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About to start Radiation Treatment

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User
Posted 29 Feb 2024 at 11:56

Hi everyone.. I am a new member of the group. I was diagnosed in May last year Gleason 3 + 4. I have had a TURP operation and have had six months HT.

I will be starting 21 sessions of RT on the 13th March at Mount Vernon.. Whilst I am not overly concerned with undergoing the treatment itself (apart from having to have a full bladder!) the side effects do bother me.

Can you give me an idea of what to expect please? I know everyone is different but I would appreciate your input.

 

Thanks!!

User
Posted 29 Feb 2024 at 20:27

I too have radiotherapy coming up on 5th March. 37 sessions to the Prostate and pelvic lymph nodes. I was getting very nervous about it so it's good to here other people's experiences.

I also had the Turp operation and had an original PSA of 82.5. I mention this because I've just received my latest PSA result and it's come right down to 0.28 which is great news. I have however found the Hormone treatment very difficult with dry itchy skin, hot flushes and tiredness.

User
Posted 29 Feb 2024 at 13:04

I had 20 sessions of RT and it was a breeze…..especially compare with HT😩
I wouldn’t worry about it, the Radiographers are wonderful and very understanding. I got a little urgency needing to pee and also my bowels towards the end…I had a couple of accidents whilst out walking so carried an emergency kit with me. I still do but haven’t used it for a long time.

if you’ve got a car journey to and from the hospital work out toilet stops on the way home, and it’s a good idea to take a pee bottle(on Amazon), a towel and some wipes with you in the car. I still have them in my car almost a year later, I never need them but just having the security of knowing they are there is helpful.
Some people get quite fatigued with RT, I didn’t and kept walking and going to the gym(nothing too heavy) during my treatment.

As for the full bladder, hopefully your times will be similar…this lets you get into a routine. I found that occupying my mind(I wrote a poem about my journey) helped keep my mind off my bladder whilst I had the 30 minute wait.


Good luck with your treatment.

Derek

User
Posted 29 Feb 2024 at 18:24

My husband is half way through 20  sessions.

 

so far the only impact is tiredness.

 

He was advised a low fibre low residue diet and has stuck to it strictly, and has not so far had issues with treatment being delayed because of gas/bowel content and as yet no real issue with bladder or bowel. 

good luck 

User
Posted 29 Feb 2024 at 19:11

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

My husband is half way through 20  sessions.

 

so far the only impact is tiredness.

 

He was advised a low fibre low residue diet and has stuck to it strictly, and has not so far had issues with treatment being delayed because of gas/bowel content and as yet no real issue with bladder or bowel. 

good luck 

Interesting….I was told to eat my normal diet as they didn’t want anything to upset my digestion. The Radiographers will advise you when you go for your CT planning scan…or on your first visit.

User
Posted 29 Feb 2024 at 19:27
I had 37 sessions of RT (also had turp) to prostate and pelvis. I am fortunate in that I live just 2 motorwat junctions from Clatterbridge Hospital wher I had treatment. At Clatterbridge the procedure for me was stick to normal diet (to keep things same as possible), on arrival use mini enema, wait until radiographers tell you to drink 3 cups of water (meaning you're about 15-20 mins from treatment).

This meant the bladder issue wasnt a problem.

I tried to keep active but found that sometimes just so tired. Urination was more frequent and similar to Decho above had some bowel problems/accidents some months after treatment. That did put me off going out to some extent but on occasion, used immodium to good effect. These issues did disappear and nothing too bad at all although have to admit soiling yourself whilst out and about is a bit degrading, but sort of accetable in the circumstances.

If you have any real worries always mention them to the radiographers, they are rea!ly good and understanding.

Peter

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User
Posted 29 Feb 2024 at 13:04

I had 20 sessions of RT and it was a breeze…..especially compare with HT😩
I wouldn’t worry about it, the Radiographers are wonderful and very understanding. I got a little urgency needing to pee and also my bowels towards the end…I had a couple of accidents whilst out walking so carried an emergency kit with me. I still do but haven’t used it for a long time.

if you’ve got a car journey to and from the hospital work out toilet stops on the way home, and it’s a good idea to take a pee bottle(on Amazon), a towel and some wipes with you in the car. I still have them in my car almost a year later, I never need them but just having the security of knowing they are there is helpful.
Some people get quite fatigued with RT, I didn’t and kept walking and going to the gym(nothing too heavy) during my treatment.

