the regime was radiotherapy Monday to Friday with the weekend off, I gave myself a little leeway on Friday after the session and on Saturday knowing it was over 24 hours before the next RT session - most especially by awarding myself a welcome glass of wine with dinner! And while it isn't a process one chooses to go through, I found the staff on the radiotherapy machines incredibly supportive and tolerant of my unpredictable bladder. Plus you find yourself in a little "club" of men with prostate cancer all experiencing the same issues, which is a great relief when you worry about not quite doing it right and realise you are not alone.

Good luck to you and your dad!

Edited by member 11 Nov 2022 at 20:16  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 11 Nov 2022 at 20:41

Thank you, this is really helpful.   I appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences and will pass this on.  Unfortunately, he hasn't had much guidance from the hospital on this, hence we're both doing our own research!

Best of luck to you too, I hope that you are doing well.

 

User
Posted 11 Nov 2022 at 20:46

I just finished my salvage radiotherapy at the end of last month. The dietary advice I was given was very similar to J-B. That said, I didn't follow it to the letter. The low fibre diet did concern me about getting constipated. You can take Fybogel to avoid it  but I stuck more or less to my usual fibre intake and it worked okay for me. I know other people get issues with green vegetables and have to cut them out (even after treatment has stopped). I cut out spicy food, alcohol (almost) and cafein (apart from one cup of tea per day). Some bowel and bladder urgency is inevitable but your father might need to make adjustments to his diet as the symptoms start to arise. I can certainly empathise with J-B on the difficulties of presenting with the right amount of fluid in my bladder. I never really mastered it.

Good luck. I hope your dad breezes through it.

User
Posted 11 Nov 2022 at 21:12
Your dad's RT team will tell him if they want him to follow a specific diet. Otherwise, he should eat normally. It depends on the state and position of his bowel in relation to his prostate - since he has not had his planning scan yet, they won't know what they need him to do.

Most hospitals say absolutely no alcohol for the 4 or 7 weeks of the RT.

One thing you can do now to prepare is to buy perfume-free / pH balanced shower gel or body wash - some shower gels have a chemical in them which can disrupt the RT as it enters the body and unless he is very dark skinned, he may suffer something akin to sunburn so a gentle product such as baby soap will be kinder to him.

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

User
Posted 11 Nov 2022 at 21:19

Hi Lara, pretty much as the guys and Lynne have already advised, everyone is going to be a bit different so its just a case of being sensible with diet, following advice, and finding out what works best and adjusting as you go.. I'd imagine he might already be aware of what causes him wind or any bowel issues etc etc... certainly some greens and anything in the least bit spicy did for me... In the month or so after the RT was completed too. Have a look at my profile...

Best of luck,
Nick

Edited by member 11 Nov 2022 at 21:25  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 11 Nov 2022 at 21:32
I was rather constipated during my RT and needed to increase fibre intake. In the absence of any advice from the treating hospital, it may be necessary to adjust according to individual experience. I got a little sore as sometimes happens and took the advice of the radiographers and gently dabbed with a little Bepanthen cream. It is used on babies for nappy rash but other creams are also recommended.
Barry
User
Posted 12 Nov 2022 at 18:07
When I had my radiotherapy I was given the advice to carry on as normal, really, as their opinion was that a change in diet just before/during the RT could cause an issue, which makes sense. My diet wasn't too bad during the treatment I may have cut down a bit on hard-core veg etc sort of subconsciously.

Peter

User
Posted 12 Nov 2022 at 20:23
As Nick above says, it is one thing following hospital instructions during RT, there is the second issue of managing the impact on the bowel towards the end and after RT. By the last week mine were a bit hyperactive - helpfully the radiotherapy team told me to stop the mild laxatives I had previously had on their advice. They also gave me some gel to sooth the soreness which resulted.

But honestly it wasn't really too bad, you just have to follow advice and be sensitive to your own body. It was a lot easier than the recovery from surgery.

 
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