PROSTRATE BLEEDING-Rad Hopeful

RADIATION HOPEFUL

Vgama_KONGO & all follwing this journey

My latest PSA was down to 0.66 which made me Happy--it was 0.7 last month

I had a scare on Sunday--I started passing blood & clots in my urine. CAlled the urologist & he inserted a caheter which I wore until Wednesday when it was taken out. Per the urologist ---this is common with patients having radiation. My concern is --will it come back & can I expect to be a repeat performance in a few months? I was told not to lift any more than 10pounds for 6 weeks & drink lots of fluids
(I'm scheduled for a cystoscopy on Friday)---It was a very scary time with the bleeding. Is anyone familiar with such a experience?
Looking for replies
Cordially
Rad Hopeful

VascodaGama

Here is a repeated answer to your previous thread
RadHope

Glad to know of the drop in PSA.
Blood in urine after radiotherapy may be a cause of residual inflammation from scar tissue of the urethra portion that has been radiated. The inflammation causes stricture which may cause difficulty in passing urine leading to pain. The constant irritation of the urine at the urethra walls increases the inflammation (and the blood). The catheter will avoid urine at this area allowing it to heal.
The problem can be treated with medication. In advanced cases of stricture, dilatation (widening) of the stricture is required. This is a simple procedure done by passing a thin boogie into the urethra.
This is a side effect from the radiotherapy, which occurs in the first year after treatment. I had stricture symptoms at the one year mark but medication did the “job”.

Wishing you a continuous good outcome and recovery.
VGama

RADIATION HOPEFUL

VascodaGama said:

Here is a repeated answer to your previous thread
RadHope

Glad to know of the drop in PSA.
Blood in urine after radiotherapy may be a cause of residual inflammation from scar tissue of the urethra portion that has been radiated. The inflammation causes stricture which may cause difficulty in passing urine leading to pain. The constant irritation of the urine at the urethra walls increases the inflammation (and the blood). The catheter will avoid urine at this area allowing it to heal.
The problem can be treated with medication. In advanced cases of stricture, dilatation (widening) of the stricture is required. This is a simple procedure done by passing a thin boogie into the urethra.
This is a side effect from the radiotherapy, which occurs in the first year after treatment. I had stricture symptoms at the one year mark but medication did the “job”.

Wishing you a continuous good outcome and recovery.
VGama

Bleeding Prostrate
VGama
Thank you for the report, I truly appreciate it. AS I stated I'm now going normal, you were correct the catheter stopped the bleeding allowing for it to heal. I now have a schedule for the cystoscopy on Friday --hope everything is healed enough.
Can you tell me what a boogie is & what medication you took to take care of the problem?
I was so HAPPY to see the PSA go even lower--THANK YOU for the encouraging advice.

Cordially
Rad Hopeful

Swingshiftworker

What kind of radiation?
RH: What form of radiation treatment was done on you?

RADIATION HOPEFUL

Swingshiftworker said:

What kind of radiation?
RH: What form of radiation treatment was done on you?

Prostrate Bleeding
Swingshiftworker

I had 44 sessions of IMRT using the tree gold seeds. I believe I may have caused the issue by lifting heavy logs for firewood. ALthough according to the doc it's common on people witin a year of having the radiation treatments. I must be careful what I lift the next 6 weeks--no more than 10 pounds.
I'm doing fine now but the episode was scary

Rad Hopeful

Swingshiftworker

RADIATION HOPEFUL said:

Prostrate Bleeding
Swingshiftworker

I had 44 sessions of IMRT using the tree gold seeds. I believe I may have caused the issue by lifting heavy logs for firewood. ALthough according to the doc it's common on people witin a year of having the radiation treatments. I must be careful what I lift the next 6 weeks--no more than 10 pounds.
I'm doing fine now but the episode was scary

Rad Hopeful

Good luck!
Sorry to hear about your problems post-IMRT. Don't think lifting was the cause of the problem.

Damage the urethra from radiation was common w/older forms of external beam radiation and is still common w/brachytherapy when the strength and distribution of the radioactive seeds is not planned and placed properly. I thought that IMRT had improved enough to avoid this problem too -- obviously not in your case. CK (which is what I had) and PBT seem to have enough precision in radiation delivery to avoid this problem almost entirely.

Hopefully, the scar tissue will not obstruct your urethra necessitating a TURP to clear it.

Good luck and best wishes!

VascodaGama

Swingshiftworker said:

Good luck!
Sorry to hear about your problems post-IMRT. Don't think lifting was the cause of the problem.

Damage the urethra from radiation was common w/older forms of external beam radiation and is still common w/brachytherapy when the strength and distribution of the radioactive seeds is not planned and placed properly. I thought that IMRT had improved enough to avoid this problem too -- obviously not in your case. CK (which is what I had) and PBT seem to have enough precision in radiation delivery to avoid this problem almost entirely.

Hopefully, the scar tissue will not obstruct your urethra necessitating a TURP to clear it.

Good luck and best wishes!

Cystoscopy
RadHope

I do not recall the name of the medication I took but it was a course of one week of antibiotics. You may ask your doctor if you need to take anything.
The cystoscopy will unveil the “mystery” of your symptoms. The test will show the whole track of the urethra and the inner walls of the bladder and will check for any lesions or scars. You can ask the doctor to allow you to see the images in the screen, during the procedure.
The urologist may treat you at the time under local anaesthetic if he finds it necessary to widen the stricture with a simple boogie (a thin plastic rod). If the stricture is advanced he will perform an urethrotomy under general anaesthetic (a sleep) with a tiny knife to cut along the stricture. These tools are passed down the telescope to do the job.

