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Last day of Radiation: Not feeling the expected emotions of relief

Posted by johndavis60 @johndavis60, Nov 7, 2025

Today was my last day of radiation. I got to ring the bell, and everyone was smiling and saying “congratulations“. We also took pictures. I know I’m supposed to feel happy, relieved or some other positive feeling, but I don’t. I feel like I’m just closer to the next failed treatment and the day where my doctors tell me there is nothing else they can do. Is this kind of normal or am I just a weirdo? Any advise from those who have already gone through this is welcome. 🙂 Thanks!

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bonanzaman | @bonanzaman | Nov 10, 2025
In reply to @heavyphil "@bonanzaman Good find…read about a man in England being ‘cured’ with this type of therapy, but..." + (show)
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@bonanzaman Good find…read about a man in England being ‘cured’ with this type of therapy, but with just one cycle of hormones.
Reminds me of an old woman who laughed at me many years ago when she saw a nasty case of poison ivy on my arm. She told me that her children never got it because she made them EAT it in the early spring.
I figured she must be demented because if it did this to my arm, what would it do to the mucous membranes of my throat??!!
But advocates of homeopathic medicine swear by this approach of treating disease with the agent that causes it; they even sell poison Ivy capsules so you don’t have to forage…weird huh??
And NO, I never tried it!!😂😂

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@heavyphil , I keep looking at what I can to after my cancer wakes up again, this is something the PC doctors won't do as it's not part of their approved protocol. With that being said, I've read some doctors are going off label with the testosterone doses required and using the procedure. I don't know what's the downside at this point.
I'm wondering what it would be like to have testosterone again in my system, I hope I get to find out someday.
I've read stories about people eating poison ivy and swelling up so much that it kills them, not my idea of a cure.

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kenk1962 | @kenk1962 | Nov 10, 2025

I had the five-fraction SBRT radiation regimen at Mayo for my Gleason 4+3=7. It was so short and so easy that I didn't feel I had "earned the right" to ring the bell at the end.

Perhaps if I had more treatments/fractions I would have felt differently.

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asolidrock | @asolidrock | Nov 10, 2025
In reply to @jeffmarc "You read my poem, I describe the feelings you are having. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/an-ode-to-prostate-cancer/ Even if radiation is..." + (show)
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You read my poem, I describe the feelings you are having.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/an-ode-to-prostate-cancer/
Even if radiation is what you are doing now, currently, it can just be the next step in a long life of treatment. I didn’t know what would happen after each Reoccurrence, but they never did mean it was the end.

It’s been 12 years since I finished my 8+ weeks of salvage radiation treatment. Yes, it came back 2 1/2 years after radiation, But I went on Lupron and when it failed Biclutamide Followed by Zytiga, followed by Nubeqa.

The drugs are getting better, By the time you hit the 12 year mark, if you ever do, they’ll have something that will probably almost completely cure it.

Now is not time to panic.

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Jeffmarc you are always so encouraging with your years of experience

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jc76 | @jc76 | Dec 26, 2025

@johndavis60
I see your original post on this was back on November 7th. How are you doing now?

With me my experience was okay relief that now got to my naps again instead of my drive to/from UFHPTI and my treatments. I was told by my doctors and from my research there are so many new treatments for prostate cancer if mine came back my medical doctors could treat it. Almost every day I read new and exciting new therapies being developed. Hopefully one day prevention will be what we are posting as new treatments.

I don't see from your post if you only had radiation. Did you have ADT? If so that hormone treatment can really play with your moods and how you feel. I did not have ADT but commenting on what others have posted about the affect of ADT on them. Some report little affect some a lot. It depends on the individual just like any medication.

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