The hot sweats eventually disappeared for me, almost overnight. this was exactly as predicted by the specialist nurses. Forget about trying to reduce the extra weight and building up wasting muscles by exercising. The more you exercise the more easily you become fatigued and so a vicious circle develops. This problem is significantly exacerbated when, like me you are receiving Prostap injections concurrently and for four weeks radiotherapy.
Insuring that those closest to you are aware of the impact of this medication on emotional state is key to you managing it. You cannot fight the side effects but if those around you know what to watch out for their support will help you through the moments of high anxiety or the tendency to catastrophise.
The associated fatigue has had a major impact on day to day life. Frustratingly, after a year on this medication there remains no pattern to the fatigue's occurrence or intensity. I just spent a week on holiday in Madeira with no symptoms of fatigue at all, yet prior to that I would spend 1-3 hours asleep in the afternoon most days of the week. Its worth noting that the Prostap injections which I receive are linked to similar side effects so what I experience is an aggregation of the two.
Yes
Discussions with the oncology pharmacist convinced me that the benefits of having enzalutamide and Prostap injections simultaneously along with a 4 week dose of radiotherapy outweighed the fatigue experienced to date. I think it is really all about coming to terms with the fatigue and planning around it rather than trying to fight it.
I was already on Hormone injections and enzalutamide which generate fatigue, but the radiotherapy took fatigue to new heights. Make sure you have a plan B in place for transport to wherever the radiotherapy is being carried out. Driving is not a good idea for long distances and public transport strikes cause havoc with a daily commute pattern for treatment.
This treatment took over my life five days a week for four weeks. It was the most exhausting four weeks of my life. I woke up, traveled, did the prep required, had the 20 minutes of treatment, traveled home and slept. This pattern repeated for 28 days
Not sure
I had no life beyond the treatment schedule and the resulting side effects. On the positive side I know that pre-covid there would have been three such blocks of radiotherapy but now, at least in Wales, the early use of enzalutamide has replaced two of these blocks.
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