Radiotherapy

Hi Samian 

Radiotherapy itself is not too problematic but u can get a couple of side effects , I had severe constipation which started midway thru treatment and lasted for about two weeks after treatment finished.

Hopefully your HT will finish soon after the Radiotherapy is over then u can slowly get back to normal, took me a couple of months

Only main change u will notice are dry orgasms, the RT finishes them off. But sex can return to how it was before.

Good luck

Steve

So... nothing comes out at all? Isn't that a particularly bizarre feeling? Also, you had radiotherapy to destroy the cancer in your prostate gland? Were there any other side effects? 

Constipation for two weeks is pretty major. Were you able to urinate without issue? 

Yes, it does take some getting used to , plus side, orgasms feel more intense, Constipation and urination were a problem starting 2 weeks into RT. obviously u can take meds , I only took for the constipation which did help a bit.

5 years on still Ok, lets hope continues.

Hi Samian,

Tomorrow I start my last week of radiotherapy (37 sessions). 
I had the opposite to Grundo and that I wanted to open my bowels more often. The week before last the consultant in the hospital told me to take a couple of Imodium which helped. 
I still get up in the night but that’s to be expected. What I found didn’t help was my sessions were at different times of the day. A couple of days I had late appointments (4.30-6.30) so by the time I arrived home I was still trying to empty my bladder of 300ml of water that I had to drink for my sessions. 
I will still be on HT for another 2 years. Luckily enough my hot flushes are not too bad and fairly infrequent.

Good luck when you start.

Tyler

Hi

In my experience, make sure you follow any dietary advice they give you. Whilst Steve suffered constipation, I was told 80% suffer diarrhoea - I was one of the 80%. That said, the only time I had real problems was when I ignored the diet sheet.

Not sure how long you will be on HT following the RT, but I was on it for 2 years and others appear to be on it for longer. So please don't expect to stop, and start getting back to normal, straight after the 30 sessions of RT. I'm still getting side effects 3 months after my last injection and I'm told I will have them for a few more months.

Good luck in your journey

Stuart

You can expect some problems with either urination or bowel movements (or both) at about the half way stage in the radiotherapy.  As soon as you get this let the radiotherapist know and they will prescribe suitable medication.  The same goes with any other side effect you feel you are getting or problems as soon as they arise let the physiotherapist know.  Whatever side effects you get they are far better the alternative.

All the best.

Hi

Forgot to mention there are a couple of other side effects you should be aware of.

The HT will push your body towards type 2 diabetes, so make sure your GP is aware ( mine wasn't) and you have regular blood tests to keep an eye on sugar levels.

It may also cause problems with bone thinning, so you should be prescribed calcium + vitamin D tablets during your HT, and for a while after your course has finished. 

Stuart

Samiam,

The recovery depends on how good the Radiographers are.

I had a 30 day stint last October.  By the third week the fatigue was taking it's toll.

Urinating regularly took about 3 months.

The testosterone could be up to a year.

Not trying to put you off.  I don't regret it for a minute.

1. Thanks for that 

Thanks for that