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IMRT, 14 treatments so far...

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Posted 7/22/2013 8:39 PM (GMT 0)
Hello!
Enjoy this forum! Thank you all for sharing...
I had my 14th IMRT today.
I'm not a happy camper, sorry to say...
For over a week I'm having urinary and now rectal symptoms: frequency, pain/burning/delay in peeing. BM's hurt during the passing, it burns right after for a while. I have hemorroids. I'm having some rectal bleeding. Don't know if secondary to the hemorrhoids or if a SE of IMRT.
I'll ask my RO tomorrow, but maybe I ask you guys also:
How do we (the doctors, etc) know that the tecnicians/physicists are doing a good job. At utsw (dallas) the RO's aren't seen at the "controls" of RT. Can we trust the tecnicians?
I get one scan a week. Of course, I have 3 gold seeds + 2 tatoos they use as guidelines to position me on the table.
Why do I have so many SE so early? Could they be "shooting"me in the wrong places?
Will these SE get worse?
One guy in this website wrote that he was mishandled and ended up with polyps, etc. in his bladder...Or maybe bladder ca, can't tell x sure.
Of course I'm a worry wart, I know, but then, crap happens, doesn't it?
Do you guys know what happens physically to the prostate after the RT: does it shrink?, does it "dissolve", or what?
Thank you x your patience...:-)
Locolindo
Posted 7/22/2013 10:20 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like we're on about the same plan, and about the same timetable.  I just had #17 of 44 today.  Are you having IMRT as primary treatment, or as salvage therapy?

Last week, at about #12, I was having some similar symptoms, particularly urinary burning/urgency.  I've had constipation, and painful BM once last week that seemed to make a hemorroid angry.  It's been getting better since, though.

My RO said yep, around the 3rd week it's typical for such things to develop.  I cut out coffee almost completely, and it almost completely eliminated the urinary burning/urgency.  The difference was quite noticeable (coffee acidifies the urine and irritates things).  Also, an ibuprofen at night helps me sleep better since it quiets down the developing sensitivity of the bladder neck/prostate area.

BM things should be attended to, since you don't want it to become a chronic problem.  I'm on soluble fiber tablets, adding more, and today the RO suggested adding Colace to soften things up until the discomfort is resolved.

Definitely talk to your RO.  They want you to be successful too.

Oh, and there are many layers of trust in this whole treatment process.  The techs lining up the dots is only one of the possible areas to screw up.  Every day, I check the monitor as I'm laying down to be sure at least my name is up there on the treatment program loaded in the machine.  Do you feel them jog the table a bit after they do your x-ray positioning images, and does the gantry swing position a few degrees before the delivery begins?  That tells me they're lining up the dots.

For what it's worth, I feel better now than I did at this time last week.  Not sure why, but I'll take it!

Posted 7/22/2013 10:44 PM (GMT 0)
locolindo,
From my own experience, your SEs are not unusual. Radiation will definitely make hemorrhoids angry. I started using moisturized wipes -- that was a life saver. In fact, I liked them so much, I still use them in addition to plain toilet paper. I also got a prescription for Locoid creme. That also helped a lot. For me, the worst of it hit the first two weeks after I finished treatments. And, then, thankfully, the SEs cleared up very quickly. Good luck!
Southern Comfort
Posted 7/23/2013 1:50 AM (GMT 0)
The side effects you are describing are very common and your RO can help with them. Mine gave me a scrip for cortisone suppositories that helped a lot with the 'rhoids.
Posted 7/23/2013 2:06 AM (GMT 0)
Welcome, Loco.

Sorry you are going through all of this. Assuming you are having RT for a primary treatment? How many sessions are you scheduled for?

All of those side effects can easily happen with radiation, but not all people get them. Really varies patient to patient, some people are more sensitive to radiation then others.

I had salvage radiation after my surgery failed, and it was administered incorrectly, and my bladder and bladder neck were severely burned and damaged by the radiation. In the end, my bladder had to be by-passed, and I ended up with an Urostomy (stoma). This might be rare and extreme, but it can happen.

I was fortunate that I never really had any rectal issues with my radiation, I honestly think my unprotected bladder took the full blunt of the radiation.

Hope some of your side effects will improve, and many of this should improve in the days and weeks upon completion. There is much more that your RO can do to help you through this.

RT is definitely an endurance contest, you are a good part through yours, hope the rest goes better, and soon this will be behind you.

Let us know how you continue to do.

David
Posted 7/23/2013 3:07 AM (GMT 0)
During my time being micro-waved, I was given medications to help reduce rectal irritation and to increase blood flow during my 30 sessions. Trental and Carafate. Are you taking any meds for the treatment? If you went in with roids, ask your doc about steroidal suppositories?

Drink plenty of water, preferably spring water. Eliminate foods and drinks that are bladder irritants. For me. strong urinary symptoms, mild burning, frequency and urge, as for the rear, some intense bouts of diarrhea but no pain with it.

As for the accuracy of the treatment? only as good as the facility you've chosen, I went with DART which is supposed to make real time adjustments to accommodate for movement. Do they have updated machines, serviced regularly? RO has a good rep, track record, recommended, complaints? All part of the due diligence you do, prior to submitting to treatment.

Talk to your RO, they need to assist you in getting relief and to answer any questions and/or concerns you have..hang in there
Posted 7/23/2013 1:18 PM (GMT 0)
More personal info: I'm 76, on AS x 4 yr, two previous bx were "inconclusive", (no actual ca cells) and then this year: BOOM!, 2 lobes involved, Gleason 4+3 and 3+4 in only 2 samples (5%) and (20%) respectively.
Thank you all...
I'll do F/U of my saga...
Purgatory: I admire you for seemingly being so composed after they did you so wrong! You're an example for me...You're happy that your rectum was spared but they messed up your bladder so badly? Yeaks!!!
Posted 7/23/2013 2:27 PM (GMT 0)
thank you, loco.

like you, I had 2 previous bx. that were negative, the 3rd one was the charm.

that one "mistake" that was made during my SRT experience by my RO, has forever changed my life. It left me fully disabled, in my 3rd year of chronic pain, and peeing from a hole in my side into a plastic bag isn't the greatest of things. but it could have been worse.

I sincerely hope you are through the worse of your situation, and when the RT ends, you will quickly mend from some of those side effects. Most men do fortunately. And more importantly, hope it blasts every last cancer cell out of your body.

My best to you,

david
Posted 7/23/2013 4:00 PM (GMT 0)
I had some problems very early, about the 3rd or 4th session. I got an inflamed hemmohroid so painful I didn't know if I could continue. It was like a 9.5 out of 10 on the pain scale when I had a BM. I asked for some cortisone suppositories and began using a gentle bowel softener along with the suppositories morning and night. Took about a week but the hemmorhoid relaxed and I felt much better. After the 10th session or so I had no side effects except for some slight burning on urinating.

You really need to talk with your RO to get something to help with the hemmonroids. If nothing helps and the pain gets worse I think that may be a red flag. Don't want to scare you but you don't want to be another purgatory.
Posted 7/23/2013 4:01 PM (GMT 0)
Hope the sx clear soon. Keep your eye on the prize.
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