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Starting radiation on Monday, looking for advice

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Prostate Cancer
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Posted 9/16/2018 1:41 PM (GMT 0)
40 here.

Each of us gets individual instructions from our radiation oncologist as to how we should prep. Mine were an EMPTY bladder due to the location/position of the positive surgical margin and the point of contact between a tumor ECE and my colons' outer surface.

I get up at 4:15 AM, bowels were empty before 8 (sometimes later now, after RT) so that wasn't an issue.

The wife and I were just remembering the RT fatigue at breakfast 1/2 hour ago. 9 PM and I went to sleep right where I was and became very difficult to waken to move.
Posted 9/16/2018 1:45 PM (GMT 0)
Your RO should have some sort of hand-out with instructions and advice. My RO had me on 2 drugs, 1 to increase blood flow to the pelvic area and 1 to protect the colon.

I was told no caffeine, spicy foods, carbonated drinks, etc.. eat bland foods, just common sense stuff to avoid irritants to the bladder and colon. No mention of colon status, normal morning bowel movement, why leave the house with a full load?

The treatment for me caused urinary urgency and it was a long drive. I needed a way to urinate while driving without having to stop, got pretty creative
Posted 9/16/2018 3:10 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks again for all the thoughts and advise. Tomorrow is a dry run at the radiation center and treatments start Tuesday. I am planning on making a list of questions for tomorrow based on the feedback from everyone. My plan for daily routine during treatment will be to walk 3.5 miles in the morning. Drink 32oz of lemon water after walk to hydrate and induce bowel movement. Shower and leave for treatment center by 9:00am. The drive to the treatment center will be about 1 hour and 15 minutes. I plan to bring water with me in the car and drink during the drive. Based on your feedback, I will probably need to adjust volume and timing of water to find the right combination. After treatments each day, I plan to continue my current daily routine of golf or tennis in the afternoon and maybe a shorter walk at night with my better half. I am hoping by having a structured plan and staying as active as possible that the fatigue will be minimized. I have not figured out my eating schedule yet but I am thinking of eating nothing or just something small before treatment and then eating lunch after. Once again thanks to everyone that takes their personal time to read the posts and share their personal thoughts and experiences. regards MJ
Posted 9/16/2018 4:39 PM (GMT 0)

MJ1961 said...
....I am thinking of eating nothing or just something small before treatment and then eating lunch after.....

That's what I did, MJ, and it worked like a charm.

Light dinner, no breakfast, RT, then a big lunch. Stayed active and no weight gain. Good luck on your dry run.
Posted 9/17/2018 10:50 AM (GMT 0)
Don't worry to much about the colon issues. They will do a scan of your innards before each session and will be able to tell you if gas is a problem. If there is too much gas, they will urge you to fart. They will also tell you if the bladder is not full enough. I had that a couple of times, but the solution was simply to wait ten minutes, and then it was full!
Posted 9/17/2018 11:25 AM (GMT 0)
A portable male urinal comes in handy too.....wink
Posted 9/17/2018 11:50 AM (GMT 0)
An hour and fifteen minutes is a long ride home post-radiation. All the liquid you drank to fill the bladder will continue to work its way to your bladder. I would plan on a break on the way home.
Posted 9/17/2018 2:13 PM (GMT 0)
If you watch whodunits on TV you should ask someone who watches the same show to keep a notebook handy to jot down who the bad guy was and how they were caught. Everyone talks about the fatigue that comes once you get a few weeks into the radiation. It's not that bad, actually. It doesn't slow you down while you are out and about but when you settle down in your comfy chair in the evening, dim the lights and turn on the tube... well... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Posted 9/17/2018 9:34 PM (GMT 0)
True; fatigue typically shows up in the later phase of treatment.
Posted 9/18/2018 9:18 PM (GMT 0)
First treatment today was uneventful. I was in and out in 20 minutes. Thanks to all for helping me develop a solid plan for my treatments. - MJ
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