After five days of radiation/warning for radiation patients

[Guest guest]

,

I am so sorry to hear about the response your husband had to

radiation. It was with these fears in mind, plus the fact that he

already has a chronic GI disorder that my spouse opted to have

cryosurgery for his PCa. I hope your spouse is feeling better.

Radiation is not for everyone but unfortunately they can't predict

who should not have it.

My husband only had one side of his prostate ablated because he had

no cancer on the other side. He has recovered really, really well. I

hope that should your husband need further treatment cryosurgery

will be an option to him.

Hang in there. I know how difficult this must be for you both.

Carol

> by the urologist who said that this is more common than people

think with

> radiation which is why I am sharing his experience. Following the

emergency

> surgical procedure he had to have a catheter in for the next two

weeks. The

> urologist said that had there been any more radiation damage he

would not have been

> able to resolve the strictures. My husband would have had to self

> catheterize himself daily the rest of his life to empty his

bladder if the scar tissue

> had been any worse. According to the urologist, too often

radiation

> oncologists ignore potentially critical situations and prescribe

medications routinely

> because so many of these radiation symptoms are typical and

expected. My

> husband never complains about anything medical and I knew when he

began to beg for

> help and was in excruciating pain that the problem was much worse

than the

> radiation staff were acknowledging. During his treatments he also

began to gain

> weight which he never has done before. He is 6'1 " and weights 165

lbs. His

> weight ballooned to 180 during the five weeks of radiation. When

he discussed

> this with the radiation nurse who checked him in each day she told

him they

> only worry about cancer patients losing weight not gaining weight

and dismissed

> his concern. He told her that he had never gained weight his

entire life

> heretofore. The weight, as it turned out, was retained fluid due

to inability to

> empty adequately through his urinary tract. The fluid was backing

up and he

> was beginning to look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy to those of us

who know him

> and know that he was always thin. He is now back to his normal

weight and

> thankfully doing reasonably well. This ordeal was a frightening

experience and

> could have ended tragically. The University Hospital medical

oncologists we see

> have said that he can have no more radiation, no seeding, and that

surgery is

> no longer an option due to the damage from radiation. His only

potential

> treatments now are hormonal and perhaps cryotherapy to be

considered in six months

> after his body finishes recovering from the radiation trauma and

side

> effects.

>

> I hope this helps someone. It is important to be your own

advocate and don't

> accept being told every aberration is the norm because it may well

not be in

> your case. No one else knows what is normal for you and you could

end up in

> critical condition similar to what happened to my husband. I

might point out

> that all the doctors involved in this case are considered

excellent in their

> fields but no doctor is an expert on each individual person

because they are

> dealing with documented statistics which cover the masses and not

always

> exceptions to the accepted standards of practice.

>

> (Chuck's wife)

>

>

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