Any tips for bowel after effects of proton therapy and ADT?

Urinary Urgency usually does go away after a few months. Sometimes Flomax will work. I take Myrbetriq For urgency and Gemtesa Also works. You could ask the urologist for it. You could contact somebody right away about getting one of these two drugs. They really do work for urgency.

People take Imodium for the diarrhea. That usually works for people from what I’ve been told.

Somebody I’ve been working with said that their husbands urinary issues are starting to go away after about two weeks. He had SBRT and IMRT so it’s not the same as proton. I know other people it took a few months before they Felt it was gone.

@jeffmarc thank you for the response....I feel totally helpless in this situation. I'm having spine surgery next month and he will be the one taking care of me. I'm afraid with his issues, it might be too much and maybe we should postpone my surgery.

If you are interested in natural supplements and healing you might wish to look into this study:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11316150/
Also, Inulin fiber + probiotic supplementation in some studies showed a lot of promise in relieving RT induced proctitis.

Home made bone broths are very healing for guts.

Urinary issues - try to stay away from spicy food, coffee , alcohol and other irritants and make sure that your husband stays very hydrated. There are many herbal teas that are calming too.

My husband is going through salvage RT with regular photon VMRT and the whole pelvic floor plus nodes and so far has no side effects (week 4) 🧿, and I really hope that it will stay that way. I am making sure that he is taking inulin and he has broth every day as well as adequate hydration, herbal teas, probiotics , etc.

I am wishing your husband fast healing and complete resolution of side effects in very near future. 🍀

I think your husband has to answer the question of whether he can manage the side effects well enough to keep the vacation as planned. Please just let him know you're OK with it either way his decision goes. Managing effects of treatment is hard enough without throwing being away from home into the mix. The added stress involved will make for a lousy vacation anyway if side effects are too severe.

As far as your surgery, you have to take care of you too. I'm sure hubby will be able to chip in on care. He may just have to run to the bathroom from time to time. Best wishes.

How many radiation sessions has he had so far? How much total proton radiation will he get? (During April-May 2021, I had 28 sessions of proton radiation @ 2.5 grays of radiation per session = 70 grays of radiation total. I had no fatigue, bladder or bowel after-effects.)

To answer your question —> it sounds like they’re overshooting his prostate and hitting his bladder & intestines/rectum with radiation. That’s not good.
> is he using a rectal spacer?
> is he practicing consistent full bladder/empty bowel protocol?
> is he remaining absolutely still on the treatment table?
> is he avoiding gassy foods?

As for concerns about a vacation planned after his last proton therapy, if he’s still experiencing those symptoms the first thing to do is for them to scope both his bladder/urethra (cystoscopy) and his intestines/rectum (colonoscopy) to see how much damage has been done.

The best way to manage these after-effects and how long they will last depends on the results of those scopes. If only a little damage there are OTC solutions that may work; if a lot of damage there are other therapies.

I'm sorry you're in this situation. I'll second @jeffmarc 's statement that Myrbetriq works well for urinary urgency, but it takes a couple of weeks to kick in (you can't start it just before a trip), and I needed to move up to a larger dose before I saw any improvement.

In the meantime, here are some dietary tips that might help mitigate symptoms:

For bladder issues (radiation cystitis), drink a *lot* of water — I know that sounds counterintuitive, but water dilutes irritants in the bladder and flushes out infections — and reduce or eliminate bladder irritants like caffeine, alcohol, carbonated beverages, and (for some people) acidic fruit juices.

For bowel/rectal issues (radiation proctitis)

1. eat more probiotic foods like yoghurt or kefir to rebuild his gut's natural microbiome

2. increase consumption of natural constipants like white rice, cheese, white bread, and high-fat foods, and

3. reduce consumption of natural laxatives like leafy greens, nuts, popcorn, or dried fruit.

**CAUTION** Obviously, this is just temporary, until the diarrhea stops — a low fibre/high fat diet isn't ideal for the long term. And talk to a doctor first if your husband has preexisting health conditions like high cholesterol, where a high-fat diet might not be safe even for a short period of time.

p.s. I'm not an expert, just a patient.

Also, with diarrhea, consider grabbing some rehydration salts at your local pharmacy if it's been going on for a while. That's a better than "sports drinks" like Gatorade, which might irritate his bladder even more.

@mjp0512 Thank you….i have absolutely told him this vacation wasn’t necessary and can wait. He is determined, but he knows I’m not really crazy about being across the country up until surgery time. I think he needs the vacation for himself, so it’s his call. I just nursed him through a knee replacement a few months ago. I’m here for him whatever comes our way. Prayers for all you men dealing with this. It is life-changing.

Hi,
Hopefully your husband’s condition will improve in the next couple of weeks for your vacation plans. You’re just gonna have to play it day by day until you reach the cut-off date of go or stay home. Each person is different as to side effects and recovery rates. Might want to talk to his doctor about a medication for his bowel issues soon.
Dave 3+4

@ou14mejc
Talk to your urologist and try to get a prescription for one of the drugs. I tried 1 25mg Myrbetriq And it wasn’t sufficient but taking one in the morning and one of the evening works great. It usually takes a couple of weeks before it really works the best.

@northoftheborder had the same experience with the same drug.