Prostate diagnosis.

Good Afternoon Lancashire Lad 

A warm welcome to the Macmillan Online Prostate Community from another Lancashire Lad (Oldham is still Lancashire - not Greater Manchester!!).

I can understand your worry about the Radiotherapy.

Before you get your dates for your 20 fractions of Radiotherapy, you will be invited inro the hospital for a "Planning Scan" where they will give your your 3 tattoos and explain the procedure. If you chat to the Radiologists then regarding your worries regarding your sensitive skin they will sort you out (they have some specialist creams!). They will also ease your fears regarding bowel and bladder issues.

My radiotherapy was at The Christie in Oldham - the entire team Reception Staff, Radiologists etc were fantastic and I sailed through it without any issues. Tell the of any worries or problems and they will have an answer.

Here's the link to Prostate Cancer UK's Radiotherapy booklet

shop.prostatecanceruk.org/.../external-beam-radiotherapy

I hope this help. Anything else just ask

Best wishes - Brian

Thanks Brian, your response certainly does help and I appreciate you taking the time to respond. My radiotherapy will be at The Rosemere centre in Preston. I'm also impressed that you still consider yourself as a Lancastrian - as do several of my friends who used to live in Oldham.

Best regards - Kevin. 

Hi Lancashire Lad  as a T2, N0, M0, the MDT have put you on the standard prostate radiotherapy plus hormone therapy.  You should be fine regarding side effects as the standard dose is localised 60Gy to the prostate and its immediate surrounding tissue. You haven’t mentioned Gleason score - I suspect Gleason 3-4?

AW

Hello Kevin (Lancashire Lad) 

It's no problem. Stick with us and keep us posted as to how you get on.

As far as I am aware Greater Manchester is an administrative county - Lancashire is where I live!! .

Best wishes - Brian.

Hi Lancashire Lad,

My husband just finished a month ago 6 sessions of RT at high dose of 36gy ie 6gy per session.

I was concerned about his skin as he had in the past few serious outbreaks of Psoriasis. His skin was fine and so his bowel. After the first session he had a couple of hours difficulties to urinate but it sorted itself out.

All and all it was much more easier than we expected. 

Good luck with everything

Lots of love

Dafna

Hi Dafna.

So glad to hear that your husband is doing well. It gives encouragement to where it is definitely needed.

I have been told by the oncologist at the hospital that I will be receiving 28 doses of radiotherapy which seems far more than what your husband or another responder reported. I guess I'll just have to wait till I get to The Rosemere Centre to find out for sure what they plan to give me. 

Thanks for your response and best wishes to everyone.

L.L.

Hi Lancashire Lad  Kevin, and a warm welcome from a wife.

Just to say that my husband had 33 sessions of radiotherapy (totalling over 70Gy) 4 years ago to the whole of the pelvic area which has put the cancer to bed there. He is now 80 and still has no issues with his bowels or bladder apart from occasional constipation. The dosage and number of sessions will have been tailored for you. Others have had 37 sessions.

With your low stats there are other options if you want to look into them such as Brachytherapy and there are people on the forum who can tell you of their experiences. The treatment you have been offered may have been directed by what is available in your particular area.

Hi Alwayshope - what a great name! - although my wife would read it as 'Always shop'.

Thanks for your husbands experience. It really does help to hear of positive outcomes. I raised the question of Brachytherapy with the oncologist but he just sort of passed over it and said I was being recommended for radiotherapy.

Thanks again and I hope your husband continues in good health.

L.L.

Hi AW. Thanks for the response. My Gleason score was a 7, 4+3. I would have preferred the other way around (3+4) but that's life. 7 Has always been my lucky number so I'm hoping for the best outcome.

LL.

I’m 4 - 3 as well, and the biopsy report shows 60% grade 4, 40% grade 3.  So I prefer to think of it as just missed 3 - 4 by 11%.    

Regular members would describe me as data-driven  

AW