Just finished my PC radiotherapy sessions, last Wed. My 'diet' an absolute nightmare, after evening meal, toilet duty is top of the list!

[Adlon57]

Usually after the evening meal, no matter what I eat, my toilet rules the roost! I was treated for adenocarcinoma grade 7, after biopsy last June, 20 sessions. Told to keep off "fruit and veg" probably two weeks some sorts of normality return 'a bit', but everyone is different? Any suggestions, banana and greek yoghurt my only success any of their 'suggestions' my cadaver tends to ignore? My stool is watery and urine irregular. Slight temperature, my previous cancer nurse has proceeded to ignore me now I have finished my sessions? I have diabetes 2 to add to my woes!

[Adlon57]

Any food suggestions, not high, low protein, specific examples, please?

[TylexGP in reply to Adlon57]

I was away from home every week for RT. My foods were, Mashed potatoes, No sugar added applesauce, English muffin with grape jelly, and turkey sandwiches and Ramen noodles low sodium version and grilled salmon. I stayed away from high fiber during RT. I still had some bouts with diarrhea but they were manageable.

[Adlon57 in reply to TylexGP]

Thats about it, struggling with a diabetes 2 diet, my so called diabetes doctor, tried to change [in his wisdom🙄], just before the RT sessions, completely unaware of my PC sessions🥴, I have been trying stuff just by common sense, but fast wearing out my incontinence pads🥴🙄, I am single living by myself for twenty years, so used to these odd rigmaroles😤🤭

[Tall_Allen]

Don't strain. Why are you told to avoid fiber if your radiation is over - that was only during radiation to prevent bowel movement while the beam is on. Eat normally now.

Here is what you can expect:

prostatecancer.news/2018/10...

[Adlon57 in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thanks Tall_Allen👍👍👍

[Blueslover in reply to Tall_Allen]

Sorry to interrupt.How do I start a new post

Hugh

[j-o-h-n in reply to Blueslover]

Hugh, Go to your main page MY FEED and "type your comment under {what's your question?}" make sure you type it correctly. That's it....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Wednesday 02/01/2023 11:15 PM DST

[Adlon57 in reply to j-o-h-n]

Yoo! Hoo! get your connections sorted out? [j-o-h-n to Blueslover?]

[j-o-h-n in reply to Adlon57]

Blimey Gov'ner....to quote PM Neville Chamberlain on September 3, 1939, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions"....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Thursday 02/02/2023 12:12 PM DST

[Adlon57 in reply to j-o-h-n]

Thanks guv👍

[fireandice123]

I had diarrhea during RT and my RO suggested I take Citrucel. It helped. It didn’t completely eliminate it but it calmed it down to a manageable level.

[Adlon57 in reply to fireandice123]

Thanks but don't like taking medication best of time, I have a nasty habit of reacting, side effects to them, I'm on epilepsy medication, even the so called experts can't completely verify reactions to those. Will just tighten my cheeks and grin and bear it as usual! Nice to know I'm not the only one in my situation👍

[Cancer2x]

Back in the day (about 20 plus years ago) on the listserve group, (do those groups still exist?) “CANCER-L”, we had a lot of fun discussing bowel issues from treatments, and diet.

We came up with the solution of Peanut Butter, Bananas, and Cheese, which we coined, “Pebanche”. Had a lot of chuckles using that term over time.

[Adlon57 in reply to Cancer2x]

Something similar, bananas, yoghurt, cheese, and cashew nuts seem to work with me, my prescribed cancer nurse seems to have cut me off, no email replies after finished sessions?🥴

[maley2711 in reply to Adlon57]

is this nurse behavior typical in UK? so much for healthCARE ...what a misnomer.

[Adlon57 in reply to maley2711]

oops! found someone on holiday!🥴

[AlvinSD]

I had my last session of 28 on 24 Jan. I have found that eating smaller amounts of food more slowly and not having very rich food helped me. I’m still having occasional issues but for the most part almost back to normal.

[Adlon57 in reply to AlvinSD]

Yes AlvinSD no big 'celebration' dinners or suchlike, as you say "eating smaller amounts of food more slowly and not having very rich food" likely to have some "downfalls" but patience being a virtue👍

[Grandpa4]

my bowel is still not completely back to normal at 7 months post therapy. I can control the symptoms with the FODMAP diet, but I cheat all the time. Way more gas now then before therapy and loose stools.

[Adlon57 in reply to Grandpa4]

I have HPT high pain threshold, and used to set backs and reactions with my epilepsy episodes, so??

[Grandpa4 in reply to Adlon57]

agree it is something I can live with. Radiation also gave me bilateral sacral fractures but I think they are healing slowly.

