Radiation Diet “Frustration”

[Pherndz]

Okay, I have had seven of 38 treatments for pc recurrence after RP. Four of my treatments have been frustrating at best. I can’t seem to find a good regiment that will have stool free , or properly hydrated before treatment. I started my own survey of five other patients that are experiencing the same frustration. This appears to be a missing, but important step for radiation treatment. Why make a mold, put tattoos on if you don’t address bladder and bowel concerns. Don’t get me wrong, the staff does address it, but there is no guidance on a proper nutrition for this therapy. I have tried not eating a evening meal, only soup for an evening meal. Milk of magnesia the night before, and morning of treatment. Nothing has worked. Being told we will not treat you, because of x or y does not sound good when the treatment you are receiving appears to be the only thing that will cure you.

[lillyofthevalley37]

Inositol is amazing it has been scientifically proven to reduce prostate cancer and other cancers it is safe to take also good for kidney stones, I buy mine online make sure you buy from a reputable seller

If you type in prostate cancer diet you will find lots of good advice

Also I would buy some organic sea kelp today for your iodine intake and defence against radiation

A glass of red grape juice every day has to be a good thing , also green tea, graviola tea a few Brazil nuts go easy on red meat replace with fish and pulses and of course lots of fruit and veg

Cut out dairy

I am a big fan of ibuprufin it is anti cancer and anti inflammatory - given that psa levels are an indication of inflammation in the body and that ibuprofen can bring down inflammation so therefore psa levels it has to be an essential in your kitchen cupboard

Hope you feel better soon I think diet is the most effective way to get you through this

[MichaelDD]

This was truly a "job" for me. I considered it two and a half months of work Monday to Friday. I think I was fortunate at the time of day I had mine (at 11:30am) . I was fortunate after my RP to have total continence 7 days after. I would eat and drink AFTER my sessions (lunch and dinner). There was no eating between getting up and my 11:30. I woke up very early because my other half is a nurse (she leaves for work at 5 a.m!). I had between 5 a.m. and 9 get my bowels clean. Since dinner was usually light I was able to have a touch of coffee in the morning which help me clean out for the session. The hardest part for me was the water and having it at the right level. After about five sessions I had that routine down too. I think the hardest part for anybody would be the water intake. Take it all in then excreting just before the session to what they needed from you to work. I can say I was fortunate that I hit the table 39 times and 39 times they were able to immediately do the session. It's frustrating no doubt. You'll get it!

[Tall_Allen]

My RO recommends doing less rather than more. What he means is that laxatives, fiber, enemas, and unusual dietary changes may cause excess motility. It is movement, especially of gas and feces that one has to avoid. Emptying the bowels prior to radiation is sufficient - the bowels do not have to be perfectly clean, as for a colonoscopy. The bladder should be COMFORTABLY full, not completely full. It's only important to drink enough to lift the bladder up off the prostate.

[Ralph1966 in reply to Tall_Allen]

What are the defferences between RT as a starting treatment from salvage radiation following RRP?

The plate/protection they use to the ureters/Urinary system can not be apply after surgey, and thus it is more likely to get them have some scarring that will happen even years after SRT? Any advise to minimize urinary toxicity?

My RO said she will use 68 Gy and not the 72 Gy mentioned in you blog list of questions that we should ask our RO before treatment.

Why some people get 38-40 sessions and others get less (mine would be 34-36)?

[Tall_Allen in reply to Ralph1966]

Salvage radiation has worse side effects than primary radiation. It's for many reasons, but especially because there is no prostate in place to hold everything steady. Sometimes scar tissue accumulates at the site of the anastomosis.

You apparently didn't look at the questions for salvage radiation:

pcnrv.blogspot.com/2017/12/...

Some ROs give a lower dose per session in the hope of less toxicity. It's usually 1.8 Gy or 2.0 Gy per session.

[Ralph1966 in reply to Tall_Allen]

6. How large a dose do you propose for the prostate bed? (should be near 70 Gy -72 Gy)!!

I am not blind (yet)!

You need to be more kind with people who have no choice other than doing these treatments, and some words like (although the side effects are much worse than the primary radiation, these are temporary side effects or can be dealt with surgery or medical treatment!) would be more appropriate words from an educated person like you!

I understand that I possibly will get a fried ureter (stricture from scar tissue) as J.O.H.N. got and had to have a surgery with a stent in the place, BUT WHAT WE CAN DO??

I understand that you are a fan of primary radiation and against surgery, but please respect the feelings of other people who didn't cure and possibly may die from this cancer.

Imagine yourself not cured with your primary radiation and are ready to do anything just to survive some few extra years...

[Tall_Allen in reply to Ralph1966]

I favor higher doses because of this:

pcnrv.blogspot.com/2016/11/...

I tried to help you - no good deed goes unpunished, eh? If you want to pursue personal remarks, do it privately.

[Hidden]

Prune juice. 3 or 4 oz at breakfast and again at dinner. Worth a try. Milk of Magnesia ... ugh.

[PGDuan]

I'm 15 treatments down and 20 to go, and I've struggled with this too. At first I didn't think it would be too hard, but after RP a few months ago it has been more challenging than I expected. Seems I'm either on the table about to burst or my tank isn't full enough. My techs have been great and extremely patient, either having me wait on the table 5-10 minutes to get things right, or getting me off the table to try again in 15 minutes or so. Makes me feel like an idiot, as I've only managed to have it "just right" 2-3 times out of 15. Not much of a batting average! I talked with my RO which helped - seems my bladder was super full at the original screening which set the bar really high, so he adjusted plans so my bladder doesn't have to be quite so full. I'm also shifting my schedule to the afternoon's which seems to be helping.

They also set me up for a call with a dietician, but not until next week so I don't know how helpful that will be. I have found that a light dinner the night before and a bland breakfast has mostly worked for the bowels. The only day this was a problem was directly tied to a bigger than usual dinner the night before. Good luck - the good news is that of all the big challenges I'm sure this is one I'll get through.

[HalC]

I finished 37 treatments about a week ago. Before the treatments started my RO told me to make sure I had a "morning constitutional" and that should clear my bowels enough. He also said to have my bladder comfortably full, which was always tricky due to some incontinence since my prostatectomy 9 years ago. I didn't change my diet during the treatments, but I did stop my supplements, at RO's request. I messed up twice when my bladder wasn't full enough, but one of those was caused by the Radiation Therapist calling me to the treatment room 15 min early. My treatment time was 1:45 pm and I usually had my typically light lunch around noon. After the first miss on the "comfortably full bladder", the Radiation Therapist advised me to drink about 20 ounces of water 45 minutes prior to my treatment time - and for me, that worked fine. Good Luck!