Radiation Concerns

[sharpcut]

RALP 8/18 Gleason 4+3 7. PSA 6.3. BCR 9/19 PSA .14

Radiation Treatment 26 today 4 months Lupron will taper off at end of June when Radiation ends with 40 Treatments Total Westchester MSK. Entire Pelvic Area PN's and Prostate Bed Stopped Casodex when DECIPHER SCORE was .39 Upper LOW RISK category

First 18 treatments no or little side effects. I jog in the mornings 2 - 3 miles and maybe swim a couple of laps Also was trying to lift weights in afternoon

The last 7 treatments have been hard !!

Exhaustion Insomnia and Nausea. - Cutting back exercise and taking Melatonin to try to get sleep. Up 4-5 times a night to pee. When I wake up I cough for15 minutes most mornings Feel like a zombie at least every other day sometimes more

RO did blood work said things were "normal" for my treatments

I need exercise to center myself and I always feel better when I push myself in the gym running basketball or swimming

Could I be hurting myself with vigorous exercise ? Should I be concerned about a cough that only produces clear mucus ?

Thank You All for being there ! This is my source !

[fluffyfur]

We are about to start the radiation journey in a few weeks and I'm curious why your RO elected ADT and node radiation? Thanks for any enlightenment.

[sharpcut in reply to fluffyfur]

Hi Fluffy Fur MSK Dr Mychalczak still believes ADT Helps to weaken the cancer cells Low PSA or not Node and Pelvic Radiation for good luck I think he believes because of my age and ability to stay with vigorous exercise He has only one shot at getting it early Hit with everything and do a wide area Hopefully I don't regret it

[fluffyfur in reply to sharpcut]

Interesting. Hubs had similar pathology to you but two well respected RO's both feel no ADT and only prostate bed radiation. Thanks for the info.

[Tall_Allen]

"cutting back" on exercise is the last thing you should be doing. Exercise is the one thing known that can help with radiation-induced fatigue:

prostatecancer.news/2017/11...

Have you been checked for Covid-19?

[sharpcut in reply to Tall_Allen]

Hi TA. appreciate your response. Covid 19 negative You have given me more motivation to stick with my routine ! Thank You. always interested in your opinion

[timotur]

Try to keep your exercise up and push through these last sessions. I was in the same situation last year with 25x IMRT sessions, and toward the end I was very fatigued. Found out I had become slightly anemic with marginally low RBC and WBC counts, and lymphocytes dropped dramatically to 250 from 1150 (ALC). You need to keep exercising to help flush the wastes/by-products of radiation. Ask your doctor about supplementing with B12 during this time, and eat some liver once a week to help with RBC/Hb counts.

[sharpcut in reply to timotur]

Wow. Timotur. Great idea. Trying to eat healthy fats with moderate protein and few carbs Thank You !!

[treedown]

I agree with TA, but I had no side effects during RT and put 742 miles on my riding to treatments and after. I had a severe drop in my lymphocytes and got depressed and held back on exercise for a short time until I realized I felt fine and wasn't going to change things. I hit it harder after that. It worked for me. I was also getting up to pee 4-5 times a night. 2 months after RT I am sleeping through the night often and most nights only peeing once. Of course it depends on how much water I drink before bed. Best of luck but unless your Dr says otherwise which mine did not, exercise as much as you can.

[sharpcut]

Hi Treedown. Dr did endorse vigorous exercise with no limitations as long as it wasn't anything off the charts Wow 742 miles. You. are an animal. ! Love it. I drink tons of water which is why I am up so much. Even during the night when I am up I drink to hydrate

Thank You for your encouragement !!

[j-o-h-n]

Here's an old post of mine that you may find interesting.

(BTW Dr. Eastam was my surgeon also)

I've had 39 treatments (8 weeks, 5 days a week minus 1 day). I did NOT have any side effects during the actual "FRYING". However years later it was discovered that my left urinary tract had become scarred/constricted and required many "in and out stents" for my kidney and urine. BTW the in and out of the stents were "a walk in the park". No Pain or discomfort. Rad was done at Memorial Sloan Kettering cancer center in NYC by Dr. Zelefsky. After not having a stent in my tract for a few years my Urologist went in to see what's happening this past Wednesday. This procedure was done based upon routine CT scans and a scheduled Ultrasound prescribed by my Urologist. So in went a stent (he also added one in my right side for a kidney stone in my right Kidney).

All stents are now OUT...

Just be wary of the damage that Rad can do (even if it's silent).

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Wednesday 06/10/2020 9:32 PM DST

[sharpcut]

Oh Boy. !! Sorry for your pain and suffering No Fun and sharing helps others as well as me Hard to tell if I have made the right decisions but going forward I will take everyone's experience and try to understand the best path forward Thanks. John