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@melvinw Thank you - this all makes perfect sense to me. I've read the very detailed do's and don'ts published by Sloan-Kettering, with special attention to their dietary recommendations. I asked my radiation oncology team about this and was told "don't bother, let's see how you do first". This makes me a little apprehensive - I'd like to do everything possible to minimize the risk of damage to my urinary and gastrointestinal tracts. What are your thoughts?

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Replies to "@melvinw Thank you - this all makes perfect sense to me. I've read the very detailed..."

@abinoone I have a proactive mindset, so if it was me, I would get a jump start on the dietary adjustments. In my case, cutting out beans, a dietary staple for me, pretty much did the trick. I also added extra protein to my diet before starting RT and continued throughout and after for a couple of weeks.

When I had the problem with too much gas in my rectum on the second day of treatment, I asked my RO why I wasn’t provided better upfront info about that. Her response was that she didn’t like to overwhelm patients with too much information and preferred to address issues as they popped up. That approach really doesn’t work for me, and honestly, just makes me distrustful and even more anxious. I found the nurses to be much more upfront about things like this.

I will just say this—I tried to be proactive about mitigating SEs during treatment, and as it turned out, my SEs were relatively minor. Can’t prove a causal connection, but there is a correlation.

@abinoone They really said that?? ‘Let’s see how you do first’?? Hate to say this, but that statement is totally irresponsible; you had better pin these folks down because YOU are the one who is going to pay the freight.
Diet is PARAMOUNT to successful treatment.
Gotta say, I’m seeing all kinds of red flags here. Maybe you should get another opinion before you proceed with this team. JMHO…
Phil