That was my thinking as well. There are many long-term treatment options with RT, depending on the nature of the recurrence. The recurrence may be distant from or very near the prostate, for which there are many treatment options; the recurrence may be local to the prostate, bringing treatment options like focal therapies (because the dose can be specifically targeted), brachytherapy, SBRT, and sometimes even re-radiation. (There is rarely a medically-necessary reason for surgery. Most men do surgery only because they “can’t bear the thought of….”)

Side-effects from hormone therapy have been demonstrated to be minimized by rigorous resistance-training exercise. Following what I read and heard about resistance-training exercise, I hit the gym immediately after every radiation session (and for as long as I was on ADT) for weightlifting, as well as alternating days of running 5Ks or swimming laps for 35-45 minutes. I never experienced fatigue; my only side-effects from the hormone therapy were mild warm flashes, muscle atrophy, and zero libido (but never experienced ED).

My wife later told me that if she hadn’t known I was undergoing radiation treatments, she wouldn’t have realized it from any change in me. The short amount of time that I was gone each day for treatment were no different than any other time when I simply left to go shopping or to the gym.

Today, almost 4 years later, everything has gone as hoped. We’ll see what the future brings…….