1. < Prostate Cancer

Let's get it started: My journey with SBRT (radiation)

Posted by toolbelt @toolbelt, Dec 5, 2023

Start saying your goodbyes cancer.
Testosterone...see you in June.
SBRT starts next week Thursday.
Stay Strong Brothers

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

toolbelt | @toolbelt | Dec 29, 2023
In reply to @toolbelt "Update on yesterday's SBRT #4. The machine that is treating me (Varian Edge) takes two revolutions..." + (show)
@toolbelt

Update on yesterday's SBRT #4.
The machine that is treating me (Varian Edge) takes two revolutions to administer the fraction. They line you up with lasers and images before, track the fiducials during the rotation (and the machine automatically holds the beam if you and/or your prostate move out of acceptable parameters), and they re-image between fractions. Took a little longer than the previous three treatments because during the second rotation the machine saw my prostate was not within parameters and it stopped. Took a couple minutes to start again.....the machine had to move me 1/10 (0.1) millimeter.....wow THAT'S accuracy!
Went for a 2.5 mile walk after treatment, little headache and a little fatigue last night. Reduced urine stream at 4:00am (only got up once), this morning stream is fine. Just finished 45 minutes of dumbbells and abs, off to walk 18 holes this aft.
We'll see how I feel after my final treatment tomorrow.....will feel guilty ringing the bell, but I will get over it!
I will report in again in the next day or three.
Still no Orgovyx side effects (just started week #4)
Stay Strong Brothers!

Jump to this post

I am with you as to coffee Brother! I like the charting of side effects....I need to get that going.

All the Best in the New Year!!

REPLY
rkurtzjr | @rkurtzjr | Dec 29, 2023
In reply to @mikewo "None at all till day 140 after last radiation treatment. Then I started getting some blood..." + (show)
@mikewo

None at all till day 140 after last radiation treatment. Then I started getting some blood smears on the sides of my feces. Some diarrhea from day 148 to day 155. I had two days that the toilet turned pink on day 182 and day 209 but nothing since that day. I did cut back on my blood thinners and aspirin. My urine flow has been great up till day 225 when I started getting an urge feeling after my morning coffee, but I refuse to give up my coffee. I did have the SpaceOar gel done. I have every side effect day charted so I don't go by memory. More start and stops but still doing ok especially in the afternoon when I switch over to water.

Jump to this post

Wow really late after last treatment.

Thx

REPLY
rkurtzjr | @rkurtzjr | Jan 2 1:45pm
In reply to @toolbelt "Update on yesterday's SBRT #4. The machine that is treating me (Varian Edge) takes two revolutions..." + (show)
@toolbelt

Update on yesterday's SBRT #4.
The machine that is treating me (Varian Edge) takes two revolutions to administer the fraction. They line you up with lasers and images before, track the fiducials during the rotation (and the machine automatically holds the beam if you and/or your prostate move out of acceptable parameters), and they re-image between fractions. Took a little longer than the previous three treatments because during the second rotation the machine saw my prostate was not within parameters and it stopped. Took a couple minutes to start again.....the machine had to move me 1/10 (0.1) millimeter.....wow THAT'S accuracy!
Went for a 2.5 mile walk after treatment, little headache and a little fatigue last night. Reduced urine stream at 4:00am (only got up once), this morning stream is fine. Just finished 45 minutes of dumbbells and abs, off to walk 18 holes this aft.
We'll see how I feel after my final treatment tomorrow.....will feel guilty ringing the bell, but I will get over it!
I will report in again in the next day or three.
Still no Orgovyx side effects (just started week #4)
Stay Strong Brothers!

Jump to this post

Did your sbrt machine use the daily adaptive radiation technique?

REPLY
1 reply
toolbelt | @toolbelt | Jan 2 1:57pm
In reply to @rkurtzjr "Did your sbrt machine use the daily adaptive radiation technique?" + (show)
@rkurtzjr

Did your sbrt machine use the daily adaptive radiation technique?

Jump to this post

Good question, I do not know the answer.

REPLY
toolbelt | @toolbelt | Jan 5 11:14am

For those Brothers currently doing, or are going to do SBRT here is an update. I will likely do a weekly (or there abouts) update.

I am on day32 of Orgovyx and have no side effects....yet....

