Need advice on side effects during IMRT

I had 44 treatments. Some fatigue followed each one, but a brief nap was restorative.

You may be a little more tired than normal, but not likely seriously so. I'm not sure about urinary urgency effects in salvage radiation. As my primary, I felt increased urgency but mostly toward the end. I felt like I needed to "go" about every 1.5 hours. If it's similar for you, I think you could do the class ok.

Good luck!

I was able to function fine during my treatments. Fatigue hits people differently. I had a bad case by the end and needed a few days rest. A few extra naps and a lot of walking helps.

I did have problems with urgency during treatment, but learned to plan my drinking around meetings - if I knew I had an hour long meeting, I wouldn't drink water or caffeinated drinks within 30-40 minutes of the meeting.

It takes a bit of adjustments and fine tuning as you go, but you can do it.
Andrew

I did a 40 treatment course. For me, during the period of the treatment, fatigue was debilitating but no issues with incontinenece. I suspect I could have handled a 90 minute class once a week if I actually knew anything worth teaching . The fatigue mostly cleared up shortly after the treatment, at least to the levels I was accustomed to and nore easily able to deal with from ADT. Good luck with your trearment.

Ron

hello ....my 45 fractions ...81 gys. was a non event.....NO fatigue....maybe a little choppy bm`s, but nothing bad or something to be worried about ....it was all VERY EASY and nothing like I thought it would be. No urinary issues....this is what I feared the most because I had such a weak stream......now I take the generic flomax once a day and sometimes every other day and everything is flowing fine. Everyone is going to experience it a little different, but overall, I think most would agree that you will be able to carry on with no worries. .....Good luck .....David

Steve-

You are having SRT and many people who answered had RT as primary treatment so the prostate blocked a lot of the radiation.

I had 35 fractions, 70 Gy, SRT and had some urinary issues and bowel issues. The sudden urges I had were mainly because of the full bladder I had for radiation, otherwise not so much. I still get up more during the night to urinate than I used to.

Also, I had what they call "radiation craps" and am still having bowel issues 3 months post radiation. Not the end of the world, but I have a bowel movements 4-5 times a day compared with one movement pre-radiation.

Bobby Mac

You'll probably be fine for your class. Most guys report fatigue but it seldom seems to keep them from doing needful things. The main effect on me was that I took a lot of unscheduled naps. I worked full time through my seven weeks of treatment but tended to fall asleep watching television.

What sort of bathroom issues is your wife worried about? Urinary issues are usually fairly mild. Some urgency but that may come from all the water they want you to drink so your bladder is full during the treatment sessions. Bowel issues are also fairly minor. The radiation causes a bit of gooey mucus in one's stools that is odd but harmless except that the mucus tends to make one's farts untrustworthy. The final bathroom issue is hemorrhoids. If you've got 'em then the radiation will make them worse. If you develop 'rhoid problems tell your RO. (S)He can hook you up with some cortisone suppositories that can make you good as new.

I did 37 treatments, and it was a non-event. The first treatment was stressful, but routine set in. Make sure you go with a full bladder and empty bowel. I used to chug 16 ounces of water about 45 minutes before my treatment, and then take a crap. It's hard to crap on demand, but nervousness helped push it through. I had no major side effects.

Good luck,
Paul

There is a daily diary of my igrt sessions linked in my signature. Fatigue was a big one.