Prostate cancer treatment side effects

Morning Delpops,

Welcome to the club.  How long ago did your RT finish - was it External Beam or Brachytherapy.  Are you still on HT and if so which one and for how long.  This information will help members to give you their experiences.

SeaJay

Hi

In time you just get used to the fatigue, just some small walks help with it, the flushes, I took Provera ( from the doctor ) for the hit, I’m a very warm person so cold unless it’s below freezing, I had no trouble with.

Stay safe

Joe

Hi

The fatigue, for me, was by far the worst side effect of HT.  As Joe has said, exercise can help. This feels counterintuitive, but it does work. Anything you try, and do, will help. I like walking so targeted myself, not to walk my pre PC usual 5 miles plus, but just 'round the block'. Once I got that under my belt, I pushed things out a bit. All this, of course, took time. Patience is the key - something I'm not very good at!

Regarding the hot flushes. Again, as Joe has indicated, there are supplements and drugs that I understand can help, but I just took something off when a 'hottie' appeared, and put it back on again, when the 'hottie' disappeared.

Regards

Stuart

Hi SeaJay

Many thanks for your reply.

My External Beam RT finished in March 23, followed by Prostap 3DS 11.25mg powder and solvent pre-filled syringes HT which finished in July 23.

I hope you are okay

Take care 

Many thanks for that Joe.

You stay safe too

Del

Hi Again Delpops,

My treatment was very similar to yours.  I too had RT in March 23, but I opted for Brachytherapy (isotope seed implants).  I had been on Prostap injections since September 22 and stopped having them after March 23.  My PSA is now down from 10 at diagnosis to 0.03.

I agree with you fatigue is the worst side effect.  I have very few problems elsewhere (I am on Tamulosin), except a bit of ED!!  I'm 77, older than you I suspect, so consider myself lucky to have caught it early (no thanks to the first Doctor I saw who put me off having a PSA test 5 years earlier when I started having symptoms).

Two bits of advice I would offer are 'listen to what your body is telling you' and do a bit of gentle exercise, as Stuart has mentioned.  I'm usually at my worst in the afternoon - probably not helped my eating too much lunch. That's the other problem I forgot to mention - I still get very hungry (a recognised side effect of HT) and put on 1/2 stone while on Prostap and haven't lost it yet!   I have learnt that if I feel more fatigued after lunch to have a snooze for up to an hour.  I also go to bed as soon as I start feeling tied in the evening.  The other thing is that I joined a gym - only to do light exercise (treadmill, cycle and light weights), but it all helps. 

I find the combination of these helps me get through the day.  I must admit I also  feel at my best when we are away travelling in our motorhome - I think any break away from the daily routine at home helps me - roll on next summer!!

Hope you feel better very soon,

Chris