Finished my 5th SBRT on December 28th. I had a Barrigel spacer placed. Other than first evening fatigue has not been a problem.
That evening I experienced slight fatigue. That night I got up to pee three times (one time had been typical for me).
Day 1 post treatment- Some urinary urgency. Started two Flomax a day.
Day 2- Only peed once that night, urgency improved.
Day 3- Did not need to pee overnight. Back to one Flomax.
Day 4 - GI urgency, some mucus passed, watery blood on toilet paper. Butt feels like it did after TRUS biopsy.
Day 5 – GI urgency/constipation, watery blood on TP, only peed once last night. Burning with urination. Butt still sore.
Day 6 – GI urgency/constipation, less blood on TP, burning on urination improving. Butt soreness decreasing.
Day 7 – GI greatly improved, butt soreness essentially gone. Urination burning gone. Peed three times last night
Day 8 - Two "urgency" episodes that I did not need to act on last night. A little constipated this morning. Urination is fine.

REPLY
7 replies
northoftheborder | @northoftheborder | Jan 5 9:07pm
In reply to @toolbelt "For those Brothers currently doing, or are going to do SBRT here is an update. I..." + (show)
@toolbelt

For those Brothers currently doing, or are going to do SBRT here is an update. I will likely do a weekly (or there abouts) update.

I am on day32 of Orgovyx and have no side effects....yet....

Finished my 5th SBRT on December 28th. I had a Barrigel spacer placed. Other than first evening fatigue has not been a problem.
That evening I experienced slight fatigue. That night I got up to pee three times (one time had been typical for me).
Day 1 post treatment- Some urinary urgency. Started two Flomax a day.
Day 2- Only peed once that night, urgency improved.
Day 3- Did not need to pee overnight. Back to one Flomax.
Day 4 - GI urgency, some mucus passed, watery blood on toilet paper. Butt feels like it did after TRUS biopsy.
Day 5 – GI urgency/constipation, watery blood on TP, only peed once last night. Burning with urination. Butt still sore.
Day 6 – GI urgency/constipation, less blood on TP, burning on urination improving. Butt soreness decreasing.
Day 7 – GI greatly improved, butt soreness essentially gone. Urination burning gone. Peed three times last night
Day 8 - Two "urgency" episodes that I did not need to act on last night. A little constipated this morning. Urination is fine.

Jump to this post

My first SBRT was 20 gy to the remnants of the metastasised tumour on my spine at T3. It left me with serious fatigue a couple of weeks later, and some permanent pain/nerve damage between my spine and shoulder (though much of that could be due to the earlier spinal-cord compression or the subsequent emergency debulking surgery). I was on Pregabalin for over 2 years to manage the nerve pain, and am only now just about titrated off it, after a few failed attempts earlier.

My second SBRT was 60 gy to the prostate itself. Like, you, I didn't experience any significant side effects at the time, though a year later some bladder damage surfaced, and gave me an awkward summer (peeing blood a few times, and never able to be far from a bathroom) until it magically cleared up in the fall.

REPLY
jackph | @jackph | Jan 6 12:50pm
In reply to @toolbelt "For those Brothers currently doing, or are going to do SBRT here is an update. I..." + (show)
@toolbelt

For those Brothers currently doing, or are going to do SBRT here is an update. I will likely do a weekly (or there abouts) update.

I am on day32 of Orgovyx and have no side effects....yet....

Finished my 5th SBRT on December 28th. I had a Barrigel spacer placed. Other than first evening fatigue has not been a problem.
That evening I experienced slight fatigue. That night I got up to pee three times (one time had been typical for me).
Day 1 post treatment- Some urinary urgency. Started two Flomax a day.
Day 2- Only peed once that night, urgency improved.
Day 3- Did not need to pee overnight. Back to one Flomax.
Day 4 - GI urgency, some mucus passed, watery blood on toilet paper. Butt feels like it did after TRUS biopsy.
Day 5 – GI urgency/constipation, watery blood on TP, only peed once last night. Burning with urination. Butt still sore.
Day 6 – GI urgency/constipation, less blood on TP, burning on urination improving. Butt soreness decreasing.
Day 7 – GI greatly improved, butt soreness essentially gone. Urination burning gone. Peed three times last night
Day 8 - Two "urgency" episodes that I did not need to act on last night. A little constipated this morning. Urination is fine.

