The hot sweats are annoying at first but you do get used to them. They are inconvenient but as they are are a side effect of the treatment that will hopefully stop the cancer growing and/or returning I feel it is a price worth paying. I have tried various herbal remedies to alleviate the hot sweats but found that none of them really had any significant effect. The change in bodyform ie. the swelling of breast tissue and a small increase in body fat around the stomach are manageable. They do not, in my case at least, impose on your day to day activities. They are not noticeable when clothed.
I had 39 fractions of radiotherapy and despite the various warnings that I would probably feel tired I felt fine throughout the whole treatment period. However, towards the end of the course of radiotherapy and for a couple of months afterwards I had problems passing stools and had intermittant bleeding from the rectum. This was put down to the daily use of the micro enemas that I was required to use before each treatment. Steroid cream and time eventually stopped the pain and the bleeding. My bowel movements have changed however, before the treatment I was very regular and normally passed stools each morning. There would not be another movement until the following morning. I now need to go to the toilet more often ( morning and afternoon, sometimes in the evening as well) and sometimes with quite short notice. I have learned to cope with this and always ensure I go to the toilet before any journey. I also had slight leaking of urine and urgent need to urinate for a few months after the treatment had finished. It necessitated the use of incontinence pants overnight and if I went on a long journey. The pelvic floor exercises that I performed and time as a healer once again sorted out this problem.
Yes
The treatment that I received was exemplary. All the staff were kind, compassionate and professional. They made what could have been a traumatic time quite pleasant. As the majority of the patients were male and quite a large proportion of them had prostate problems, a camaraderie built up between us which made attending every day less stressfull. The side effects that I have experienced are negligible compared with the benefits of hopefully curing my cancer. My PSA levels are currently very low and apart from the hot flushes and slight body change I am leading a full and active life.
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