1. < Prostate Cancer

How long do side effects from prostate radiation last?

Posted by dwheels8 @dwheels8, Oct 16 11:46am

I finished my prostate radiation on 10/14/2024. The side effects started around 10/1. How long do the side effects go on? I’m experiencing incontinence and nausea.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Prostate Cancer Support Group.

dwheels8 | @dwheels8 | Nov 1 11:22pm
In reply to @colleenyoung "@dwheels8, has the nausea subsided in the meantime?" + (show)
@colleenyoung

@dwheels8, has the nausea subsided in the meantime?

Jump to this post

Yes, the nausea has subsided.

REPLY
scottbeammeup | @scottbeammeup | Nov 2 8:03am
In reply to @northoftheborder "Oh, thanks -- that makes sense. We had to make a decision early whether to treat..." + (show)
@northoftheborder

Oh, thanks -- that makes sense.

We had to make a decision early whether to treat the cancer palliatively and focus on immediate quality of life (the traditional approach to stage-4 cancer), or take a chance and fight back hard. Since I was only 56, I chose the latter, and as I've mentioned before, my radiation oncologist agreed to "throw the kitchen sink" at it.

So yes, I do still have some radiation cystitis and proctitis from the high radiation dose 2½ years later, and at this stage I'll probably have them forever. But I can put up with occasional irritation and burning in exchange for being around to put up with them.

In 20 years, let's meet up somewhere for a drink. I'll tell you how happy I am to be alive, and you can tell me how dramatically your sex life has revived. 🙂

Jump to this post

Deal.

REPLY
jc76 | @jc76 | Nov 2 5:41pm

@dwheels8
Did you have or having hormone treatments?
What type radiation did you receive? Was it the long term or short term one?

Incontinence is common after radiation treatments. Kegel exercises can help. About 4 weeks into my treatments, I had trouble holding my urine until I could get to bathroom. Then would leak trying to get there. I learned to go to bathroom when you felt you could and not wait until the urge was there.

We are all different and what side affects one gets and degree another will not. That goes for side affects time frame for improving. I started getting better couple of weeks after end of radiation. It was a slow process but got better and better each month and now 1.5 years later not an issue.

Nausea, I never had this. Was this a side affect you were told about initially? Again are you taking hormone treatments? Hormone treatments come with a whole different side affects. I did not have hormone treatments.

Talk to your urologist about your symptoms. They know what your treatment was and can answer your questions specifically to you and expectations of side affects improving. You can also go on many web sites about prostate cancer and side affects.

Perk up your treatments are over!

REPLY
View MoreView Less
Please sign in or register to post a reply.