Starting ADT and Rads in a couple of months

[plato123]

Would love your feedback on working while these treatments are underway. I am 55 still working daily albeit from home mostly - is it doable should I expect to get pounded pretty hard making work not possible.

[Huzzah1]

I'm 65, going into the start of my ADT and now IMRT, I was very healthy and active. I walk 4 miles every morning and go to the gym to lift a few days a week. I think that that activity level has helped me a lot to keep most of the side effects of the treatments at bay. 5 months into ADT, I have a few hot flashes during the day, a bit of brain fog every now and then and get tired in the afternoon so I take a nap and then I feel good till bed time. I was warned about the side effects of the IMRT, mostly a lot more fatigue. I am now 33 treatments into 44 and have not really noticed much more fatigue. If I was working and had to go into an office everyday, I would find it hard as treatments are in the middle of the day and I do like my naps. If I was home based, I would just let the boss know the situation and that I may need a few hours off everyday but that I feel good enough to get the job done without taking leave.

Good luck!

[Burk]

Hi, I began 24 mo adt on 09/26/2020, so I am just coming off the therapy. I had 60GY EBRT/IMRT 01/21. I breezed through the RT with little SE until after the treatment ended. In February I experienced digestion disorders and fatigue.

I experienced all of the SEs that typically go with adt. My take on working through this treatment is that unless your job is a high stress job, work is an important part of the therapy. You will find that you will need to push yourself when on adt. Having a job that requires keeping a schedule was the best thing for me. It gave me the motivation to get going in the morning and gave me a sense of fulfillment. Sitting around feeling sorry for yourself is probably the worst response to this therapy.

I did find that I do not handle stress well when on adt. A high stress job would be very different.

Wishing you health and healing!

[Tall_Allen]

Radiation is nothing until near the end of treatments. ADT is annoying (hot flashes) but doesn't interfere with work. Exercise a lot.

[billyboy3 in reply to Tall_Allen]

Canada Bill here, I would like to speak to or make contact with you if possible on two fronts, my own sudden rise in psa and if you have any Information on the group Movember-Darryl is already providing some etc. thanks. my private email is [e-mail]

[Heykm01]

I concur with Huzzah1. I’m a couple months into ADT. Some fatigue. Some brain fog. But working is important to me and I’m generally functioning at a decent level. Call it 90% on most days. Everyone cites the importance of exercise and I just concur there - get religious about it!

My radiation starts in a couple months so can’t speak to that but I plan to work as much as I can from home.

[leebeth]

My husband had radiation with ADT at 67. He worked remotely through the two weeks of treatment, as we traveled to the center. The RO suggested SBRT so he was finished in 2 weeks. He had 6 total treatments so I think one was a boost to whole pelvis. He went first thing in the morning and was at his desk by 9, and worked late those days.

He also worked full time through 14 cycles of chemo, and only just retired this July at 68, when he needed to go to hyperbaric oxygen treatments every day for 2 hours, as he wouldn’t have gotten to work until 11. Now he is looking for something to do! Work kept him active and engaged.

One important thing to do is exercise. I have seen a decrease in that, and I think it is affecting him adversely as far as fatigue and even cognition. Or else he just stopped listening to me. Which is more likely!

[RMontana]

Thankfully have now been on ADT (Lupron) for 15 months and will finish this Dec22 at 21 months total; have had almost no symptoms or side effects to speak of...this is NOT normal. But I committed to and have religiously put myself in the gym with weights 3 times a week...I push myself to exhaustion. I bike, walk, or do aerobics the other 4 days...basically I was told the harder you push yourself physically while on ADT the fewer the side effects...for me this was true...ALSO

Before you start get a baseline Bone Density Scan...know where you are starting from. Then get on Calcium plus D plus K2 (MK7)...you will need this to keep your bones healthy...then at 6 months and 1 year do the bone scan and make sure your densities are not dropping...that is what I did and I had to ask for this; the RO was not going to do this; "...we will treat the bone loss when it comes.' This was not acceptable to me and I asked for the tests...very glad I did as I now can compare where I am to where I started...

