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Radiation Side Effects: pain managment

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Posted 10/31/2017 7:14 PM (GMT 0)
Greetings All

I am nearing the end of a 5 treatment plan of SHARP radiation therapy. Like SBRT or the Cyberknife.

After the 2nd treatment I had already started having some very painful and difficult urinary symptoms.

I have Pyridium and flowmax and using ibuprofen. For the stinging pains and aching in my penis, sometimes at night just lying there.....these meds really help but there are times there is still quite a bit of pain.

Besides Opioids which I don't want to get started with (constipation and other issues)

Are there any non medical things I can do...warm baths, Good film noir movies (kidding but I do love them to take my mind off of things)


Just being proactive as I know these and other SE can increase after treatment.

Want to be armed and ready!

Thanks
Posted 10/31/2017 10:32 PM (GMT 0)
The only side effects I had were tiredness and just a bit of diarrhea. An afternoon nap of one to two hours was my solution., the bowel problem resolved itself.
Posted 10/31/2017 10:40 PM (GMT 0)
You are lucky!
Posted 10/31/2017 10:40 PM (GMT 0)
They gave me pyridium and flowmax after brachy to control things. But I had no pain issues at all during or after SBRT. Side effects yes, pain no. Maybe you should talk to your RO and get their take on the pain issue you’re having.
Posted 10/31/2017 10:42 PM (GMT 0)
They say some have major pain some have none and everything in between.
Posted 10/31/2017 11:30 PM (GMT 0)
short of Opioids you have the NSIADs like ibuprofen and acetaminophen (Tylenol) and film noir movies.

You might want to have a conversation with the doc about which is most effective. You might try Tylenol or you might need more iburpofen then the bottle allows (check with the doc on dosage). There are also other NSIADs that might be helpful - some require a perscription. If the pain is near the surface, you might ask for a numbing gel for temp relief.

Trying to distract your mind could be helpful. A good adult beverage can also help when used in moderation.

Andrew

Andrew
Posted 11/1/2017 12:42 AM (GMT 0)
Not sure this would help you or is even pertinent to the specific issues you are having but I firmly believe my side effects were reduced in intensity by regular exercise, before, during, and after treatment. My preferred activity is bike riding but I also walked alot when riding was not practical. I'm not saying that exercise has been proven to reduce radiation side effects just that it is my opinion that it was helpful in my case. I wish you the best.
Posted 11/1/2017 1:20 AM (GMT 0)
Fuzz,
Hang in there. I was warned that I might expect some burning on urinating as a side effect and was give a script for Flowmax. Although I did have some mild burning following the third fraction it was very mild and not annoying enough to take the Flowmax. It lasted about 7-10 days and is a distant memory. Mine was a little worse at night. I did try to push a lot of fluids and I think it helped except for causing me to get up at night. My go to is Tylenol. My wife is recovering from total hip replacement and takes two extra strength tablets every six or eight hours. She’s avoided the stronger stuff since it makes her loopy. Caution though on not exceeding the recommended limits.
Posted 11/1/2017 12:30 PM (GMT 0)
fuzzbox,

I had both urinary and bowel pain and discomfort. I was given Flomax to ease urination, but it didn't really help the pain. I did use ibuprofen, as that usually works well for me. For a couple of months after radiation, I had some pain on urination, but it generally subsided within a couple of months. No pain if not in the process of urination, though. I'd have that conversation with your RO. Mine was/is very concerned about patient comfort and QOL.
Posted 11/2/2017 10:10 PM (GMT 0)
FBMan:
For about ten years I took a combination of 600 mg Ibuprofen and 975 mg Acetaminophen twice a day and sometimes three times. This was to control joint pain in the knees due to Osteoarthritis. This dosage/combo was recommended by my Dr. It worked very well indeed. The Dr. said that for some people mixing the two worked way better than one or the other alone. OF Course there are the possible stomach and liver issues that some people experience, particularly from the Ibuprofen. Over a short term use this shouldn't be an issue but of course I am not a MD. Just thought I would tell you about the combo. Max dosage of these when prescribed by a DR and monitored is 2400mg Ibu daily and 3700mg Acetaminophen daily.

Roger
Posted 11/3/2017 11:58 AM (GMT 0)
Is the pain in your urethra and is there any blood?
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