Hi LuisJ, I had radiation back in 2012 & experienced no pain or side effects at all.But I might add it did not work & most importantly they will not operate to remove the prostate at a later date because the radiation leaves scar tissue.
That is my own experience. Good Luck with your journey.
If you're talking about prostate radiation, I'm sure you'll find that the treatments themselves are a big nothing. No burns on the outside (I don't know who told you a ridiculous thing like that). There may be some side effects afterwards, but they typically are not long lasting. Here's what you can expect:
Thank you Tall-Allen, what I meant to say re 3 month vs 6 month was that there is an option to do injections either every 3 month or every 6 month. My bad
I’ve been on it for 10 years, I have no side effects now but in the first few years I did have hot flushes but they weren’t too uncomfortable. Also, I’ve been zapping mets for the last 4 years and have had no side effects to the radiation other than now I have constipation and need a daily laxative. My radiation onc said it was probably caused from some scaring of the bowel.
You’ll be right, I play golf which keeps me motivated, I’m more concerned about my handicap than side effects.
I had brachytherapy for original diagnosis and cyberknife for extra-capsular recurrence. I didn't feel a thing directly from the radiation. To check whether I really had radioactive seeds implanted in my prostate I used a Geiger Counter. For me the side effects from brachytherapy was minimal, except drying up completely (i.e. no ejaculate). Three years away from cyberknife, I have frequent bowel movements. However, the side effects can vary widely from person to person. In brachytherapy the radiation comes from the implanted seeds. External radiation is focussed on the tumors. So, there is no burn on the skin.
I had radiation whilst on Firmagon then after 39 days of radiation I was put on Zoladex. So far after about a year I feel OK apart from lack of libido, a bit of fatigue and occasional hot flashes. My PSA has been reduced from 21 to 0.01.
I had mild side effects during my radiation. No burns at all. They always tell you it’s a possible side effect but I’ve never heard of anyone actually getting them. I had an uptick in urination frequency and difficulty urinating which was taken care of by temporarily upping my Flomax dosage. I had semi-frequent diarrhea. I was given Citrucel for that which helped. No other side effects. All side effects disappeared within a couple of weeks after radiation ended.
I was on Lupron rather than Zoladex which I believe are similar. I was given 1, 3, 4, and 6 month injections at various times depending on what was going on. The only difference was how long the injection lasted.
I had 25 sessions of IGRT followed by two sessions of HDR Brachy boost and had, literally, no side effects. Twenty five years before that I had 20 sessions of radiation for Testicular Cancer.No side effects then either. And my pca RadOnco felt all this radiation was ok.
Plus I have been told that prostate removal is possible, just a longer procedure and recovery.
However, there are other treatments. HIFU, CRYO to name two.
Each of us is different and results are based on group results. The choice is yours and yours alone to make.
For what it's worth, my MO initially wanted me on Zolodex but timing allowed me to go with Orgovyx for which I am grateful. Minimal side effects. Also, I was on Flomax (Tamsulosin) for a few years but over time it gave me a slowed heart rate (bradycardia). Now trying Vesicare and so far heart rate is back up a bit. I had salvage radiation in 2013. Didn't work but did not have any side effects or pain from it.
Use orally taken Orgovyx rather than an injection. The side effects are the same, but they go away much faster when you quit. Unless you're metastatic and on ADT for life, there is no reason to be on injections.
I received primary radiation in January, (20 fractions of 300gy). I does mess with your digestion, but burns is not a problem when targeting the prostate. Skin burns is only a problem when the target is near the surface.One of the reasons that I chose RT over RP is that RT poses less risk of damage to the nerves. So far everything seems to still be functional. I'm glad I chose RT.
Lay your fears aside and say a prayer. Best wishes!
Just finished a round of RT (2 CyberKnife & 25 TrueBeam). It may be because the TrueBeam was targeting both my prostate and 4 lymph nodes (right a the bottom of my rib cage) I did have some side effects. The treatments themselves are a big nothing. Lay on a table, have them position you, leave the room, watch the machine whirl around a bit, they come back in and you leave. I found it less hassle than some x-rays. But, in my case, 3 or 4 hours after a treatment I did have nausea, nothing severe and a loss of appetite. And very lose bowel movements. Overall, fairly easy to deal with.
I had radiation, 9 weeks worth. No side effects i couldnt deal with. ADT 6 month injections of lupron. I didnt do well with them for 10 years. Fatique, hot flashes, mood swings. But hey im typing this 11 years since diagnosis.
Greetings LuisJ: Note: this is to give you a general feeling about radiation and does not deal with your issues. And equipment has been updated since my frying.
Radiation - I've posted this before so to those people who have already seen this please forgive me.
I had 8 weeks of salvage radiation to "the bed". 5 days a week (not weekends) for 8 weeks minus 1 day for a total of 39 sessions at MSKcc. The actual radiation was like getting an x-ray by my dentist. I never had any side effects during the whole 39 sessions. However, 2 years later my left urinary tract was "fried" as per my urologist (or from passing prior kidney stones he was not sure). So, I had to have a urinary stent placed up my urinary tract (through my willy which is really nothing - sounds terrible but it's nothing) to aid in passing my urine (which was never a problem anyway). So I had stents in and out every three months for many years and now I'm stent free, However today 15% of urine from left kidney and 85% from right kidney, but not a problem. So make sure you get a good radiologist. Also, I don't know if this would apply to you but guys here recommend SPACEOAR HYDROGEL to be inserted for protection of parts of your body. Make sure you ask your R.O. about the spaceoar and make sure you ask here on this forum before getting fried.
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