1. < Prostate Cancer

My Radiation treatment journey

Posted by solesky @solesky, Oct 3 8:30pm

I'm just finishing up my 2nd week of radiation. Radiation was decided when my surgeon didn't want to do surgery due to my prior history, I have diverticulitis and had a 10 inch section of my colon reattached many years ago, she was concerned about cutting through scar tissue and possibly nicking my bowel, she was steadfast against surgery noting the risks and additional 2 hours of surgery time and healing time after, the good thing is my team of Dr's all agreed, radiation was the best option with no hormone therapy. I'm at stage 2 with intermediate growth, 3 spots of (3+4) and 1 at (3+3), my psa was 6.9 about 8 months ago and was tested again about 2 months ago at 7.1.No real side effects yet as it's only been 2 weeks, I have noticed a little discomfort in my lower left groin area and my urine seems to stop prematurely after about 10 seconds and I wait and then continue to pee for a few more seconds that's new, there doesn't seem to be as much volume as there was prior to radiation, so I guess those are my side effects now that I think about it. My Dr. who I absolutely love gave me no restrictions, I go to the gym almost every day and take steams and sauna's, he also said it was ok to bike ride, although I have cut back some on the bike. I'm 73. My Dr. just got back from a seminar in Wash. D.C. I asked him if he learned anything, he proceeded to talk for about 15 minutes about different things and treatments that were discussed there, that's another thing I love about him, he's very thorough and takes his time to explain every detail. One thing he did mention was proton and photon treatments, it was determined from studies that there was virtually no difference in results from the two, in fact they thought photon was actually giving marginally better results, I mention this because I've heard different people mentioning them. I'm having photon treatments at the Cancer Center at Mass. General Hospital in Danvers Mass. On a lighter note, I just got back from a 10 day river cruise in Portugal and highly recommend that, We were going to cancel but all Dr's agreed, go on the cruise and have a good time, and we're glad we did, I will update in a few weeks as things progress, good health to all.

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paul28 | @paul28 | Oct 4 4:40am

Enjoyed reading your story as you seem to have a great attitude and approach concerning your health obstacles!
I was wondering what type of Radiation you have started and for how many days/weeks?
All the best to you forever!
PAUL

REPLY
solesky | @solesky | Oct 4 11:27am

Paul, I'm having ERT. External Radiation Therapy, this uses a machine called
a linear accelerator to direct beams of high energy
x-rays at my tumors. The machine can change
positions so the beams may enter your body from
any angle. By changing the angle of the beams, my
radiation oncologist is able to match the shape of my
tumor and spare as many healthy cells as possible. I have 2 small tattoos they use to line me up on the table I lie on, those were given to me when I had a simulation and a ct scan prior to starting this treatment. I'll have 28 sessions, 5 days a week, I get holidays off, yay. The sessions last about 10 minutes, you must show up with a full bladder, which was a bit challenging in the beginning seeing as I always have to pee it seems, but I have the drill down fairly well now, I drink 17 ounces of water 35-40 minutes before I begin, luckily like I said, treatment is only about 10 minutes and I run to the bathroom when I'm done. Hope this answers your questions.

REPLY
2 replies
casone62 | @casone62 | Oct 4 6:22pm
In reply to @solesky "Paul, I'm having ERT. External Radiation Therapy, this uses a machine called a linear accelerator to..." + (show)
@solesky

Paul, I'm having ERT. External Radiation Therapy, this uses a machine called
a linear accelerator to direct beams of high energy
x-rays at my tumors. The machine can change
positions so the beams may enter your body from
any angle. By changing the angle of the beams, my
radiation oncologist is able to match the shape of my
tumor and spare as many healthy cells as possible. I have 2 small tattoos they use to line me up on the table I lie on, those were given to me when I had a simulation and a ct scan prior to starting this treatment. I'll have 28 sessions, 5 days a week, I get holidays off, yay. The sessions last about 10 minutes, you must show up with a full bladder, which was a bit challenging in the beginning seeing as I always have to pee it seems, but I have the drill down fairly well now, I drink 17 ounces of water 35-40 minutes before I begin, luckily like I said, treatment is only about 10 minutes and I run to the bathroom when I'm done. Hope this answers your questions.

Jump to this post

I had the same treatment and as you mentioned. Once I got the timing of drinking water correct before each session, it was okay.

REPLY
alanp1963 | @alanp1963 | Oct 5 8:08am
In reply to @solesky "Paul, I'm having ERT. External Radiation Therapy, this uses a machine called a linear accelerator to..." + (show)
@solesky

Paul, I'm having ERT. External Radiation Therapy, this uses a machine called
a linear accelerator to direct beams of high energy
x-rays at my tumors. The machine can change
positions so the beams may enter your body from
any angle. By changing the angle of the beams, my
radiation oncologist is able to match the shape of my
tumor and spare as many healthy cells as possible. I have 2 small tattoos they use to line me up on the table I lie on, those were given to me when I had a simulation and a ct scan prior to starting this treatment. I'll have 28 sessions, 5 days a week, I get holidays off, yay. The sessions last about 10 minutes, you must show up with a full bladder, which was a bit challenging in the beginning seeing as I always have to pee it seems, but I have the drill down fairly well now, I drink 17 ounces of water 35-40 minutes before I begin, luckily like I said, treatment is only about 10 minutes and I run to the bathroom when I'm done. Hope this answers your questions.

