My Step Dad starts radiotherapy this month :/

User

Posted 14 Jan 2024 at 16:10

Hi Everyone,

I was hoping to get some advice. My step dad starts radiotherapy this month on the 24th. He’s 86 years old and still very active.

Prostate Cancer UK gave some really helpful information about what to expect but I was wondering if anyone else could discuss the side effects and what we should expect?

Can anyone suggest how we can best support him through this? Any tips of what we can do to help?

I am started to get worried now x

User

Posted 14 Jan 2024 at 18:18

Hi Lianne,

how many sessions of radiotherapy is he having? And is it targeting the prostate specifically, do you know?

Common side-effects are tiredness, soreness on the skin near the target site, and occasionally, diarrhoea. So encourage him to rest if he feels like it, and keep an eye on the other points.

Wishing him the best of luck.

Craig

User

Posted 14 Jan 2024 at 19:49

Hi Lianne don't worry too much I had 37 fractions albeit I was 59 at the time it is painless but like Craig said had a little soreness and a bit off diorea I found the whole process very tolerable bit off tiredness at the end good luck with your dad's treatment gaz 👍

Edited by member 14 Jan 2024 at 19:50 | Reason: Spelling mistake

User

Posted 14 Jan 2024 at 19:52

Hi!

This may not be quite what you are expecting, but the single best thing you can do is arrange transport to/ from the hospital: navigating NHS car parks at busy times is universally a nightmare and a major source of stress.

Beyond that, given that your step dad seems to be active and in good general health, he should not find the experience too traumatic: the majority of people on here report more issues with the Hormone treatment (if that is running in parallel) than with the RT itself.

The machine is noisy, but it's kind of fascinating in its own way

As he gets into the final sets of treatment, and for a week or two after, encourage him to stay close to a loo; but otherwise the more active he can remain, the better. Oh, and its never too late to start pelvic floor exercises.

User

Posted 14 Jan 2024 at 19:53

Hi Lianne,

I don’t think they would have given him RT if they didn’t think he could handle it, especially considering his age…he must be quite fit which is good. I assume he is also on HT? How long has been on that? For me the HT was much worse than the RT….and still is. I didn’t have many issues with side effects from RT, some men do but for me it was a relative breeze compared to HT.

The Radiographers are absolutely wonderful and will help your step-dad through the process. Hopefully his times will be around the same each day and he will get into a routine..this helps with using the enema and fluid intake which I assume he’ll be required to do before each session. If you have a lengthy journey home it’s worth finding where there are toilets on the route, or in the case of an emergency carry a few things in the car with you like a pee bottle, towel and some baby wipes. You may well find increased urgency as the treatment goes on, and just having these items in the car gives him the reassurance that he won’t have an accident. He may also find urgency to empty his bowels…I lost control a couple of times out walking which was a bit distressing but you learn just to laugh at these things. I would suggest to try and keep active during the RT, especially if he is normally active. Has he had his CT planning scan yet? They will normally give him a lot of info at that, including diet. I was told just to keep my normal diet as they wanted to keep my gut as normal as possible. It might be a good idea to avoid some foods which give him a lot of wind, broccoli is one of them!

Wish your step-dad all the best from me and don’t be afraid to ask any questions on here…the members are so supportive.

Derek

User

Posted 14 Jan 2024 at 19:55

I would get him doing pelvic floor exercises from now until the end of the RT - that significantly improves the chances of staying continent. The RT hits the urinary sphincters and they get weaker as you go through the sessions, but you need to have a full bladder during the treatment which gradually gets more difficult, and so having a good pelvic floor can really help, and reduce the chance of accidents. This recovers after the RT.

Wearing disposable pants can boost confidence if there is a chance of leaking.

User

Posted 14 Jan 2024 at 19:59

With regard to the car parking issues, it depends on the hospital. In Edinburgh where I was treated there was dedicated parking which was manned by security guards so never had a problem getting parked. Don’t get stressed if for some reason you are held up or delayed, if the staff are anything like as good as they are I. In Edinburgh, they will just fit you in on their conveyor belt.

One other thing I forgot to mention is that when you arrive and check-in it’s worth asking if they are running on time so that your step-dad knows when to drink his water and is not crossing his legs with a full bladder any longer than necessary.

Edited by moderator 14 Jan 2024 at 22:48 | Reason: Not specified

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