Jump to this post

After SBRT (Proton) and ADT ( One shot, 4 month dose)

My most intense symptoms were 30 to 90 days out
Gi disturbance and a bout of rectal bleeding. Frequent urination. fatigue, hot flashes . Muscle loss. Weight loss, (9 lbs.)
After 120 days strength started to return, gi back to normal and hot flashes gone.
Lost 1 inch in high.
Developed back pain related to deconditioning.
6 months of PT and now personal training.
Feel fit, sleeping well and no gi or urinary symptoms.
Some back pain yet, although I am now very active.

REPLY
1 reply
toolbelt | @toolbelt | Jan 6 2:29pm
In reply to @jackph "After SBRT (Proton) and ADT ( One shot, 4 month dose) My most intense symptoms were..." + (show)
@jackph

After SBRT (Proton) and ADT ( One shot, 4 month dose)

My most intense symptoms were 30 to 90 days out
Gi disturbance and a bout of rectal bleeding. Frequent urination. fatigue, hot flashes . Muscle loss. Weight loss, (9 lbs.)
After 120 days strength started to return, gi back to normal and hot flashes gone.
Lost 1 inch in high.
Developed back pain related to deconditioning.
6 months of PT and now personal training.
Feel fit, sleeping well and no gi or urinary symptoms.
Some back pain yet, although I am now very active.

Jump to this post

Sounds like you are doing very well. We'll see where the road leads me...and when.
Stay Strong Brother.

REPLY
mikewo | @mikewo | Jan 6 5:09pm
In reply to @toolbelt "For those Brothers currently doing, or are going to do SBRT here is an update. I..." + (show)
@toolbelt

For those Brothers currently doing, or are going to do SBRT here is an update. I will likely do a weekly (or there abouts) update.

I am on day32 of Orgovyx and have no side effects....yet....

Finished my 5th SBRT on December 28th. I had a Barrigel spacer placed. Other than first evening fatigue has not been a problem.
That evening I experienced slight fatigue. That night I got up to pee three times (one time had been typical for me).
Day 1 post treatment- Some urinary urgency. Started two Flomax a day.
Day 2- Only peed once that night, urgency improved.
Day 3- Did not need to pee overnight. Back to one Flomax.
Day 4 - GI urgency, some mucus passed, watery blood on toilet paper. Butt feels like it did after TRUS biopsy.
Day 5 – GI urgency/constipation, watery blood on TP, only peed once last night. Burning with urination. Butt still sore.
Day 6 – GI urgency/constipation, less blood on TP, burning on urination improving. Butt soreness decreasing.
Day 7 – GI greatly improved, butt soreness essentially gone. Urination burning gone. Peed three times last night
Day 8 - Two "urgency" episodes that I did not need to act on last night. A little constipated this morning. Urination is fine.

Jump to this post

You are as anal as I am writing everything down in a log. I live with Excell spread sheets. I keep getting asked by the nurses and PAs were you an engineer. No, I just used a lot of statistics in my manufacturing career. Keep up the log as it is very helpful to a lot of us. How about sex drive and ejaculations?

REPLY
1 reply
northoftheborder | @northoftheborder | Jan 6 5:14pm
In reply to @toolbelt "For those Brothers currently doing, or are going to do SBRT here is an update. I..." + (show)
@toolbelt

For those Brothers currently doing, or are going to do SBRT here is an update. I will likely do a weekly (or there abouts) update.

I am on day32 of Orgovyx and have no side effects....yet....

Finished my 5th SBRT on December 28th. I had a Barrigel spacer placed. Other than first evening fatigue has not been a problem.
That evening I experienced slight fatigue. That night I got up to pee three times (one time had been typical for me).
Day 1 post treatment- Some urinary urgency. Started two Flomax a day.
Day 2- Only peed once that night, urgency improved.
Day 3- Did not need to pee overnight. Back to one Flomax.
Day 4 - GI urgency, some mucus passed, watery blood on toilet paper. Butt feels like it did after TRUS biopsy.
Day 5 – GI urgency/constipation, watery blood on TP, only peed once last night. Burning with urination. Butt still sore.
Day 6 – GI urgency/constipation, less blood on TP, burning on urination improving. Butt soreness decreasing.
Day 7 – GI greatly improved, butt soreness essentially gone. Urination burning gone. Peed three times last night
Day 8 - Two "urgency" episodes that I did not need to act on last night. A little constipated this morning. Urination is fine.

Jump to this post

One thing that might help: my radiation oncologist explained to me that the radiation keeps working for about six weeks after the SBRT treatments finish, which is why side-effects sometimes don't surface until then.

REPLY
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