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Our whole pelvis radiotherapy journey

User
Posted 31 Jan 2023 at 19:06

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

All 23 fractions done. Still feeling ok. Can anyone tell us what happens next? He said the radiologist mentioned something about a scan, and that nothing could be seen on one right away, as RT inflames your insides, so it would be in a couple of weeks. He didn't question it, so I thought I'd ask on here to find out if it's normal procedure. 

It might be that your hospital does a scan but it isn't common practice. A PSA test a few weeks or months after would be normal. 

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

User
Posted 31 Jan 2023 at 20:49

Well I had almost exactly the same treatment as you OH and at the same hospital. A scan is very unlikely. My experience is that in about three months to six months they will call him in for a review. He will almost certainly be told to get a PSA test done at the GP a week before. 

I would assume the PSA will be <0.1 as he is on HT. If he has any side effects he can discuss them. They will then arrange another review every six months, assuming nothing exciting happens after five years they will say "just keep having PSA tests and if it looks suspicious get your GP to refer you back to us".

All the above is based on my personal experience, and I am now discharged from the Christie. Of course things could be different for your OH, but if you're lucky you can now put cancer on the back burner for decades.

I now cheerfully tell people, I am more likely to die on the motorbike than of cancer.

Dave

User
Posted 14 Feb 2023 at 20:02

February 14th, Happy Valentine's Day! It's been 6 months since he was diagnosed with T3, G9 PCa, two weeks since the last of 23fr of whole pelvis radiotherapy, and eleven weeks since HDR brachytherapy. It's three weeks until his third Prostap 3 injection, and his follow up appointment is scheduled for the beginning of August. He's still taking tamsulosin in the morning, but peeing no more than 250ml each time throughout the day. There's been no sign of blood in his stools or on paper for 8 days, though the consistency is still soft, and he needs to go 3 times a day. He says the hot flashes aren't too bad up to now, and the fatigue comes & goes, but is tolerable. He goes to bed around 9pm, wakes 2-3 times to pee, then can't stay asleep after 3.30am. Thankfully this isn't a problem, as he's used to odd sleep patterns, due to recently retiring (12 months ago) from being a tramper class 1 hgv driver. He walks ten thousand steps most days, and says that he feels good, and other than the occasional paranoia of wondering what the slightest pain or twinge is, life has gone back to normal, and we're enjoying the freedom from the monotony of having to go to The Christie 5 times a week. The time leading up to and during treatment has dragged & flown in equal measure, and if it wasn't for this forum, I'd most likely still be as hysterical as I was in the beginning. 

User
Posted 15 Feb 2023 at 13:23

All sounding very positive. Great update.

Ido4

User
Posted 01 Mar 2023 at 21:11

Four weeks now since the last RT, and still feeling ok. Things are much the same as my last update, though there was a little blood in his stools of Friday, but nothing since. The past four days or so, he's said he's had stomach ache/cramps, sometimes before or just after a bowel movement, but they didn't last long. He's also mentioned a dull ache in his pelvis. Does anyone know if this is because of the RT, or the Prostap, or because of the extra walking he's been doing, or just a mixture of everything? 

User
Posted 02 Mar 2023 at 11:12

Good to here all is going ok. I suspect those little aches and pains are just things which he would not have noticed pre diagnosis. Personally I would ignore them unless they are getting in the way of life. When he next meets the onco I would mention them, just in case.

Dave

 
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