Radiotherapy

Hi Mace , I have now had 40 RT sessions in all and firstly there is no pain (in fact you really don’t know when it is happening other than the various machine noises).

Prior to your first session you will have a planning day.  At this session you are scanned and possibly given 3 dots (tattoos).  The scans are then analysed and the RT is precisely planned to avoid hitting other bits of you.  With any treatment there are risks but the team will do all they can to minimise these, but tell them of any concerns at any point.  Each patient is different in the way their body reacts to the RT but for most people, RT is an easy treatment.

In order to get your body in the same state each time, you will be required to have a full or empty bladder.  Fairly easy to achieve and the team will explain all.  The enemy of RT is wind/gas, so try not to have a large onion based curry the night before!  I ate a fairly bland diet which worked for me.

Hope this helps but others will be along soon. Any questions, please ask.  David

Thank you I was a bit concerned about the anenama 

I have recently had 37 fractions of radiotherapy, finishing on 22/04/2024.

I suffered no significant side effects. There was some blood in my stools, but only twice. There was some more nocturnal urination, but nothing I couldn't deal with. There was no pain at all.

I had some fatigue, but nothing that was not easily dealt with. More to do with the painkillers to deal with the back pain described below than anything else.

Some confusion was caused because I damaged my back about 2 weeks into the radiotherapy, and because I had to keep going with the therapy, the pain got steadily worse. This had absolutely nothing to do with either the cancer or the radiotherapy, as evidenced by subsequent MRI scans. It was, in the great scheme of things, simply bad luck.

To summarise:

1. The radiotherapy was pain free.
2. There was a bit of mucking about with getting my bladder to the right level of full.
3. The process was easy, including the planning scan.
4. The side effects were minimal - as they were for all the other prostate cancer sufferers I spoke to. This was probably about 40% of all the people being treated at the centre I attended, and 130 people daily were being treated.
5. The radiographers were great, and happy to answer my incessant questions about the machinery and treatment.
6. The therapy just over 8 weeks ago. All the side effects I noticed have ceased, and I am restored to what passes for normal.

Even the back pain - a herniated disk - is now subsiding. There is a possibility that the inflammation in my back might have been aggravated by the radiation, but there is no way of evidencing that.

There has been no evidence at all of anaemia, which I have experienced previously.

On balance, I would suggest that the odds are that you are going to be fine.

Thanks Steve did you have to have the anenama 

Hi Mace , I didn’t have to have an enema and was able to get a routine whereby I managed to poo regularly before each of the 37 sessions, my treatment was 8 years ago.  It was trial and error, but we switched from eating in the evening to having a main meal at lunchtime.  I got up early enough to have a cup of tea and a glass of water which seemed to work for me and by the time I got to hospital I was ‘ready’.  
Cut out gas making foods, if you want more help on that I am sure someone will be along. David

Hi Mace I just finished my radiotherapy treatment on Wednesday after having 20 sessions Monday to Friday for 4 weeks. It does make you tired and once you get into your second week you do start to feel it but it's nothing major. I had issues with my bladder and bowel but they helped me all the way through and gave me medication to help with any toilet issues. I haven't had any real bad side effects but it obviously affects everyone differently due to age, weight and general health etc.

As other members of the forum will tell you the treatment itself is painless and only lasts for a few minutes. The micro enemas are only for the first 5 sessions to make sure your bowel/rectum is clear and it's quite easy it doesn't give you diarrhea or anything it just causes a gentle movement and sometimes it's just wind. I was dreading doing the enemas but it's easy once you start. Keeping yourself hydrated helps with the treatment and small dietary adjustments such as reducing fibre but nothing major that impacted me. Due to me being autistic and having bad anxiety I was scared and dreading it all but I dealt with the treatment really well and it was nowhere near as bad as I expected. It hasn't left me incontinent or needing to wear pads or nappies. I've not really thought about the erectile dysfunction though it's obviously a common issue and will see how I go but  once you get into the routine of going every day the weeks do fly over. The key is communicating with the radiographers and nurses who asked me how I was every morning before treatment and any issues I had they were on it immediately.

You can read my journey by clicking on my profile and if you have any more detailed questions feel free to ask. I had a similar diagnosis to you my Gleason score was 7 (3+4) 

I'm no expert and there are many more knowledgeable members of the forum that can give you advice. I can only tell you how it was for me, but I wish you well with your treatment.

All the best 

Kind Regards 

Michael 

Thanks Michael that's great to hear

Hi Mace I Just edited my post re erectile dysfunction it is pretty much unavoidable due to the radiotherapy impacting the nerves but it never really came into my thoughts whilst having the sessions I just focused on getting through the 20 sessions and staying as well as I could.

Keep us posted how you go 

Kind Regards 

Michael 

Will do thanks 

I did use enema's for most of the time. They are not always necessary.

Once you have done one you have a "hey, this is easy" moment, and then they are not problem at all.