Brachytherapy

Hi PJO.

I had brachytherapy a year ago, having previously had chemotherapy. Following brachytherapy I also had a short course of radiotherapy, and I am now in my third year of hormone therapy.

My ongoing issues at this stage mainly concern my digestive system and my urinary tract. Like you, I need to be near a bathroom. This may be due to the brachytherapy, but could equally be the result of a loss of muscle tissue, due to the hormone therapy. 

All the muscles fore and aft down there having been depleted over the course of my treatment I now tend to always sit when visiting the bathroom, as a number one these days frequently seems to trigger a number two.

My stools are generally far smaller than pre-treatment and also tend towards slimy stickiness rather than solidity (I do hope that you haven't eaten just now!).

Fatigue and muscle loss (leading to achy joints and a loss of physical strength) are also side effects that are probably most attributable to my hormone therapy.

On a brighter note, I am well enough recovered from all my treatments now to work once again (albeit close to a bathroom) and am generally enjoying life, although I do find that I need much more rest now than previously.

Generally speaking, given the fact that my cancer was an extremely aggressive one, I am extremely grateful for my brachytherapy, without which my cancer may well have metasticised by now, or I might not even have been able to write to you.

Very best wishes for a successful outcome to your treatment,

Jonathan.