SRT Completed And Now The Wait

Finally finished the 33rd treatment today.  No fanfare, no bell ringing just the relief  of knowing this grueling seven week session is behind me now.  So far the side effects have been fairly mild.  Biggest issue has been fatigue which completely drains me.  Urgency for bladder and  bowel is more pronounced...when I got to go...I got to go!  I have started Pyridium because of the burning in my bladder.  While I have taken it before, this particular version turned my urine red and startled me the first time because I thought I was bleeding.  And so now I wait and wait and wait.  Anyone have any tips on how to spend my time, other than worrying, for the next few months while I wait to see what the future holds?  Oh, I forgot to mention this, but back in June for my 60th birthday my wife made up a t-shirt for me that says "Cancer Sucks".  No truer words have ever been written or spoken.

Jim

jim,

Congratulations on getting through that. I'm afraid it will always be in the back of your mind, sometimes in the forefront, as you wait. I acknowledge that those feelings are there and I don't suppress them, but I breathe through them if I feel anxious. It will probably diminish with time.

As you've probably learned, wear black underwear when taking Pyridium - everything else will permanently stain orange. It's also a good idea to sit down to pee because even tiny splashing droplets will stain everything.

- Allen

Tdnjam: Know how you feel. Off to Seattle on the 28th for the first PSA anxiety report. In the mean time I have added a necessary new hobby of shedding some unwanted weight.

I am curious to know at what point and by what means your were notified of your capsular penetration.

I sincerely hope you will soon be a member of the undetectables.

tdnjam,

My statistics are close to yours, but no Capsular penetration. Did your urologist or radiologist mention anything about taking a course of hormone therapy during your SRT?

Congratulation on completing your SRT ordeal.

Glad you are done. My SRT ended in 2009, 5 years ago, and I still remember every agonizing detail since it went terribly wrong. Glad yours went well.

For some post SRT, the fatigue will fade, and for others, it will hang around. Listen to your body closely now that you are done, and if you are fatigued, and able to, take naps when needed instead of fighting it. Took me a while to learn that lesson after being dx. with chronic fatigue syndrome. Now I don't fight naps, if I am tired, I simply lay down regardless of the time of day.

Hope you pull some good numbers, and that the radiation for you, worked at ridding you of the rest of your cancer.

David

David, thanks for the encouraging words. I thought about you nearly every treatment. Could not help but getting a little nervous after knowing what you were put through and always wondering. Oh and I have learned the benefit of a good nap. Really do feel rejuvenated even if it is only ten or fifteen minutes.

Kris, thank you for your encouragement as well.

Tdnjam

The time passes slowly, but it will go. I am now 4 weeks post SRT, with hormone therapy. The fatigue is dissipating, as is the burning bladder. Burning bladder is taking far longer to subside than I hoped, but at least I can go to the loo now without groaning! Am close to pre SRT fatigue levels now, and hoping that a week away from home will aid this.

Chin up - you done the hard yards now!

tdnjam,

Thanks for the replay concerning HRT. We are all wishing your PSA goes down to zero!

Take care,
Nick

Tdnjam,

I'm afraid the wait is for the rest of our lives. I finished SRT about 2 1/2 years ago. PSA undetectable since then, feel fortunate, but I don't feel "cured." Cancer is tenacious, lurks, you can never be sure. Most Americans will die of cardiac related disease or cancer. Best wishes on your SRT results for the rest of your life.

NewspaperLover