Preparing for ADT + radiation: What are the do's and don'ts?

You need to add weightlifting with pretty high stress at least three times per week. It's even better if you can lift 4-5 times per week. All your current exercise is helpful, but it is weight lifting that really helps alleviate ADT side effects.

Been on Orgovyx for 7 months and had IMRT in Oct. You're doing more than I ever did and I'm fine. You should be even better. Best wishes.

You probably want to do situps as well. ADT like Orgovyx Weekends your stomach muscles and increases your belly fat. I do 65 to 70 situps three times a week when I go to the gym.

I am 78 now and run 1 mile twice a day every day. After I started doing this, I found these articles about the benefits of running and its ability to prevent cancer from spreading. I had to take electrolytes in the beginning to run a mile, but after doing it for a few months, my stamina built up and I didn’t eat the electrolytes anymore. Still do drink the most days..

Running and prostate cancer
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12535562/
https://bioengineer.org/exercise-conditioned-serum-inhibits-prostate-cancer-growth/

just be aware you may have some fatigue and hot flashes..the radiation does cause fatigue as does the Orgovyx...sometimes you just have to power thru it and suddenly you feel better...stay hydrated...stay positive...all the PC articles point to men who are otherwise healthy and active do better long term..but you may experience some down days. we all have..but stay with the program...check in here if you hit a snag- reach out here. Lots of experience here, courage and determination...and you have it in you as well ! good luck !!

If you are getting routine colonoscopies, at least some ROs want one within a year of starting radiation.

A problem is if a gastroenterologist is doing a colonoscopy too soon after a patient has been radiated, they might find disturbing looking things in the rectum that can be expected after radiation. Also if colon cancer is found, it takes priority over prostate cancer.

Have been on Orgovyx beginning Jam 19 2026, side effects so far are ED and sore muscles and back. I walk 4 miles in the morning 2 miles late afternoon, exercise then ride stationary bike 35 minutes every night.
March 23 I begin 28 treatments of Radiation. Was wondering, from your personal experience, what side effects to expect knowing that every one is different.
Thank you all and praying for all!

I didn't have any side effects from radiation. For the record, mine was directed at the prostate bed. ADT(as you know) can cause pretty bad ones. Keep up the walking and other exercises. That will definitely help going forward! Best of luck to you!!!

Doug

Did you have any treatment before the radiation?

I had around eight weeks of salvage radiation 3 1/2 years after my surgery. I had it early in the morning and went right to work after, never even noticed it. They are now reducing the number of sessions, but increasing the amount of radiation in each session. That seems to cause some urinary issues for a lot of people. Those issues only last a few months and taking flowmax seems to resolve the problems for most people.

Some of the people that had radiation at the same time I did tell me that it really made them tired and they had to sit in their cars and recover before they could drive home.

Sometimes people have even more severe side effects, but they are not common. Having a barrier like SpaceOAR, Barrigel, or BioProtect can prevent rectal issues that cause some people to have to go multiple times a day or have severe diarrhea.

I had 28 sessions of proton radiation (during April-May 2021), SpaceOAR Vue, and 6 months of hormone therapy.
After every radiation session, on the way home I would first stop by the gym for 1-1/2 hours of weightlifting; on alternating days I would either swim laps for 35-45 minutes or jog a 5K. (No fatigue at all; but, slept well due to the ramped up exercise regimen.)

I only had 1 day of adverse side-effects during my 28 sessions. On the 3rd day of treatment, I had urinary issues. My RO told me that with some men there’s an inflammatory response to the radiation, and if that inflammation is near the urethra can cause the issues that I was experiencing. He recommended that I take 2 Tamsulosin/day for the remainder of the treatments. Everything cleared up by the next day; I haven’t had any issues since.

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.

As for the hormone therapy side-effects, they were greatly minimized by following a rigorous resistance-training exercise program. (I only experienced low libido, muscle atrophy, and mild warm flashes.)

You’ll do well with your radiation. Just lay still and let them do all the heavy lifting.

@brianjarvis What do you consider to be appropriate "resistance training" ? When I get home form work, I work in an office so I am sedentary, I play Wii games for 1/2 hour to stretch along with 90 pushups and 100 situps every night. I was beginning to hit a "wall" while riding my stationary bike, my thighs would ache but, it seems I have crossed that point and overall, feel pretty good. TY for the response