Since my attention is drawn to this folder I will post another update.
I seem to be less inclined to write about this stuff, I am doing so in the off-chance that someone will happen along who has prostate cancer or an elevated PSA etc. If this is you, and you want to discuss it, drop me a line, we "brothers of the killer walnut" are usually happy to share experiences with a "newbie"!
I finished the 35 sessions of external radiation last week....Hooray! There is an unfortunate lag time between the completion of treatement and the onset of yet another wave of undesirable side-effects.
It is a safe bet that my state of mind is better than the last time I posted here. I just re-read post #109....kind of a bummer. It somehow seems appropriate that since my mental state has improved that I am now dealing with some more intrusive side-effects.
I have returned to work for the second or third time, only to have to lay out again. Assurances that my particular case, ie; severity of side effects, is out of the normal range, only stands to reason since my treatment is at the "high end" of what seed implants are meant to address. The quantity of seeds and their location certainly has some bearing on how an individual reacts. I've heard of patients getting far fewer "seeds" than I got, but I have yet to hear of anyone getting more, or even as many. Apparently the tumor location at the "apex" of the prostate, and the additional seeds and radiation to the seminal vesicles is responsible for the considerable urinary difficulties I am experiencing. A daily routine entails somewhere between 15 and 25 trips to the john, often with less than "productive" results. On some occaisions the pain is quite remarkable, on others only an inconvenience.
I do not understand fully how Cardura addresses this problem, but it definitely makes a difference. On the down side to that it seems to increase the fatigue, and may also be responsible for some really weird stuff happening with my legs and feet. Last week I started having pronounced "tingling" bordering on numbness, followed by and accompanied with a dull aching and tenderness to the touch, some swelling. At any rate, I stopped taking the Cardura for a couple of days, which is the only suggestion I was given since these problems are not related to the radiation. The problem subsided, but has not gone away. In the meantime I had no choice but to start back on the Cardura since I can not hardly urinate at all without it. I would rather endure almost ANYTHING than face the prospect of having a catheter, THAT really sucks big time! My two brief encounters with catheterization has instilled a dread fear of it, I'd eat rocks first!
Ok, so much for the "front end", on the "rear end" is another more delicate and oh so personal problem. From the start I have had more than the usual bowel problems. I am happy for the guys who go through the seeding/XRT routine with nary a glitch, it's good to know that's how it *CAN* go....but anyway, N/A sums it up in my case.
I have been taking some heavy duty pain killers for the last two days to address an almost unbearable pain associated with my rectum, there is a relationship between having to strain to urinate and the resulting uproar with my rectum. After a few times a continuous pain sets in that just doesn't really let up until I lay down, sitting is too painful, standing is bearable but I walk really funny when this is happening! I am using hydrocortisone suppositories and an anesthetic ointment, but that really does little for the underlying and nagging pain, it just addresses the burning and superficial irriation.
About the best thing that can be said for this aspect of it is that it will pass in time! If it doesn't, there is a serious problem. The folks treating me are supposed to have their radiation ducks in a row well enough not to cook one's lower intestine. There are known problems if they manage to irradiate certain areas of the bowels, but I really do not want to contemplate that possibility!
So, one day turns to a week, a couple of months, six months max I should be "out of the woods" as far as major side effects. Then I can focus my attention to what hopefully is a steadily decling PSA result, indicationg that the radiation was successful in pretty much embalming my prostate gland, giving me some quality years to look back on this as a "memorable" experience better forgotten!
That's it for now. I will once again seize the opportunity to implore those of you who are 40-ish, ESPECIALLY if you have a family history of prostate cancer, or are "African-American", or are experiencing any unusualy urinary difficulties, to HAVE YOUR PSA blood level TESTED! If you don't know what that is, you need to find out!
Prostate cancer is deemed one of the more "treatable" cancers going, especially if caught early. Still, it manages to kill some 30 to 40 thousand men a year in this country, making it the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men. And that is no joke!
Cheers! |
