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What to expect from aRT?

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Posted 7/10/2015 12:06 AM (GMT 0)
Just got an appointment with the radiation oncologist at MD Anderson for the end of the month and I'm anticipating starting the six or eight week treatment process hopefully mid-August or so. My question for the experienced radiation folks is what are the side effects going to be. I think somebody mentioned loose stools after a couple of weeks and tiredness but is that pretty much it? How tired do most get? Are you tired to the point of being incapable of doing your normal stuff? How long post treatment (after the 6 or 8 week regimen) does the tiredness last? When do you feel all chipper again?
Posted 7/10/2015 1:51 AM (GMT 0)
You'll get all kinds of wacky stuff happening. Bowel trouble is common. If you have hemorrhoids they'll get slightly worse. Fatigue doesn't hit everyone, but hit me hard, daily walking seems to help keep that at bay. The daily grind of treatments can get a bit mentally tiring.

The SEs build up over time. During the first few weeks you won't notice much, but by the end you'll start seeing things. I had a few weird muscle tremors in my leg for awhile and fatigue hit me bad by the end. During the whole time I kept working and my normal routines. It wasn't until the last few days that I felt the need to rest a lot and take a couple of days off work.

After treatment things recover quickly. However, watch out for depression post treatment. There is something about the RT that can throw your body and brain out of wack and you might need some help getting back to normal. I needed some sleeping pills for a week to help get my sleep schedule rest.

Exercise, doing things you enjoy, and so on go a long way to help you recover fast.

It's a bit of a endurance test, but you'll get through just fine.

Andrew
Posted 7/10/2015 4:38 AM (GMT 0)
I've been doing my own clinical trial by advising guys who are going in for any kind of radiation to see a proctologist first to get rid of any internal hemorrhoids that may be lying in wait, ready to flare up from the radiation. So far none of them have had any rectal bleeding. It's only a sample size of 3, however.

Exercise, plenty of it - both cardio and weights - will help prevent fatigue. Don't take it easy.

Your RO should be able to give you a list of side effects that are common, like rectal and urinary frequency and urgency, as well as the more significant ones that may occur because of the previous surgery, like urinary retention, incontinence and fistula, so that there will be no surprises. He will also tell you what to do for them, including meds you can take, and when to get help.
Posted 7/10/2015 4:48 AM (GMT 0)
Yeah - I wish I'd been more proactive about getting my internal hemorrhoids dealt with before RT. I ended up having a lot of trouble with that end for a long time.

and while you're doing the treatment don't be afraid to complain. They can do a lot make things easier or as my RO often said, "We have potions and lotions."

and don't trust a fart - could be more than air in there.
Andrew
Posted 7/10/2015 1:15 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks so much guys! As a matter of fact, I'm getting the camera up the butt thing done next Wednesday, I've had trouble with some off and on rectal bleeding for years. My urologist said to get those things taken of before aRT.

With my RARP surgery, I was expecting and prepared for all sorts of the usual continence issues but none of that fortunately happened. Maybe I'll get lucky with minimal aRT side effects.
Posted 7/10/2015 2:00 PM (GMT 0)
I did a daily journal of of ART. Pretty much confirms what the rest of the guys have told you. It is linked in my signature.
Posted 7/10/2015 2:39 PM (GMT 0)
The most common -- almost universal -- side effects are fatigue and 'rhoids. Sounds like you're doing what you can for the hemorrhoids but if the problem does pop up during treatment be sure to talk to your RO about it. Mine gave me some magic cortisone suppositories that were surprisingly helpful. As for the fatigue, like the Tall one said, exercise helps; it minimizes the fatigue and for the fatigue it doesn't eliminate it at least allows you to take ownership. The other thing I recommend for the fatigue is the "buddy system" for watching TV. You will reliably fall asleep during the last few minutes of your favorite shows and will need someone to tell you whodunit and how they were caught.
Posted 7/10/2015 2:46 PM (GMT 0)
My first day, one of the guys who was about at the end of the cycle asked if I watched the 10pm news. I said yes. He said "you'll not be seeing that much anymore, be sure to watch at 6!"

He was right.
Posted 7/10/2015 3:07 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks guys! Sometimes I'm so tired (we're on a small ranch with lots going on at times) I'm in bed by 9:30P, wonder what it will be like when I get nuked?

Nobody has mentioned how long it took to feel 100% after the series of RT - when will I probably feel like myself after the last treatment?
Posted 7/10/2015 3:44 PM (GMT 0)
I wouldn't worry too much about the fatigue keeping you from doing your ranch chores. Radiation sort of increases your "inertia" from a physics point of view: Inertia is "the tendency of an object in motion to remain in motion, or an object at rest to remain at rest." As long as you keep moving you're OK. But if you let yourself slow down...

As for how long after treatments the fatigue lingers, it was about a month for me. I think that's fairly typical. Call it four to six weeks for it to taper off to where you don't notice it any more.
Posted 7/10/2015 5:26 PM (GMT 0)
^^ Perfect ^^ thanks again!
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