Radiotherapy

Hi Tony

I had 20 fractions of radiotherapy over Christmas and New Year and had no problems at all. The RT team were absolutely fantastic.

A few weeks after the treatment ended I went through a period of increased trips to the toilet and was quite tired for a while but this has now improved.

Hope this helps

Keith 

Thank you Keith it really does help ,I have been waiting a while and now it’s here I’m getting nervous so thanks for your positive experience.

regards Tony 

Hi

I completed a course of, I think, 39 sessions of RT 18 months ago. 

The side effects whilst undergoing treatment were relatively minor - diarrhoea and 'urgency' mostly.

I thought I had got off very lightly but the bladder and bowel problems came back with a vengeance about 6 months after treatment ended.

A few times I was doubly incontinent but the urinary incontinence was the worst. At times I simply could not make it upstairs and either wet myself or had to use a bucket.

All most unpleasant.

BUT. Virtually all settled down in two or three months and I'm now back to virtually 100%. Great.

Fybogel is an excellent 'bunger upper' which I still take if constipated but it also works well for diarrhoea. 

So good luck with treatment, hope you have only mild side effects, but if not I really can advise keeping your spirits up that all will come good sooner rather than later.

All the very best.

Thanks Stromness for your reply, glad to see everything has settled down now for you, this really helps me prepare for side effects that may happen cheers Tony

Hi Tony

I had 37 sessions of RT a little over 2 years ago. The tiredness caused was a problem, more so as I was also on Prostap. The only time I had any bowel problems were when I ignored the diet sheet ( ask for one as it wasn't offered in my hospital) over Christmas. 

Hope they are going well

Regards

Stuart

Hi Stuart thanks for your reply, I’ve been in injections for 10 months and tablets bicalutamide 150mg for 4 months my PSA has been a bit slow coming down from an initial 203 at diagnosis.

Now I’m ready for RT and I will ask for a diet sheet thanks Tony

Hi Tony. I had the same problem at my planning session but they just sent me out to drink some more and wait twenty minuets or so then continued.I had twenty RT  sessions the only downside being I had to drink a little more water to start with but had no problems and all sessions went extremely easily. This is like an awful lot of things and what you imagine is far worse than the actual procedure.

Best of luck with your treatment and I sure it will all go really smoothly.  Best regards Reg

Tony,

It was the fear of the unknown that got to me.

My 20 VMAT Radiation sessions were from 5th October to 2nd November last year.  Once you are in for the first session you will relax.

The hardest thing for me was holding the water in.  By the 3rd week I was was going in, sometimes with my legs crossed.  If I dared go to the toilet before, I had to tell them and they'd make me have some more water and wait longer to be seen.

In the end, I stopped telling them, just had a bit more water after I had been to the loo.

If your session is on time it's not so bad, but when there is a delay, you're sitting there trying not to think about going to the loo.

Overall, it was painless and I'm glad I had it.

Oncologist told me that I was in Biochemical Remission on the 15th February.

You will wonder what you were worrying about. Hope it goes smoothly for you.

Hi Reg,

thanks for your reply, since I’ve been taking bicalutamide it’s made my mindset strange to say the least. However I’m sure your right , I will look back and say what was you doing

thanks Tony

Hi Steve,

I have found holding on has got more difficult , so like you crossing my legs will become the norm in the next 4 weeks, thanks for you reply and fingers crossed that your good news continues for many years to come.

cheers Tony