As for the full bladder, hopefully your times will be similar…this lets you get into a routine. I found that occupying my mind(I wrote a poem about my journey) helped keep my mind off my bladder whilst I had the 30 minute wait.


Good luck with your treatment.

Derek

User
Posted 29 Feb 2024 at 18:24

My husband is half way through 20  sessions.

 

so far the only impact is tiredness.

 

He was advised a low fibre low residue diet and has stuck to it strictly, and has not so far had issues with treatment being delayed because of gas/bowel content and as yet no real issue with bladder or bowel. 

good luck 

User
Posted 29 Feb 2024 at 19:11

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

My husband is half way through 20  sessions.

 

so far the only impact is tiredness.

 

He was advised a low fibre low residue diet and has stuck to it strictly, and has not so far had issues with treatment being delayed because of gas/bowel content and as yet no real issue with bladder or bowel. 

good luck 

Interesting….I was told to eat my normal diet as they didn’t want anything to upset my digestion. The Radiographers will advise you when you go for your CT planning scan…or on your first visit.

User
Posted 29 Feb 2024 at 19:27
I had 37 sessions of RT (also had turp) to prostate and pelvis. I am fortunate in that I live just 2 motorwat junctions from Clatterbridge Hospital wher I had treatment. At Clatterbridge the procedure for me was stick to normal diet (to keep things same as possible), on arrival use mini enema, wait until radiographers tell you to drink 3 cups of water (meaning you're about 15-20 mins from treatment).

This meant the bladder issue wasnt a problem.

I tried to keep active but found that sometimes just so tired. Urination was more frequent and similar to Decho above had some bowel problems/accidents some months after treatment. That did put me off going out to some extent but on occasion, used immodium to good effect. These issues did disappear and nothing too bad at all although have to admit soiling yourself whilst out and about is a bit degrading, but sort of accetable in the circumstances.

If you have any real worries always mention them to the radiographers, they are rea!ly good and understanding.

Peter

User
Posted 29 Feb 2024 at 20:27

I too have radiotherapy coming up on 5th March. 37 sessions to the Prostate and pelvic lymph nodes. I was getting very nervous about it so it's good to here other people's experiences.

I also had the Turp operation and had an original PSA of 82.5. I mention this because I've just received my latest PSA result and it's come right down to 0.28 which is great news. I have however found the Hormone treatment very difficult with dry itchy skin, hot flushes and tiredness.

User
Posted 29 Feb 2024 at 20:50
I had 20 sessions of RT about 18 months ago, although in my case it was salvage RT.

As others have said, the therapeutic radiographers were brilliant and fully understanding of the challenge of having an empty rectum and almost full bladder. I kept feeling a sense of failure to manage the two requirements correctly but they were very patient. You don't feel anything during radiotherapy, and it didn't have much impact until the fourth week when I started to feel drained of energy. That continued for several weeks afterwards, and as others have noted there were occasional problems with continence to put up with. After that a gradual recovery.

Good luck, it isn't that bad if you have managed the HT all right.

User
Posted 29 Feb 2024 at 21:48

Thanks for this it's appreciated 

User
Posted 29 Feb 2024 at 21:52

HT side effects are a pain aren't they? I have the flushes, aching joints and muscles and fatigue.  Let's hope it's all worth it in the end!

I wish you well!

 

 

User
Posted 29 Feb 2024 at 21:54

As AtlasAl says many thanks

 

User
Posted 01 Mar 2024 at 16:17
HI all...Diagnosed some 5 years ago and put on surveillance till recent MRI announced significant enlargement of the cancer with PSA of 9.5...I've been informed that its too advanced for brachytherapy. so I start HT next week for 3 months prior to 20 RT visits at Addenbrookes Hospital...no alternative treatment discussed

Question please, should I expect to be on HT after RT treatment ...is that the norm...many thanks...

User
Posted 01 Mar 2024 at 16:21

It varies. I was given a six month course of pills and injections prior to RT. That was all. Others have 3 year courses or even permanently 

User
Posted 01 Mar 2024 at 16:40

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member
HI all...Diagnosed some 5 years ago and put on surveillance till recent MRI announced significant enlargement of the cancer with PSA of 9.5...I've been informed that its too advanced for brachytherapy. so I start HT next week for 3 months prior to 20 RT visits at Addenbrookes Hospital...no alternative treatment discussed
Question please, should I expect to be on HT after RT treatment ...is that the norm...many thanks...

I’m no expert but I think you might be on HT for 2-3 years unfortunately….but the person to ask about this is your CNS.

 
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