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Side effects of RT

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Posted 2/20/2016 2:42 PM (GMT 0)
Hello,

I will be starting 7 weeks of IGRT March 7 along with the continuation of my HT. Completed the 6 treatments of Chemo 2 weeks ago. Surgery was last June.

I visited the RO and she laid out the possible side effects but I always get better info from this forum.

Can anyone give me some tips on this next chapter.

My level of activity has been lower due I believe to the HT and the physical changes are pretty obvious. Loss of muscle, much less strength, and of course a big set of man boobs. I am trying my best to keep on an exercise program.


Thanks in advance
Posted 2/20/2016 3:33 PM (GMT 0)
You're going to be fine. The SEs are manageable. Best thing to do is complain a lot to the RO and staff. Most SEs you encounter during treatment have easy remedies or can be eased greatly. Don't suffer in silence.

Stuff I encountered:
Urgency
Loss bowels - don't trust a fart, could be more than gas.
Fatigue, exercise as much as you can. walking is very good.
I had internal hemorrhoids before treatment, they got worse had to use the suppositories to keep them under control.
Learned dislike drinking water.
Learned how long it took for a cup of tea turned into and urgent need to pee.

sadly, my hope for a third eye or third hand never came to pass. Also, I never glowed at night. I had hopes that the radiation would turn me into a human nightlight, sigh ... didn't happen.

Hang in there, it's an endurance test, but you can do it.
Andrew
Posted 2/20/2016 7:30 PM (GMT 0)
Mine were manageable. I had stomach issues and fatigue. Was back to the new normal after a few weeks post SRT. Still have some urgency issues but all is OK.
Posted 2/20/2016 8:06 PM (GMT 0)
Side effects of salvage RT are different from primary RT. Acute urinary side effects include frequency, urgency, and burning. Medications can help with those. Because they are radiating the anastomosis, you can experience both incontinence and urinary retention at the same time. Acute rectal side effects include frequency, urgency, tenesmus, bleeding, and hemorrhoids. Erectile function may deteriorate. If they are treating your pelvic lymph nodes, you may experience bowel problems. It's rare, but go to the ER if you can't pee or if you bleed copiously. Tell your RO if you experience pain during the treatments.

I hope you are taking tamoxifen for the man boobs. Exercise during treatments is especially important to combat fatigue, improve mood, protect healthy tissue and help the radiation do its job.

- Allen
Posted 2/20/2016 9:30 PM (GMT 0)
Do the man boobs go away after radiation is over?
Posted 2/20/2016 9:37 PM (GMT 0)
The man boobs are not from the radiation (in fact, radiation of the chest wall has been used to prevent it). The man boobs are from the HT. Tamoxifen 20 mg has been known to prevent it, and the 10 mg dose is very effective at preventing it.

- Allen
Posted 2/20/2016 9:45 PM (GMT 0)
But do the man boobs go away?
Posted 2/20/2016 10:43 PM (GMT 0)
It depends on how long you've had them. After a while they get fibrotic, and then only cortisone injections or surgery can remove them. Tamoxifen 20 mg can reduce them if they're recent. It's especially a problem with anti-androgens (e.g., bicalutamide or Xtandi). Not as big a problem with GnRH agonists or antagonists (like Lupron or Firmagon) because you don't get an estrogen build-up with those. It's a lot easier to prevent than to get rid of later.

- Allen
Posted 2/20/2016 11:25 PM (GMT 0)
I completed 39 treatments of IGRT (72 grays total) two days after this past Christmas (not the best present!) I was prepared for the worse but everyone at the hospital's radiation center from the radiation oncologist, oncology nurse and all of the radiation techs told me that problems rarely occur. Everybody there told me to do exactly like I do everyday, do not change my routine and keep my normal diet, and if a side effect occurs then we can make adjustments. They were right, I can tell you I had zero side effects, no diarrhea, no urgency, no rectal and no skin problems.

I might have experience a minor fatigue towards the end, but being so active if there was fatigue, it didn't cause any problems.

The only instructions they gave me was try to have a full bladder and if possible an empty colon. I thought that would be a problem but it wasn't. And during the initial daily cone beam CT prior to the radiation the techs can make adjustment to the plan to minimize radiation to the bladder or colon.

Bottom line, for me it was a non-event. PERIOD.
Posted 2/20/2016 11:48 PM (GMT 0)
Be sure to pick a good RO and team. I got bad damage to rectum causing rectal bleeding which required ablation. I still get bleeding . It was worse a year later. Other side effects like gastrointestinal problems occurred as well.
Bob
Posted 2/21/2016 4:20 AM (GMT 0)
TA has summarized the situation well. My daily journey through ART is described in the thread linked in my sig.

BUT, for me the current issues are trying to fix enough of the long term ART damage to my bladder and urethra that I can live more than a few weeks at a time without a catheter.

Yes, at 5 years out from ART, the side effects are just standing in line to hit me. I am currently in hyperbaric oxygen treatments.

The colo-rectal damage is there, but not as severe. It will have to be addressed eventually.

What I'm seeing is that RT side effects take years to become issues, but when they do ....
Posted 2/24/2016 5:30 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the info....I will come back for more info after I get rolling.
Posted 2/25/2016 4:27 PM (GMT 0)
My RO said no peanuts, no popcorn, low or no fiber, no spicy foods. basically meat and potatoes. the SE didn't really show up until the last few weeks and then for about a week to ten days after. the big surprise was that tomato sauce was too spicy.
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