Life Style Changes After Prostate Cancer Radiation Treatment

Radiation treatment for prostrate cancer has three main side effects that may require a lifestyle change on your part. These side effects are urinary tract problems, long-term bowel problems and sexual dysfunction. Each of these groups of problems can be treated wide medication or by other means. The groups have a frequency of occurrence in patients of 30%, 5% and 25-50%, respectively according to the American Cancer Society. Most of the problems will resolve themselves within two years in many cases, but this is not guaranteed and depends on a number of factors.

Urinary Incontinence

• One of the most common side effects of prostate cancer radiation is not being able to control the urge to use the restroom. Most patients have this problem initially but with medication, it is controllable and frequently clears during the first year. During this period, in addition to the medication the patient may need to use absorbent pads to protect from any leaks of urine. Kegel exercises, involving expanding and contracting the pelvic muscles by squeezing, may help to resolve this problem as well.

Other Urinary Problems

• Other side effects that center on the urinary tract are complete loss of bladder control, an irritating sensation when voiding, increased urination frequency and urgency and finally pain during urination. Most of these symptoms lessen over time without any intervention. However, until they subside they may require lifestyle modifications including remaining close to a bathroom, wearing adult diapers, or otherwise adjusting your urinary patterns.

Bowel Effects

• Bowel effects are most common after external beam radiotherapy. Patients treated by this method suffer from longer term effects, as the amount of radiation accumulates over time, most other therapies offer lower rates of side effects and less severe side effects. The major types of bowel dysfunction are incontinence of the bowel, frequent bowel movements, prolonged diarrhea lasting several days every few weeks and rectal bleeding. Rectal bleeding may also occur, and tends to occur most often in men who undergo brachytherapy radiation instead of radiotherapy. It is also likely to subside within a year. There are few aids in managing the bowel dysfunction except monitoring of the diet and changing the foods to ease the problems.

Erectile Dysfunction.

• Typically, most patients experience some amount of erectile dysfunction. The treatment options for these problems typically involve medication. The severity of the dysfunction is in part dependent on the amount of dysfunction prior to treatment and to the age of the patient. The rate of occurrence of dysfunction is dependent on the type of treatment that the patient has undergone, ranging from 25% for brachytherapy to 50% for those treated with external beam therapy. Unfortunately, the effects do not improve much with time and few patients see any improvement.

Other Lifestyle Changes

• One final side effect experienced by the majority of patients is fatigue. Reports show that the degree of fatigue experienced following radiation treatment will lessen by maintaining an exercise routine that consists of 30-45 minutes a day as often as three times a week. This of course presumes that the patient can tolerate this period of exercise. If not, then begin slowly and build up to the amount of time with which you feel comfortable.

  As with many diseases, the overall fitness of our bodies determines to a great deal the degree of health that we possess. One aspect of health that puts a strain on our bodies is our weight. There are ideal weight ranges based on a person's age and height. Working to change your weight to fit within this range will reduce the strain placed upon all the systems of our bodies. Changing our lifestyle to include a regular exercise routine and adopting a healthier diet will aid in achieving your ideal weight and decreasing fatigue related to your cancer treatments.