RT ceased after 20 sessions on 20/4/2022.Prostap HT injections ceased 25/5/2022; Bicalutamide HT tablets ceased 27/6/2022.
PSA reduced to 0.01.
Flushing has reduced considerably but urinary frequency increased to every hour & 2 or 3 times during night.Aches in joints & muscles of lower back;hips;thighs;knees;wrists & ankles.
Any advice on when/if these symptoms are likely to improve please.
Hello Skeptic,
Thanks for getting in touch and welcome to our online community. I hope you’ll find our prostate cancer forum a good source of support.
It’s good to hear that your PSA has reduced to 0.01 but not so good to hear that you have urinary frequency and aches in joints and muscles.
Urinary symptoms can vary so much between men who have had radiotherapy. Sometimes they can start within a few days of the first treatment and usually start to improve when treatment ends.
However, some men get symptoms for several months, and some don’t get symptoms until months or even years after their final treatment.
I’m not certain from your post, but it sounds as if your urinary symptoms have become worse.
Radiotherapy can irritate the lining of the bladder and the urethra, and cause radiation cystitis. However, it can be difficult to tell the difference between this, and infection.
We’d recommend that you get in touch with your hospital specialist team or GP, so that you can be assessed for infection.
Prostate Cancer UK have this information about the side effects of hormone therapy. They state that side effects are likely to improve when treatment stops, although this is unlikely to happen straight away.
I hope this is helpful.
If you’d like to talk in more detail with one of the nurses on the support line, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.
Best wishes,
Carole (Cancer Information Nurse Specialist)
You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or email us.
Ref/AP
