IMRT sessions

[runtrails]

Besides a full bladder and empty colon, what things can make radiation treatment more effective for short and long term. S.E. and outcomes?Have 4 down, 31 to go. (Had 30 days Casodex and on Lupron)

[Tall_Allen]

Exercise.

[runtrails in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thanks!..Which I enjoy, and regularly do, so thats perfect.

[GMan-62]

Hey runtrails,

You're tracking the same path I went down, only after my RALP (Feb 14, 2022) my PSA was 8.11. I started Casodex on June 1st and Eligard on June 14th. That brought my PSA down to .01. June 15th I had a GA68 PSMA Pet Scan and found 2 Pelvic Lymph Node lesions, one on the left and one on the right. Went to see the radiologist July 28th (PSA was still .01 and T was 11). August 16th, started 38 sessions of IMRT which ended October 7th. Had PSA reading on November 4th PSA was still at .01. Scheduled to meet with MO on December 6th to discuss adding Abiraterone acetate and prednisolone to the mix. I haven't experienced any S.E. from the radiation except a very slight increase in incontinence. I'll have my next PSA & T on on December 2nd. So until then, I'm just taking things one day at a time and making memories with my family.

I know the full bladder thing was the worst part of the whole IMRT treatment. I was so thankful when I had my last treatment. Good luck to you.

GMan-62

[wagscure259]

I did 45 IMRT treatments back in 2015 @MSK and was a vegan at the time which they discouraged due to its high fiber but I had no side effects at all. I was still working 10 hour days but I made time to exercise intensely if for only 20 minutes 7 days a week. I’ve experienced no longer term side effects as well. Best to you

[Huzzah1]

I recently completed 44 treatments IMRT. I followed a low fiber diet which worked well, I never got kicked out of a session. Exercise - I did a 4 mile power walk every morning and lifted 3 times a week. I did pretty well, had some increased fatigue during the last 3 weeks but not too bad. I finally took up a number of friends offers to help out. I was driving home from treatment 39 in Atlanta freeway traffic when some tunnel vision happened. I had rides for the last 4. Time flew by and next thing I knew I was ringing the bell!

[London441]

Exercise is not only the best thing you can do to enhance your radiation experience, it’s by far the best thing you can do for every aspect of living with this disease and promoting quality longevity. Clearly you run, what else?

[runtrails in reply to London441]

I lift weights, swim, etc. At gym at 6 am most mornings. Use a trainer to help in person and a program I use on a mobile app he uses to give me specific workouts designed for me and my situation

[Mgtd in reply to runtrails]

Looks like you got it covered as far as aerobics and resistance. I assume you have a good diet to go with the prior that so you are doing the best you can but remember we all react differently so hang in there.

[lookout4]

Hi Runtrails, 10 sessions of EBRT 5 of which were in the Pelvic region (bone Mets), No surgery, no Chemo, the RC wanted empty Bladder & Colon. I had SE's. it took a month to poop right. During this time my appetite was consistent, some minor constipation but mostly irregularity. I read about the Mucous Membrane/s being damaged sometimes and mentioned this to my Dr's, there was never any blood in my stool or urine so the Dr's wanted to wait & see. After about 7 weeks, my gut calmed down to somewhat a (pain) manageable level. Regularity returned. As far as exercise, (I was DX /22 w Stage 2 PC in June 22), and its only now that I'm up to doing some exercise. I bought a Stationary bike/ elliptical trainer. As of June 2022 I had lost 84 pounds. I've regained 20 lbs since June. I have been using 5 mg Oxycontin for (overall body) pain mgt. as needed. IDK if its the cancer, or the meds I take, that are causing the pain.

Let us know how it turns out for you after the IMRT.

stay strong!

steve

[farmanerd]

I slowly started running a couple of months before my adjuvant RT began and ran my first 5K the day after my final RT session. With the guidance of a personal trainer, I had also started lifting at a gym 2-3 times a week. My wife and I also started yoga which helped with tone, balance, focus, relaxation. All of these helped me in dealing with the side effects of RT with concurrent ADT.

Besides some increasing fatigue, towards the end of RT, you may experience burning when urinating and possibly a bit of hematuria, my RO suggested trying AZO and staying well hydrated (dilute your urine) -- speak with your RO/MO/URO to see if they would recommend this or other OTC medication if this side effect develops. Urinary incontinence may return near the end of or after RT. Mine was enough to require wearing a guard/shield again, but it didn't stop me from continuing to run. I even went for another session of pelvic floor physical therapy, where I stated that the goal was to get me back in my boxers!

In the fall of 2020, about one year after RT, I had blood in my stool after running a half marathon and it persisted for a few days. While this is not uncommon for some runners immediately after a long race, the persistence concerned me, so I talked with my RO. She said that it was likely due to the running having aggravated an area of my rectum that had some minor radiation proctitis. Her advice: stay hydrated, work to have soft bowel movements and schedule a colonoscopy to see what's up -- I had already scheduled my periodic one for the Monday before that Thanksgiving. Colonoscopy showed that I did have some radiation proctitis, and I haven't had a recurrence of the bleeding, even when I did a half marathon head clearing training run the day after the colonoscopy.

In the spring of 2021, I had gross hematuria after one of the long runs in my marathon training program. It took several days to clear and my URO recommended a CT and cystoscopy to check things out. I had some vascular changes in my posterior bladder wall and bladder neck regions likely to due to radiation damage. Since the bleeding had stopped, no treatment was needed, but I was advised to stay well hydrated, especially when running. It has not recurred.

When I'm on ADT, my Red Blood Cell (RBC) and hemoglobin levels both end up just below the bottom of normal range. Since I was already on ADT when I took up running, I didn't notice the effect that this had on my performance, but I did get a nice pace increase when my T, RBC, and hemoglobin recovered. Since ADT slows my pace significantly and really impacts my ability to run longer races, I'm currently mostly limiting myself to distances of 10K and under.

That's my story of running with cancer.

[carguy]

For me the hardest part was going into each treatment with a full bladder. I was told to drink water until I couldn’t hold it any longer, then get the treatment. Sometimes I couldn’t hold it and had to urinate then refill my bladder. Also, my bowels had to be empty to prevent injury to the colon. That was hard to do also, requiring stool softeners and enemas. I had minor blood in the stool during treatment and a few weeks after treatment. No side effects since.

[Jvaughan0]

Stay away from caffeine, try to put your bowels on a schedule, eat small meals, and avoid any foods that make your gut rumble.

[Hidden]

I did “ fast and live” recommended by a Nat onco to me . There is a YouTube video by this name . I fasted for two out of five sessions per week for 8 weeks . I went from 233 and muscular down to 165 and gaunt . But after imrt I’ve stayed clear six years now . So two liquid only 500 calorie days per week is said to weaken the bad cells into imploding.. Good luck beating the beast ! 🙏

[SierraSix]

I just finished 2 of 5 of SBRT. Will finish next week the rest of the treatments. On Lupron for about 5 weeks prior. Dropped all supplements, I exercise (lift/run/walk) pretty much everyday + Wim Hof / Buteyko breathing. Breath work really help me!!! So far so good, had some urinary retention issues after treatment #2. The P.A. told me to take some high dose Ibuprofen with Tamsulosin and that seems to work. Overall feel great. Hope it stays that way