I was diagnosed just before Christmas, I've had a scan and I'm awaiting the report. Obviously I am hoping that the cancer is fairly new and contained in the prostate.
If radiotherapy is recommended what is the usual regime for treatment? I have read that it can be daily for a few weeks. Not sure I am going to do that on the bus if the treatment has a debilitating effect. I guess for the same reason I would not be able to drive safely to and from the hospital. Can someone give me some idea of what to expect?
The number of sessions varies - I had 37 but it seems to me most have 20.
RT does make you tired however I had no problem at all driving 45 mins each way for my treatment.
I would suggest using the enema at the hospital rather than at home - much less chance of an accident. I would also encourage you to follow the diet sheet religiously - ask for one it not offered.
Finally, there is a fitness trial sponsored by Macmillan that I found out about 2 years too late. See if you can get on it as it will really help you get back to fitness.
Prospero46 I was diagnosed with T3A N0 M0, Gleason 9 and a PSA of 15. I had 20 sessions of RT and three years of HT. You should receive the same amount of radiation whether it's 20 sessions or 37 it's just spread differently.
As I lived on a Scottish island at the time I couldn't travel to and from the treatment centre every day and stayed in an hotel next to the hospital. The first treament of each week was late afternoon and the rest of the week was early morning so that I could travel on Mondays and Fridays.
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift.
The regime can be different depending on the type of radiotherapy offered, external beam or brachytherapy( internal).Brachy is generally only offered if the cancer is at an early stage and the grade is low. You will need a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis and to stage the cancer and only after this will they be able to offer you the treatment options. The information can be overwhelming at this stage, it may be best to wait until you get all the test/biopsy, and scan done before researching, who knows with any luck the biopsy may not show cancer or a very low grade that doesn't need active treatment. They cannot make a definitive diagnosis based on one scan.
I went into hospital for a holep procedure and the histology showed prostate cancer 4:3 Gleason. I have no idea what that means. My cancer is currently being treated by a private consultant in Cambridge some 40 miles away but my local hospital is Norwich. I can afford to have some procedures done privately but the radiotherapy will have to be done by the NHS. One procedure I have been recommended is a bowel shield. Has anyone any experiences of this?
