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blood test

vhtqm1
vhtqm1 CSN Member Posts: 107
edited March 2014 in Prostate Cancer #1
i hope i'm asking this correctly? my Uncle has prostate cancer. was diagnosed >5 years ago and had the prostate gland removed. well, recently his cea went up and he began radiation treatment. i was wondering if this radiation treatment can cause low blood counts like hemoglobin, iron, red blood cells etc.. my Uncle has made some comments about how tired he feels. i asked if his oncologist schedules regular blood tests and he replied no. the type of radiation he's having is narrowed down to the bed of the previously removed prostate gland. takes about 5 minutes for the prodecure. thank you.

ed
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  • 142
    142 CSN Member Posts: 169
    #2
    radiation
    Ed,
    You did not say how far into radiation your uncle is. I am at 14 of 39 IGRT treatments, followup after DaVinci surgery last year.
    I am seeing a gradually increasing general tiredness - eating dinner earlier and going to bed earlier. I've had comments from others who have had radiation that this is a known and expected side effect.

    I'm not having anything other than 6 month interval blood tests at my GP, no blood work associated with IGRT other than PSA.
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  • vhtqm1
    vhtqm1 CSN Member Posts: 107
    #3
    142 said:

    radiation
    Ed,
    You did not say how far into radiation your uncle is. I am at 14 of 39 IGRT treatments, followup after DaVinci surgery last year.
    I am seeing a gradually increasing general tiredness - eating dinner earlier and going to bed earlier. I've had comments from others who have had radiation that this is a known and expected side effect.

    I'm not having anything other than 6 month interval blood tests at my GP, no blood work associated with IGRT other than PSA.

    all i know
    he has 25 treatments left. thanks for your reply and hope your doing well.

    ed
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  • Dr_Jeff
    Dr_Jeff CSN Member Posts: 10
    #4
    Radiation
    Ed-

    I had radiation treatment following robotic surgery and I recall the fatigue commonly associated with it. This is a normal response to the radiation and should not be of particular concern. I received my treatments in the morning and went to work immediately after. I scheduled an hour in the afternoon in which I laid down and rested and then rested again after work. There was no additional blood work scheduled beyond monthly PSA and full work ups every other month. By the way, I drank a daily supplement of some type of flower essence that was given to victims at Chernobyl. It supposedly helped their bodies to fend off skin damage from the radiation. I don't know if it helped, but I never had any skin irritation while I was getting zapped. Hope this helps.
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  • vhtqm1
    vhtqm1 CSN Member Posts: 107
    #5
    Dr_Jeff said:

    Radiation
    Ed-

    I had radiation treatment following robotic surgery and I recall the fatigue commonly associated with it. This is a normal response to the radiation and should not be of particular concern. I received my treatments in the morning and went to work immediately after. I scheduled an hour in the afternoon in which I laid down and rested and then rested again after work. There was no additional blood work scheduled beyond monthly PSA and full work ups every other month. By the way, I drank a daily supplement of some type of flower essence that was given to victims at Chernobyl. It supposedly helped their bodies to fend off skin damage from the radiation. I don't know if it helped, but I never had any skin irritation while I was getting zapped. Hope this helps.

    thank you Dr_Jeff
    thanks for your reply and yes this and other information received has been of so much help.

    ed
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