Moving on to radiation

so I posted this another place but my question is: 2 weeks into IMRT radiation ( Gleason 8 2 pelvic lymph nodes) am feeling a bit tender in pelvic area...I assume this is radiation doing its thing!? but wondered what others have experienced with radiation therapy and any danger signs to look for..so far things are tolerable and this pelvic thing just began..I would not say its not tolerable but is a bit tender when I move certain ways..thought s?

My husband did not have radiation yet but I just want to wish both of you super successful treatments 🍀🍀🍀 with the least amount of side effects 👍 !
Keep us posted and the best of luck 💫

Radiation is very simple — you just lie there for a few minutes. If you end up with side-effects (many people don't), they will likely occur near the end of your treatment or within a few weeks after.

The most common side-effects are mild irritation in your urinary tract and rectum (e.g. spicy food burns at both ends 🙂). For most people, those clear up in a few months. If it happens to you, reducing consumption of irritants like alcohol, caffeine, carbonated beverages, and spicy foods will help.

It’s no biggie - more time consuming and inconvenient than most anti cancer regimens.
My one piece of advice: follow your RO’s instructions for bowel/bladder prep to the letter. It will go a very long way in mitigating side effects down the road. Best,
Phil

Sadly, I'm not far behind you. RP in June, with EPE, high Decipher score. First PSA was .061, so some cancer cells decided to stay behind and party for a while. im going to do 1-2 more PSA tests, and if rising, will be joining you.

i have a buddy going through radiation (not salvage), and his experience was pretty benign, with minimal side effects. He is staying very active, working out, playing golf, which will be my plan as well. So, thats my advice! My friend said its only when he is sitting around that fatigue and minor side effects bother him.

PS i though Lupron was largely being replaced with Orgovyx, as testosterone levels comes back much quicker. You might want to ask you RO. Suggest you google it. Also recommended in Walshs' Surving Prostate Cancer Book, page 249. As always, this is a decision made with you and your RO.

Good luck! My grandkids want me to stick around also!

@northoftheborder Reducing spicy foods will be a challenge. I lost my sense of smell 32 years ago and spicy is about the only thing I can taste. I guess we will see which wins out - irritation or tastelessness.

@anosmic1 Yeah, I'm the same way with tea. I haven't given up my Assam or Earl Grey or Masala Chai, and tolerate a little mild irritation many days as a result.

Alcohol and carbonated drinks aren't a big part of my life, so limiting both hasn't been a challenge. And spicy food irritates mainly the radiation proctitis, which isn't as big a deal for me as the radiation cystitis.

First off, best wishes with your ongoing treatment. Your PSA is still extremely low, so you are moving on this quite early. The PET scan will be key to your treatment plan.

I posted this comment in a different thread yesterday, so will just copy & paste it here. Getting your diet right before starting RT is a very wise thing to do, and you may need to make adjustments as you go along. Nudge both your RO and radiation therapist keep you informed as regards how full your bladder is and how empty your rectum is during your treatment sessions. Very critical for the radiation beam to stay on target and not cause damage to surrounding tissues/organs. Here’s the “copy & paste” comment from yesterday:

"I am currently undergoing salvage IMRT (12 down, 26 to go). I’ll note something here that my medical team underplayed before starting RT—the importance of having an empty bowel, which includes both stool and gas. All I was told was to try to have a bowel movement each day before treatment. There’s more to it than that. I had to adjust my diet (largely vegan/whole grains with lots of insoluble fiber) to reduce gas. I made the adjustment, and things are going smoothly now, but I would have liked to have a running start at this. And that included for the initial CT planning scan. If your bowel is not empty, then things can shift around and the rectum and intestines can get hit with radiation and cause diarrhea, proctitis and such. You might even get kicked off the table for that day, which just adds an extra day at the end of the run. I’ve attached a document from the Veteran’s Administration that provides dietary guidance for men undergoing RT for prostate caner. It found it very helpful."

@northoftheborder If you got no side effects you are lucky. I had 28 treatments of photon radiation IMRT for the prostate. I now have 3+ bowel movements a day and have to go number 1 every 2 hours and it stings. I have other weird symptoms that can't be explained after blood tests, EKG, X-Ray and Electro cardiogram. I am 8 months from last treatment.