Prostate radiotherapy and gas.

[Zodiac58]

I have started radiotherapy for prostate cancer. So far only one session. The second one couldn't be done because of too much gas. I have been following the dietary advice but it doesn't seem to work as I has the same problem at the planning scan which was delayed. Has any body any advice

[WisdomSeeking]

Hello, look at this Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer Nutrition tips: nutrition.va.gov/docs/Oncol...

[Murk]

Besides WisdomSeeking's input, many use Beano, two tablets before and after eating. I would also ask your Medical Team for a Gastroenterologist.

[dhccpa]

Are you taking GasX and/or Beano? I was put on both from before beginning all the way through. Seemed to control gas. Stopped after it was over.

[Oatmeal2]

Hi, the instructions from MSK that my husband followed was to take 2 Gas x before bedtime and 2 gas x about 1 hour prior to the radiation treatment. He also only ate a light breakfast of a hard boiled egg and coffee with no sugar. Stay away from anything sugary or starchy before the radiation. That should help a lot.

[T911]

Is there is any time of day that you notice when you have minimal gas? Try to duplicate that time by changing meal times and or sleep hours to make that time of little gas coincide with your treatment time. I had to wake up and eat breakfast three hours early to be gas free at the right time. Skipping meals sometimes even made it worse so very frustrating. It was a challenge even when strictly following the diet. When your being set up in the machine let it rip if you can. Don't be embarrassed. The operators have seen it before.

[JustJimmy]

It may be that a sphincter in your rectum is blocking the passing of what are simply ordinary amounts of gas. I had a terrible cramp of such a sphincter during radiation. The use of a hot water bottle on my lower abdomen and self massage with firm fingertips of the lower abdomen and the location where the colon connects to the rectum completely solved the problem over just a few days. The sphincter released its cramp.

[Spinel_Cutter]

I wonder if a spacer, like SpaceOAR might push things away enough to allow you to proceed?

For my upcoming IMRT I asked two onco's about SpaceOAR, both said, "nope, + various reasons," but my current one said yes.

But, beyond SpaceOAR is a newer hyaluronic product which is injected and I think, if possible I'll opt for the hyaluronic one, if I can pull that off. Here's a bit from ai

"Yes, there are hydrogel spacers similar to SpaceOAR that use hyaluronic acid. The most notable one is Barrigel, which is a hyaluronic acid-based spacer used in prostate cancer radiation therapy.

Barrigel is made from Non-Animal Stabilized Hyaluronic Acid (NASHA®) and is designed to be highly sculptable. Unlike SpaceOAR, which is a polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel that polymerizes quickly, Barrigel allows more time for the physician to sculpt the product and achieve good symmetrical spacing.

Other hyaluronic acid-based spacers include:

Hyalgan (Sanofi Aventis, Paris, France)

Hyalaform (Genzyme Corporation, Cambridge, MA, USA)

It's worth noting that while SpaceOAR and Barrigel are FDA-approved for use as rectal spacers in prostate cancer radiation therapy, some other hyaluronic acid products may be considered off-label use in this setting.

The use of hyaluronic acid spacers, like Barrigel, has shown promising results in reducing rectal dosimetry and decreasing rates of acute and chronic rectal toxicities in prostate cancer radiation therapy."

The gas, I'm not sure, I've done plenty of 2 or 3-day fasts, and I still fart, even though I wonder, what the heck?

barrigel.com/barrigel-physi...

[Gtrgenie]

Beano, GasX and sleep on your left side along with proper radiation diet should work. I did 45 days with no gas problems.

[Chasbearcat999]

I was told to take GasX before treatment

[Pitt12345]

My husband had so much gas no matter what he ate or drank. He had three days when it had to be attempted twice (one where he had to repeat everything including the enema and two where he had to go to the toilet and then drink again) He also had one that couldn’t go ahead and had to be ragged in the end, It was so frustrating and he was concerned but they told him it is very common and not to worry . Good luck for the rest