Also, get a full blood work done...find out what your hemoglobin, glucose and especially A1c is BEFORE you start ADT...this medication can wreak havoc on your bloodwork (it affected mine)...again, you need to know where you started to see if you have a problem, then to be able to 'follow the bread crumbs' back to where you began...again, you DR may not require this...GET YOUR TT testosterone checked...know where you start before you get on ADT...my DR did not check this and I am in now in the dark...a great site to see how ADT may affect you and then if and when you can get back to normal TT levels is pasted below...

Lastly, it may affect your BP blood pressure...mine went crazy there for a while and I had to change some lifestyle stuff, i.e., food, caffeine ect...get a BP cuff for at home and a blood sugar kit as well so you can check that as you go...

Sorry for the long reply...this is what I did and I have been able to control the side effects pretty well...NEXT it will affect your erectile tissue as well...

You need to watch and make sure you get regular erections...ADT does a number on your erectile tissues...dont know if you have had RP and if you have, especially watch your 3d Arm...mine was damaged by my ADT for sure as I was not made aware ADT affects erectile tissues; found out months after I started (no one told me)...mitigation? Use regular injections or a VED vacuum device to keep Pete in shape...

ADT can be a lot of trouble and it is for some men...this is what I did to keep it under control. Mr Mulhall calls ADT "a therapeutic poison.," his words...BUT it will save your life (I would do ADT again if I had to do it over; its that important)...just be forewarned as you DR's may not spell all this out...TNX

PS : this is a good prepper for ADT use...

youtu.be/u4TN9mCHlg4(Not working as expected?)

[Scout4answers in reply to RMontana]

I could not agree more with what R Montana said above. Very similar to my own experience.

Exercise, exercise, exercise...

[London441]

RMontana has given you a good comprehensive view on what to expect, what to do and why it matters for your health.

If your main concern is being able to continue to work, all of this applies regardless of what type of work you do, but by far the best way to not get ‘pounded pretty hard’ as you put it is the exercise.

[TylexGP]

I am 57 and ADT was harder for me mentally then any of my treatments. Excercise helps a lot with the ADT side effects. I had ADT plus Zytiga and then had HDR Brachytherapy followed a month later by 25 days of EBRT. I have worked through my EBRT with the biggest issue being moderate diarrhea late in treatment that resolved. Currently 16 month on ADT and just past one year post EBRT. PSA currently 0.06. Each of us is different but Working through the EBRT wasn’t bad.

[Horse12888]

There is no way to know in advance which SEs you'll experience and their severity.

[EyeOnTheBall]

I’m on ADT and just finished 28 factions of IMRT (plus 5 factions of SBRT). Minor fatigue towards the end, but tolerable. I echo the exercise sentiments. I’m retired, so a bit different than you working during it all.

[mrssnappy]

Before my husband started 35 IMRT sessions of salvage radiation he filled out the paperwork for FMLA, the Family and Medical Leave Act, just in case he needed to take time off. dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla He continued to work without any issues through the radiation. His schedule allowed him to do treatments after work and the hospital was between work and home, so it was convenient. The negative effects of ADT, fatigue and brain fog, didn't show up until between 6 and 9 months after he started. He did not do radiation and ADT at the same time. Now that he has added Zytiga, he has more fatigue and usually takes a rest in the afternoon. Retired now so that helps. Everyone is different.

[RMontana]

I had to work; had no choice...but my symptoms were minimal...so it depends on how it reacts with your body...I would to go work as its a form of 'exercise,' and moving is important for a lot of different reasons...try it and react accordingly....but I cant over emphasize the importance of strenuous exercise! I mean, sweating if you walk and if lifting weights do it until you cant pump anymore...it helps...TNX

youtu.be/J2J1zuPzmus(Not working as expected?)

...from the presentationwhat Exercise wont help doesnt matter...

Value of Exercise while on ADT Treatment; if it were a Pill your Dr would force its use.

[TEBozo]

You will be fine. Exercise and lift weights

[rfgh20]

Very doable. Especially working from home. At least my experience.