Tiredness and lethargic.

Hello Safeways 

I am younger than you diagnosed at 66 now 69 - this is my personal journey, but I've been on HT for 3 years and had Radiotherapy and a TURP operation in that time.

Yes, the HT has hit me hard, but I have hit it harder by exercise and when I have been feeling tired I have taken the dog for a walk.Ii have had every side effect going and some not even listed. Radiotherapy took it out of me but I managed to get there. Throughout a 3 year journey (click on my avatar for the story) the two words that kept me going were "Curative Pathway". Yes I have had a couple of weeks when I have been "down" but I managed to get through those with the help of this Community.

Yes, it does make you feel knackered, Yes it does make you need the toilet more, but once RT has been completed you will feel better and able to fight the fatigue.

Would I go through it all again for a "Curative Pathway" - Oh yes I would. It's been hard on Mrs M too but together it's been worth it.

Safeways - stick with it, it will get better - trust me.  Once RT has been completed and you are still having "toilet issues" your GP should be able to help.

Best wishes - Brian.

This is very familiar to me from my RT, any physical effort like climbing the stairs or walking a short distance drained me completely. For me it lasted a few weeks after the end of RT.

You're at the home straight, only 4 session to go. Thing will get better a few weeks after that.

G

Hi

The fatigue, for me, was the worst part of RT/HT. Both will be the cause of your fatigue, but that caused by the RT is over much quicker than the HT.

I was told that how ever long you are on HT, that's how long it will take for things to get back to normal. So I was on HT for 2 years and it took 2 years ( ish) to become normal. Feels right to me but others may disagree.

That said, the RT screwed up my iron levels, and I feel that is still a problem as I'm no where near as fit as I was ( I am 5 years older though!).

Try and keep up any fitness regime you had or just go out for a walk. You won't feel like it but, trust me, it will help.

Regards

Stuart

Hi All

I have just finished my 20 fractions, which went well apart from two days that because of 'gas' put me back two days and now at home, the tiredness is still with me and I have some problems with my urine flow and a lot of mucus from bum which my GP is prescribing medication for.

I must thank all the Radiotherapists in our hospital for the kind and caring work and all their help and advice during my treatment.

My second hormone injection was late by 3 weeks despite reminding my GP a number of times. in the end my wife got them to send the prescription to the local, to the hospital's pharmacy, why not to the hospital pharmacy is strange, and then having to find someone to give me the injection! a nurse in the chemotherapy suite volunteered to do it.

I now realise that a lot of my problems came from the hormone injection, the depression and tiredness troubled me an awful lot and being isolated in the hospitals patients accommodation for 4 weeks didn't help me.

My wife suggested we visit Maggie's, which we did and found the people there, especially a radiotherapist and an Australian nurse specialist prostate cancer,  that worked for them helping me to understand and come to terms with my treatment.

I spent many peaceful hours there, meeting others that had more worrying problems than I have and talking to them.

My wife says I talk too much to strangers, but that is part of me, I love life, love meeting and talking to people, without making any judgement about them.

The radiotherapy suite with 7 others waiting for their treatment when I arrived was deathly silent, but not for long, one was an old workmate from long ago and that set off what became a waiting area that became a haven for those there.

Having to drink a litre of water while other had only 350ml to drink produce a lot of laughs, especially so when I stopped drinking to answer a question,  one of the radiotherapists came over knelt down beside me and told me off like my mother all those years ago. A litre in 5 minutes then an 1.5 hours wait wasn't amusing, but others found it was, they relented after 5 days and put the water down to 600mls.

I now have 5 weeks before my PSA level is checked then another 2 weeks before a ' near me' video with my oncology consultant.

Only time will reveal if my treatment has been successful or not.

I have now started to get on with my life, my workshop beckons as does 6 months neglect of the garden

The steps that I fell down during last winters icy days that led to the discovery of my prostate cancer are getting hand rails installed, will they stop me falling again? who knows but I will be keeping away from my GP if I have another bruised hip.

I'll post when I get my PSA levels and let you all know how my second hormone injection has treated me, only another 15 months on the stuff.

Thanks for all the comments that have helped me understand the trip I'm on.

Doris Day sang Que Sera, Sera, Whatever Will Be, Will Be.

I loved that song as a boy all those years ago.

I am still on my journey through life and aim to enjoy every moment of it at 76, come what may.

Cyril.

What a lovely post Cyril and so glad that you are back home and can now get back to living a normal life, and make sure you use the handrails. Hopefully the side effects from the radiotherapy will be short lived. Please keep us updated as you continue on this journey but for now relax and enjoy your Christmas and New year.

Good Morning Cyril (Safeways) 

Great post, thank you for taking the time to write it.  Tell your wife we are not strangers, we are your Prostate Family and we are happy to chat to you.

Safeways said:

Doris Day sang Que Sera, Sera, Whatever Will Be, Will Be.

I love that song and what it means. I was considering it as my strapline however I don't think it would go down too well with everyone. (My strapline Strength, Courage etc came from a badge my 10 year old grand daughter gave me on diagnosis).

So back to normal(ish) now. Look after yourself and pop by and let us know how you get on.

Best wishes - Brian.

Hi Cyril (Safeways ) you sound to have turned a corner now that the RT is behind you.  Hope the few issues get sorted out but these can take a little time as you prostate has been turned to mush (not a medical definition).  Great post and keep up the positivity.  Please let us know how you get on.  Best wishes, David

This is quite usual especially if you are still on HT and can continue for a short while after finishing RT.  I felt quite flat and fatigued for about 2 or 3 months after my treatment finished - nothing to do with continuing HT as I had my last HT injection at the start of my RT - but I know it was still contributing.  I was lucky as I did sign on for a recovering from PCa course run by Maggies which involved exercise and relaxation techniques and such like which helped, and continued to go to the Maggie's centre Walnut Club and talk with other sufferers which gave me a lot to look forward to during that time.  Honestly I didn';t feel like doing anything.  Didn't want to go to the gym - most unusual for me as I had continued to go during my RT, or do anything.  Luckily it was February so not much work to do in the garden and my wife was still being treated at Wythenshawe Hospital regularly for her respiratory problems so we had a couple of trips up there - one in a storm that February which was quite exciting with road closures etc.   So, I did what I always do and got on and eventually felt better.  I think a lot of people suffer like this with a flat empty feeling when after a month of daily RT treatments you sort of have nothing to do apart from try and get back to some kind of normal neven though the effects of the HT and RT are still coursing through your body and playing havoc.  Just take things easy and start getting back to doing normal things in a normal way slowly.  If your symptoms persist it maybe worth getting checked out as it is hard to remember that not everything may be a side effect or symptom of the PCa, or the HT and RT. 

All the best.