Recovering after Radiation: I finished... - Advanced Prostate...

Advanced Prostate Cancer

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Recovering after Radiation

Tonwantonga profile image
14 Replies

I finished my 5 rounds of Radiation Tuesday. I had some bowel irritation over the long weekend after Round 4, now having more after round 5. Gas and diarrhea together, what a treat. The NP told me to try Imodium, and heck next time I need a new safe I will contact the guys who packaged those tablets in those blister packs. My first dose was powdered, after it was finally removed from the packaging with a paring knife. No more trips to the cancer hospital now until the end of July, but a physical next week with my family doc and I'm sure this visit she will tell me it is time for the colonoscopy I've been dodging for a few years.

I know we PCa carriers are supposed to pretty much avoid everything at the grocery store, and I have seen mention of teas and I believe I saw something about staying away from coffee, but what about the occasional diet soda? I know this study and that study show aspartame is harmful, but any opinions either way on a Diet Mountain Dew now and then?

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Tonwantonga profile image
Tonwantonga
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14 Replies
Shooter1 profile image
Shooter1

A soda now and then--OK. A beer now and then--OK. Got to keep some QOL or what's life for..... Life is good-- let's keep it that way.

Tonwantonga profile image
Tonwantonga in reply toShooter1

well, I'm definitely on the 'beer now and then' schedule. has to be a good one though- Shiner Bock is my favorite - life's too short to drink bad beer.......

Tall_Allen profile image
Tall_Allen

The time to do a colonoscopy was before, not after, prostate radiation. Wait 1-2 years. There are no foods to avoid and none to take. For about a month you may find you are getting up to pee at night. You can take flomax or Rapaflo. Avoid fluids at night, especially caffeine, soda, and other acidic juices because they make you pee more.

If you feel constipated (especially after the imodium) take a stool softener and don't force - that will cause hemorrhoids to break.

Tonwantonga profile image
Tonwantonga

the radiation oncologist put me on Flomax before we started radiation-it does make a difference. I've been taking it in the morning, forgot it yesterday until about 2PM and I think just that delay made me need to go more often yesterday.

I've gotten away with the Cologuard test the last couple years -easier than the laxatives and the colonoscopy, but of course having a lab look at the waste isn't as thorough as having the pipes checked.

Startanew profile image
Startanew

I had radiation about a month ago and outside of a little bit of gas so far so good I started taking fiber every morning and I installed a bidet on my toilet by far the the bidet is the best thing I've ever done

Tonwantonga profile image
Tonwantonga in reply toStartanew

I was told to eat some low-fiber items like rice or mashed potatoes until I felt better. been eating higher-fiber foods to work on lowering cholesterol, so that was a change.

middlejoel profile image
middlejoel in reply toStartanew

Start.. if everything is good so far, why did you install a bidet?

Startanew profile image
Startanew in reply tomiddlejoel

Well I heard there might be radiation burns and stuff like that so

treedown profile image
treedown

I am a little over a year after my 44 treatments and never had flomax. Sleeping through the night now and the only response I had was a little bright red blood for 2 days at the end. However, if I can blame my gas on radiation the dog is going to get some relief. Though I am pretty sure it's all the vegetables I eat.

Spyder54 profile image
Spyder54

Hope your recovery from Chemo and Radiation is going well! Where did you have your Radiation as part of the Swog 1802? Houston?

Tonwantonga profile image
Tonwantonga in reply toSpyder54

I got my radiation at the James in Columbus, Ohio.

tallguy2 profile image
tallguy2

Eat and drink what you want, healthy most of the time. I like Coke Zero once in a while. And I still enjoy beer/wine/single malt every day. There needs to be a balance between QOL and diet and exercise.

Hey guy. Get through it ! Then comes recovery . Hope that you breeze through and recover well. No trips are good trips to the hospital. I agree . The days you see docs is a good day . My nat dr wouldn’t like the DMD at all. But even he told me .” Almost anything is ok once in awhile”. Just don’t start chugging it . Good luck 👍🍀

Tonwantonga profile image
Tonwantonga in reply to

I went in for my three month Eligard shot Tuesday, PSA still below their detection limit (<0.06), T was 10, lowest so far. other blood numbers all looked fine. my wife brought up my depression, which I wasn't seeing but she certainly was, so the doc bumped up the dose on those 'happy pills'. so I guess it was a good day, certainly no bad news anyway.

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