Jump to this post

My experience was almost identical to yours . I started IMRT in June of this year and finished 7/25. The side effects were minimal and subsided over the following 2 months. During the 6 weeks of treatment, my urgency to pee increased as well as having soft bowel movements. Also had some minimal pain in the groin/ scrotum. Linear Accelerator was an Elekta Infinity . The RO said my 61 year old body handled the radiation treatment VERY well.

REPLY
1 reply
bens1 | @bens1 | Oct 6 6:48am
In reply to @alanp1963 "My experience was almost identical to yours . I started IMRT in June of this year..." + (show)
@alanp1963

My experience was almost identical to yours . I started IMRT in June of this year and finished 7/25. The side effects were minimal and subsided over the following 2 months. During the 6 weeks of treatment, my urgency to pee increased as well as having soft bowel movements. Also had some minimal pain in the groin/ scrotum. Linear Accelerator was an Elekta Infinity . The RO said my 61 year old body handled the radiation treatment VERY well.

Jump to this post

@alanp1963

Do you know what margins were used for your treatment with the mri elekta linac? Did it automatically shut off if you moved your body? How many treatments did you have?

REPLY
2 replies
akiwi | @akiwi | Oct 6 9:41am
In reply to @bens1 "@alanp1963 Do you know what margins were used for your treatment with the mri elekta linac?..." + (show)
@bens1

@alanp1963

Do you know what margins were used for your treatment with the mri elekta linac? Did it automatically shut off if you moved your body? How many treatments did you have?

Jump to this post

Afaik the Elektra infinity is not an MR Linac, that is the Elektra Unity.

I had some treatments on the liferay mridian, but it never needed to stop afaik (I tried to keep still 😉).

But just before the treatment they made very small adjustments and rescanned before the radiation.
An impressive machine, with a very long tunnel.

I think those are the only 2 MR Linacs available.

REPLY
solesky | @solesky | Oct 6 12:36pm
In reply to @bens1 "@alanp1963 Do you know what margins were used for your treatment with the mri elekta linac?..." + (show)
@bens1

@alanp1963

Do you know what margins were used for your treatment with the mri elekta linac? Did it automatically shut off if you moved your body? How many treatments did you have?

Jump to this post

I'm not sure what you mean by what margins were used, I do know that there are motion sensors used so if I do move or cough or sneeze, the process stops and they reset, I've had 9 treatments so far.

REPLY
bens1 | @bens1 | Oct 6 1:08pm

@solesky margins, in the context of radiation therapy for prostate cancer, refer to the area of normal tissue surrounding the prostate that is also targeted by the radiation beams. This is done to ensure that any microscopic cancer cells that might have spread just beyond the prostate are effectively treated.

The size of the margin is carefully determined based on several factors, such as the size and location of the tumor, the stage of the cancer, and the potential for microscopic disease. The goal is to maximize the effectiveness of the treatment while minimizing damage to nearby healthy tissues, such as the bladder or rectum.

I had the MRIdian linac with built in mri. My margins were 2 mm while most other non mri radiation machines use 3-5 mm so more healthy tissue is exposed. I have not heard what the margins are for the elekta unity machine.

REPLY
2 replies
solesky | @solesky | Oct 6 7:13pm
In reply to @bens1 "@solesky margins, in the context of radiation therapy for prostate cancer, refer to the area of..." + (show)
@bens1

@solesky margins, in the context of radiation therapy for prostate cancer, refer to the area of normal tissue surrounding the prostate that is also targeted by the radiation beams. This is done to ensure that any microscopic cancer cells that might have spread just beyond the prostate are effectively treated.

The size of the margin is carefully determined based on several factors, such as the size and location of the tumor, the stage of the cancer, and the potential for microscopic disease. The goal is to maximize the effectiveness of the treatment while minimizing damage to nearby healthy tissues, such as the bladder or rectum.

I had the MRIdian linac with built in mri. My margins were 2 mm while most other non mri radiation machines use 3-5 mm so more healthy tissue is exposed. I have not heard what the margins are for the elekta unity machine.

Jump to this post

I meet with my Dr. on Wednesdays; I will ask him about this and get back to you with what he says.

REPLY
VancouverIslandHiker | @vancouverislandhiker | Oct 7 8:34am

Solesky - you have a great medical team it appears - you are blessed ! . That is special . Also ,Sound like yoru well on your way . You got that Portugal trip in before you Radiation? How many treatments do you need ? The bladder is always an issue with Radiation , a 'jumpy bladder" can be common at times ...it will subside in months ahead . Sometime Bowel issues too Hang in there , you have this 100% ! I had 22 sessions in Victoria , Vancouver Island , 2 years ago . This was after having the operation 1 year prior to that . PSA did not go to zero , so at 0.14 I got those 22 sessions. Now my PSA over the last two years went from 0.14 , then to 0.11, then 0.076 , then to 0.052 , now as of two weeks ago it is 0.041 . It takes time for MOST radiation to work . God Bless you ! James on Vancouver Island .

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