Worried about side effects of radiotherapy

Hello TellerMan 

I can understand your worries however Radiotherapy has advanced in the last few years and is very accurate. I had mine over 2 years ago and apart from a small increase in frequency during the final fractions I was fine.

Hormone Therapy alone does not get rid of the cancer - it deprives it of it's food - Testosterone - and puts it to sleep. It's the radiotherapy that kills the cancer cells off for good.

If you are worried about going for Radiotherapy have a word with your oncology team and they should be able to arrange a meeting with the Radiologists and a tour of the department and to answer any questions you have and to put you at ease.

I hope the above helps - happy to answer any specific questions.

Best wishes - Brian.

Hi TM

The latest Radiotherapy is very good, I had it in 2017 and any side effects went away a couple of weeks after treatment was over.

As long as u don't have any current problems with waterworks or bowel issues then should be ok

Best wishes 

Steve 

Hi TellerMan 

My OH had RT December/ January and the worst part for him was the not knowing walking down the tunnel. He had to self administer an enema and then drink water to have a full bladder beforehand . 

He has had no problems since other than fatigue on top of the HT fatigue but he’s recovered from that with exercise .

Good luck whatever you do 

Liz & OH xx

Hi TellerMan , I understand your concern but as others have said, RT has advanced loads over the years.  I had 37 rounds of RT over 7 years ago.  Absolutely no waterworks problems.  Slight bowel issue which has caused a little blood and mucus but I would unreservedly do it again.  In fact when I heard that my cancer had spread to my bone last year, I was offered HT or RT and chose the latter even though it was near my heart and lungs.  

I can understand your thoughts TellerMan . If it helps I’m around the same age as yourself, also reasonably fit, like you have locally advanced prostate cancer, been on HT for 8 months and I’m now coming towards the end of 20 fractions of pelvic radiotherapy, delivered over 4 weeks as tomotherapy. I’m certainly not the oldest in the waiting room.

Except for one isolated, sudden need for the toilet a week ago, side-effects have been minimal and very manageable so far. The people guiding me through this experience have been superb. Tiredness is now creeping in a bit, so I’m going to use that as an excuse for a catch-up nap during the afternoons, when I can, next week…  

I’m not using the self-enema prep method due to another issue (piles) so I’m doing what they call ‘self-prep’. Again that has worked well, in fact the slightly increased wind and mucus seems to have helped with that over the last week…! I did lose a bit of blood over a few days, I was told that’s perfectly normal and it appears to have now repaired itself. You also get to know how much water to drink and when, so you’re ready on time with a full bladder - and not too full if the appointment is delayed slightly. 

To pass the time in the tunnel I travel car and walking journeys in my mind, trying to recall sights along the way. Haven’t finished one yet. It’s working for me!  

This whole radiotherapy experience was a big unknown at first so I naturally also had reservations. It has turned out to be way less demanding than I thought it would be. 

Thanks, Amplitude. Your reply was especially helpful, as you are of a similar age and fitness. Reassured by your and the other responses, I am probably going to commit to RT. I have an appointment with the oncology doctor next week, when I will discuss my fears and hopefully get some more reassurance. I have to say, the team at Lingen Davies Shrewsbury have been wonderful to date. Thanks again, Amplitude.

Hi TellerMan. I just completed 33 fractions of Radiotherapy in the 7th of May this year. I’m 66 years old and had to go through this amount since I’d previously had a prostatectomy back in 2018 and my PSA had gradually risen to .3. I can understand your concerns but with both procedures I’ve undergone I’ve had no significant side effects. During the RT I did had some rather dodgy bowel movements but the team gave me a sheet with diet recommendations which worked well. I now sometimes have to get up 3 times in the night for a wee compared to maybe only one before RT but that will settle down too. At Ninewells in Dundee we weren’t in a tunnel but on our “ subbed” with the machine rotating back and forth around us. 10 mins approximately and painless and easy. Prep was a self administered enema for the first 9 fractions ( you become habit after that) and empty your bladder then drink 600ml of water which you had to finish 15 minutes prior to treatment. Absolutely fantastic staff from start to finish , so much so that I went back to thank them after my oncology meeting when I was given my undetectable result. We were told that the first two weeks after treatment would see an increase in side effects but I had no issues and bowels became more normalised well within that time. Hope that helps somewhat and I wish you well with whichever treatment path you choose ️

It does help. Thank you, Beefy24.

I wanted to share my current experience with hormone therapy and radiation treatment. I’ve been on hormone therapy for the past four months, and I’m also undergoing radiation therapy (RT), with three-quarters of the costs covered.

The primary challenge I've faced so far has been managing my water intake to ensure my bladder is adequately filled during treatment. Due to the hormonal changes, I tend to sweat more, so staying properly hydrated has become important. I'm trying to balance drinking enough water without it feeling forced or unnatural.

Apart from this, I haven’t encountered any major issues. Fatigue has been a normal side effect of the treatment, but it’s manageable and doesn't interfere too much with daily life.

Overall, I’m adjusting well, and I’m hopeful this approach will continue to work for me.

Sorry, it should read 3/4 th of the time not cost