What are the side effects of extended Radation
My PSA is 32, no symptoms and I'm scared of treatment, of dying, of living with this. What will I feel like after 28 - 45 days of IMRT? What will I feel like if I do nothing. Can someone please talk to me about this.
Cancer is very scary. I had a psa of 24.5, and a Gleason score of 4+4(😎. Had 28 rounds of radiation. Biopsy did hurt a little, but the radiation is nothing, other than the embarrassment of dropping your pants in front of 3 nurses. Lots and lots of fatigue. Have to take Flomax to help you pee. Worst problem for me is the continued diarrhea. Usually two or three times a week. Also have problems with ED. Not being able to keep an erection, and just now after 14 months,, being able to have an orgasm again. Everything is different. It seems the doctors don't want to tell you what is going to happen, as if they are going to get sued. But these problems are better than dying from cancer. Just take it one day at a time. Have a couple of guys I eat breakfast with that had the same treatment that I had, and talking with them about our problems helps some. Go online to ProstateCancer.net and read their info. It helps some. Search the internet.
: Having faced aggressive prostate cancer 3 times along with 3 treatment protocols for each event, I agree; you don't know how you will react. Reaching out to others here or in local groups has been extreamey helpful. In fact, we had a group in CT called the "ROMEO," which was short for Retired Old Men Eating Out. The more I interacted with others, the better off I felt.
When I finally learned to give myself some time and relax, many things in life improved, including intimacy. I approach the internet cautiously these days as many things discussed there do not relate to my situation. I also changed my diet after treatment and quickly discovered my intestinal issues improved dramatically. Things I could eat in the past definitely did not agree with the "new" me 😀 Hope you keep us posted on your progress. Dennis(ProstateCancer.net TEAM)
Was SBRT radiation with a SpaceOAR discussed with you? My PSA was 15.47 while taking finasteride which cuts the PSA roughly in half. My last biopsy found one cancerous sample, 4+3=7 Gleason score. Treatment was 5 sessions over 2 weeks completed in July. My first PSA 3 months after treatment was 1.00. After 6 months it was 0.33. Side effects were fatigue and mild urination discomfort during treatment. Since treatment ended, I have had no side effects whatsoever.
My cancer was caught early, although after many years of close monitoring, including biopsies. All indications and tests led to the cancer being judged as stage 2 and limited to the prostate. I fully understand I am one of lucky ones and I will always be grateful for how everything worked out.
Although you didn’t go into much detail, your situation sounds similar to mine. Be certain to fully explore all options before starting treatment. Don’t rush. You are not on fire. You have time to determine what path you want to take. This forum is a great place to start., Exploring all options and taking your time is great advice.👍 Before my last reoccurrence, for example, one MD team suggested ADT, while a team at a different treatment center suggested SBRT. I went with the latter treatment, and so far, all is well. Dennis (ProstateCancer.net TEAM)
I come from a small community so the best doctors are 4 hours away. Which means I would need to travel for treatment and we have a ranch, so who takes care of everything while I'm away. Also, my wife has severe PTSD (war related and doctors involved) and she is NOT understanding of any treatment. She would need to be in the room with me at all times. And I do mean that sincerely. She must be with me.
Agree with Mike that no one can be in the same room with you during treatment. My son was able to accompany me into the treatment room up until the time of actual treatment.
For the brief 10 min segment he was able to see me via a video feed in the radiation tech room. Hope that helps you. Dennis (ProstateCancer.net TEAM)
It’s unlikely anybody can literally be in the room with you while radiation is in progress. In my hospitals setup there was an observation room where some equipment was operated remotely and where my oncologist was supervising. Perhaps a visitor could have been stationed there depending on the hospital rules.
The 5 sessions I mentioned each took less than 15 minutes, probably closer to 10. There were, however, other procedures and visits involved. I had a bone scan to insure the cancer hadn’t spread. The placement of the SpaceOAR and fidicual markers was an outpatient procedure under general anesthesia. I had an MRI to confirm everything was positioned properly (without contrast and short duration, the tech called it the budget car wash).
So the entire process was more than 5 quick zaps over 10 days. I didn’t want to mislead you or anyone else reading this. The most stress I had was the waiting between steps. My positive biopsy was in April, final treatment in mid-July. Seemed to take forever but looking back it passed quickly and uneventfully.
I can’t really address the situations you brought up in your post or offer meaningful ways to deal with them. I’m not in your shoes. Others have posted many times that it is worth it to work with a major cancer center, even if logistically difficult. The difficulties and travel you mentioned need to be balanced against the outcome that will impact the rest of your life. I wanted to stack the odds in my favor to the greatest extent possible. But that’s easy for me to say. I have two of the best hospital/cancer treatment programs less than 30 minutes away and I’m retired.
In my opinion you are dealing with the worst part of this, right now. It gets better once you are on a plan and executing it. You are a rancher. You’ve done hard things. You got this!unfortunately my wife is not onboard and I don’t think this will happen.
