Surgery or Radiotherapy? Decision made!

Don’t forget to ring that bell AW!! Congrats on getting to the end of the marathon!

Well done Alpine Wanderer  and make sure to give that bell some welly! It's a strange feeling but you'll probably get a round of applause too!

Hi Millibob, WW, Seamus and all the gang - thanks for thinking of my last day….

Well, that’s it. My radiotherapy is finished and my next appointment is in 8 weeks time with my consultant to check how everything is (PSA test the week before). Twenty-three fractions delivered via the latest LINAC machine and, so far, my body has tolerated it very well. The NHS staff have been brilliant. I feel as if I have my life back.
Mrs AW is driving home because this, my last appointment, was aborted after the scan (before radiotherapy delivery) because my bowel was not completely empty!  It was my first aborted procedure in 23!  I came out & had a micro enema to sort it out, then had to drink another 3 cups of water, wait 15 mins (to balance everything out again) and then go back in for scan & delivery again..
It’s reassuring to know that if anything was less than perfect, they wouldn’t deliver the radiotherapy dose.
AW

PS - there was no bell .  They were very grateful for my thank you card and Tesco bag full of goodies though

Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life so make good use of it. Next week will probably feel a bit "empty" but remember that the RT will continue to work for a couple of months so you might find the fatigue catching up with you.

Take care and keep in touch.

“Next week you will probably feel a bit empty”…..hmmm….. 

Mrs AW and I have picked up a really bad cold (shivers, deep cough, blocked nose, headache) - I suppose we have got to see the bright side - it would have been hell to stay still on the LINAC with this.  

incidentally, my bladder (urgency) and bowel (loose) are continuing as warned by the radiologist: she said it takes at least a couple of weeks (can get worse in that timeframe) before it starts to settle down. 

….so any euphoria I had from the last LINAC treatment will have to wait a while…,

AW

Morning Alpine Wanderer  Well at least you are at home suffering - not having to travel etc.

Just a thought - have you had a Covid Test?  I know the Radiotherapy weakens the immune system and you can get medication if it's covid!

I do hope the cold, bladder and bowel issues don't stop your regular exercise - take care and look after yourselves.

Best wishes - Brian.

Yes - not COVID - both did a check.  Both had COVID back in December, too - so we missed having a family Christmas: there was just the two of us at home

Update on post radiotherapy recovery - a reference for any brothers in arms who are following a similar or same treatment to me (BBoost):

I was warned that side effects tend to lag about 2 weeks behind radiotherapy doses, so side effects peak about 2 weeks after the radiotherapy ends. So, here I am 5 days into that period and I still have very loose bowels (but only needing to go in the morning, normally after breakfast).  I was up 6 times a night for a pee at the weekend, but that has reduced to just twice last night, so I’m pleased with that. Incidentally, I had a Guinness last evening, to sooth my dry cough (honest!) and it worked!  
So, in summary, no accidents so far, and I have full bladder / bowel control &  time for either loo visit, so I’m hopeful that the side effects are stabilising before recovery. 
Apart from that, no other major side effects. Going to bed at 9.30 &  waking at 5.30 ish, so I’ll settle for those 8 hours.

I will provide further summaries as time progresses, in an effort to reduce “the fear of the unknown” for those who follow me. Of course, we’re all different, so there are no guarantees!
AW

Hi Millibob - I’ve just seen your updated bio:  So your 6th monthly PSA results are in and it's 0.33 down from 0.436.  Great news!
AW