HT and radiotherapy - what a combination!

Hi and welcome (if new here?) although sorry you have had to "join".

Unfortunately there seem to be very different responses to what you describe. I was there 1st time around age 72 in 2021. I cycled every day of the RT 28 days and continued to do so for the 2 following years on 1/4ly HT (decapeptyl). ED inescapable, but apart from 10 minutes a day of mild hot flushes and an inch on my waist line no real side effects. Certainly got no worse over time.

I'm back on the HT+darolutamide tabs after a disappointing recurrence last August, but even this time increased tiredness not fatigue only "problem"  -  and continuing exercise only antidote.

So I don't see that should worsen beyond the RT. Maybe discuss a different HT with the experts? And an exercise regime?

Good luck, Dave.

Hello Louise

welcome to this forum!

It would help us all comment more fully if we could know your husband full diagnosis - eg Gleason score, possible spread , treatment plan etc.

for us, mt husband’s Gleason score was 4+3 =7 which is classed as high to intermediate risk. His staging was T3a N0M0. T3a means that the cancer was breaking out of the prostate wall into neighbouring parts of his body. N0 - no lymph node involvement detected. M0 . No secondaries detected. This helped to define his treatment plan ( considering, too, his age and his choices)

so - the HT initially seemed to us to be the easy part and RT ( radiotherapy) the scary bit. How wrong we were! 

it’s important to mention that men seem to cope better with HT than others. It’s also important to know that, whereas RT kills off cancer cells, HT can help to shrink the tunour(s) in readiness for RT and also stops the cancer cells replicating/spreading. So - big wins on this account.

Most men seem to get the same advice - push through the fatigue, exercise, good diet etc. what we were not told (and, in my opinion should have been) is that the ht can have the side effect of osteoporosis. calcium and vitamin d supplements are recommended by some to help prevent this. We were also not advised about the potential for long term erectile dysfunction. I would advise enquiring about this!

My husband struggled massively with the HT! He only had a few hot flushes but he had everything else: man boobs, loss of libido, low mood, brain fog, loss of stamina and fatigue, erectile dysfunction and osteoporosis the latter two persist 3 years after completing RT and almost 2 years since completing HT). I saw him age 10 years in 3 months! However, his PSA so far has remained very low, he has recovered his energy and his brain! He is enjoying life at a point that, without treatment, the cancer might have been taking hold!

I found the whole journey , perhaps, more stressful than my husband and, in the initial stages, was an absolute wreck. My advice to yourself is to involve family and friends - talk to them and ask for support. Our adult children were fantastic once they knew what was going on!

I wish you and your other half all the very best cxx

Thank you for this positive reply. 
my husband is exercising a lot (I didn’t mention that) but he runs and goes to the gym at least 4 times per week. He hopes that can continue. Emotionally he’s finding it hard and gets quite tearful. We’ll see how things develop…… and good luck to yourself. 

Hello Louise,

I'm 9 months in, but a little different as I had neoadjuvant chemotherapy (Docetaxel), also similarly HT (Prostap), and I'm on my 16th fraction of Radiotherapy thus far... I've had lots of side effects but they've all been mild and bearable, I do put that down to being young at 55, a physical job, my vegan diet, fitness (exercise and weights daily), and a positive frame of mind (my diet and exercise help massively with this),... I totally understand we are all different,  as in  ages, fitness levels/ability to exercise, and have different outlooks, but without doing these things I imagine I would struggle, especially with the fatigue... So far I've not missed a day's work due to any treatment side effects or complications ...

I know I'm not long term, but hope this helps...

Jay

Thank you for replying. I can relate to much of what you are saying. For context the details are Gleason 8, grade 4, T3a/T4N0 so similar to your husband. 
Thank you for flagging up the issues you mention. He’s taking vitamin d (and has been) so fingers crossed re the osteoporosis. He is also seeking help from a functional medicine doctor who will advise on supplements. Obviously libido and ED is very much an issue and we are in for quite a ride it seems, but we will get through it together… I find managing his emotions can be tough in the “down” moments but on the whole he’s doing his best to keep positive and exercise and continue life as normal. I suppose we just have to take a day at a time at this stage. The next month will be particularly challenging with RT sessions. 

Hi Jay thanks for this really positive reply and outlook. I couldn’t agree more and he is doing much the same as you. We eat well, he exercises regularly and trying to keep as positive as possible. it? Sounds like you are doing amazingly well. Keep it going!!