[Adlon57 in reply to Grandpa4]

Good Luck!👍

[hfl20]

Sorry to hear about your bowel issues. I just finished 38 sessions of proton radiation (IMPT) to prostate, seminal vesicles, and pelvic bed. I fought diarrhea most of the 2 months and had to use OTC Imodium in order to have enough water in my bladder every afternoon for my treatment which then gave me constipation and hemorrhoid issues for a couple of days before diarrhea came back...

I tried the FODMAP, BRAT, and low residue diets, none of which helped much during radiation and I lost about 20 lbs over 6 to 7 weeks. My radiation onologist said that it is a normal bowel reaction for some folks when the intestines are irritated. My goto diet became a non-wheat cereal like rice krispies and skim or soy milk and little yogurt in the morning, then nothing but water until after treatment (sometimes not till 7pm) and a Boost drink for protein and bland chicken noodle or chicken and pasta soup in the evening.

I spoke with a nutritionist several days ago and she suggested after treatment to:

1. start taking probiotics every evening for 6 weeks to rebuild the gut bacteria. She recommended 5-100 billion of a variety from the refrigerated section of a grocery store. Check labels for a variety of cultures. Also yogurt, kiefer, fermented products (certain pickles, kimchi, kombucha, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, sourdough bread, cottage cheese) could include beneficial probiotics

2. soluble fiber and banana flakes

3. whole grain pasta and breads

4. soy milk

5. 2 to 2.5 liter of water every day

6. slow return of cruciferous and other high fiber vegetables

7. avoid nuts and seeds

8. be careful with cheese (constipation)

You might also check out the FODMAP, BRAT, and low residue diets in that they may help stop the diarrhea long enough to build your gut bacteria back up again.

[Adlon57 in reply to hfl20]

Ouch!👍Have been using Imodium, laxitive , enemas, been through quite a routine, lucky I live by myself, not too many visitors during my toilet routines🥴 you have had heavier amount of sessions, and I was "told" 🙄caught early, so am "expected" 🙄to be back to my "diabetes 2 routine" will allow🙄 Various times I have been severely tempted to stop metformin [diabetes 2] medication for a while and go on a desert holiday [with my toilet bowl]🤔 I will be losing weight anyway, probably by the time, if, I finish🤞 there will be nothing left in my 'stomach' to worry about such things as overweight and cholesterol?

[Adlon57 in reply to hfl20]

Useful advice hfl20 some good tips there, I will just try to keep as "regular" as possible, stay cool for bit😎, and hopefully the cold wet weather will not be an issue whilst going through this!

[hfl20]

I too have been introduced to a host of laxatives, stool softeners, fiber-in-a-bottle, enemas and other items I've never needed, used, or purchased in my 70 years (other than for my colonoscopies...). Over the course of the last 10 years or so, I shifted from a meat-centric diet to a plant-based diet based on knowledge from my wife (a type 2 diabetic like yourself), my now-retired doctor, and several physicians like Michael Greger who present scientific evidence to support their case.

My pre-prostate cancer diet was heavy on beans, legumes, greens, colorful vegetables, whole grains, seeds, and nuts and I was accustomed to a regular (normal) bowel movement every morning, usually after a cup or 2 of coffee and my current goal is to return to that diet and hope for similar bowel results asap.

Through this cancer journey, I have been seen by 5 different doctors (most far younger than me) that all commented my blood test results looked better than theirs and I attribute it totally to my diet. I spoke with my medical oncologist yesterday about my bloodwork taken on the morning of my last radiation treatment and he again stated my bloodwork was outstanding.

Good luck with your return to “normal”.

[Adlon57 in reply to hfl20]

I am a long toothed carnivore too old to change, my father was just like me diabetes 2, do not trust vegans, my nephew, whom always have to add numerous vitamins, additives to survive, not natural! I do not really trust medicine, in all truth, would have survived a lot longer and have a better quality of life without them🥴 I have been called a "one off" numerous times, quite a display of medical conditions, I am presently "terminally ill" my next seizure will be my last, I have had epilepsy for over 50 years, and had over 400 seizures!

No real pain with my cancer journey, so far, but I have HPT high pain threshold, so pain symptoms are extremely inaccurate at the best of times, I have had irregular urine flow since early 2020, when I had two schwannomas/benign tumours on my prostate gland, eventually after pandemic I had a biopsy in June 2022, Prostate Cancer!

Yes I don't like explaining prostate symptoms usually to female cancer nurses, young enough to be a grand daughter!🙄

I 'blunder' through this, waiting for 'them' to give me some obscure medical diagnosis, pleading ignorance, in reality no incentive to really care? I have had all my wills, benefits, beliefs updated so quite ready for the next big step👍

I had a large americano with a large malteser biscuit in my favourite cafe, been a regular in there for ten years, so get horrendously pampered by staff who treat me like an old daddy!

Got a haircut which was SUCH a relief🤗

Thanks hfl20 hope I do get back to some sort of normality or sanity, altogether a better quality of life!