As I commented in another thread of yours, I would discard the monthly PSA tests and move on to periods of three-months. These tests are giving you unnecessary anxiety, even if you are enjoying their results.

I hope for a clean cystoscopy and that you return to normalcy.

VGama

RADIATION HOPEFUL

VascodaGama said:

Cystoscopy
RadHope

I do not recall the name of the medication I took but it was a course of one week of antibiotics. You may ask your doctor if you need to take anything.
The cystoscopy will unveil the “mystery” of your symptoms. The test will show the whole track of the urethra and the inner walls of the bladder and will check for any lesions or scars. You can ask the doctor to allow you to see the images in the screen, during the procedure.
The urologist may treat you at the time under local anaesthetic if he finds it necessary to widen the stricture with a simple boogie (a thin plastic rod). If the stricture is advanced he will perform an urethrotomy under general anaesthetic (a sleep) with a tiny knife to cut along the stricture. These tools are passed down the telescope to do the job.

As I commented in another thread of yours, I would discard the monthly PSA tests and move on to periods of three-months. These tests are giving you unnecessary anxiety, even if you are enjoying their results.

I hope for a clean cystoscopy and that you return to normalcy.

VGama

Cystoscopy results
Hello VGama

just got back from the urologist & had cystoscopy. It's exactly as you stated--- I saw the inside of the bladder --there were two spots that looked like they had bleeding, the urologist said it was from the radiation & we would keep an eye on how things progress. I was told again I can't lift or engage in any activity that could cause another bleed. There were signs of some scar tissue but it didn't close the urethra --Guess only time will tell. If I have another bleed he said I may have to go into a hyperbaric chamber. Unfortunately the insurance doesn't cover this. I also had another Firmagon shot.
Will keep you posted.
Thanks for your support & I pray we can beat this monster

Cordially
Rad Hopeful

VascodaGama

RADIATION HOPEFUL said:

Cystoscopy results
Hello VGama

just got back from the urologist & had cystoscopy. It's exactly as you stated--- I saw the inside of the bladder --there were two spots that looked like they had bleeding, the urologist said it was from the radiation & we would keep an eye on how things progress. I was told again I can't lift or engage in any activity that could cause another bleed. There were signs of some scar tissue but it didn't close the urethra --Guess only time will tell. If I have another bleed he said I may have to go into a hyperbaric chamber. Unfortunately the insurance doesn't cover this. I also had another Firmagon shot.
Will keep you posted.
Thanks for your support & I pray we can beat this monster

Cordially
Rad Hopeful

Chronic radiation cystitis; HBOT
RadHope

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is used to treat radiation cystitis, but there are conflicting reports on its benefits in guys fighting prostate cancer. It is known to successfully improve healing of wounds with continuous infection (chronic). However, one must be firstly diagnosed with a progressive necrotizing type infection before commiting to HBOT.

Please read this article; http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/442319-treatment
They write like this;
“Treatment with HBO can potentially reverse the changes caused by radiation. HBO therapy stimulates angiogenesis, which reverses the vascular changes induced by ionizing radiation.”

However, angiogenesis has a negative side in prostate cancer. The National Cancer Institute says this;
“Cancer researchers studying the conditions necessary for cancer metastasis have discovered that one of the critical events required is the growth of a new network of blood vessels. This process of forming new blood vessels is called angiogenesis.”

See the full article here;
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/understandingcancer/angiogenesis

In my (anecdotal) opinion AS A LAYMAN this treatment could be “lighting a fire” to PCa growth and it could be negative in the success of your treatment. It promotes the formation/growth of new blood vessels, and dying cancer cells are “starving” for blood so that one should avoid any possible source which could “feed” it.
Surely I am not inducing that you should not do the treatment, but I recommend you to get second opinions on the above possibilities from an oncologist of the calibre of DR. Charles Myers.

I think that your doctor should firstly check the problem with tests like urinalysis, urine culture and a CBC count before ruling to such chronic radiation cystitis.
Have you experienced fever? Serious infections cause that symptom.

I hope that bleeding stops. Keep us informed on the progress of the problem.

The best to you.
VGama

RADIATION HOPEFUL

VascodaGama said:

Chronic radiation cystitis; HBOT
RadHope

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is used to treat radiation cystitis, but there are conflicting reports on its benefits in guys fighting prostate cancer. It is known to successfully improve healing of wounds with continuous infection (chronic). However, one must be firstly diagnosed with a progressive necrotizing type infection before commiting to HBOT.

Please read this article; http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/442319-treatment
They write like this;
“Treatment with HBO can potentially reverse the changes caused by radiation. HBO therapy stimulates angiogenesis, which reverses the vascular changes induced by ionizing radiation.”

However, angiogenesis has a negative side in prostate cancer. The National Cancer Institute says this;
“Cancer researchers studying the conditions necessary for cancer metastasis have discovered that one of the critical events required is the growth of a new network of blood vessels. This process of forming new blood vessels is called angiogenesis.”

See the full article here;
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/understandingcancer/angiogenesis

In my (anecdotal) opinion AS A LAYMAN this treatment could be “lighting a fire” to PCa growth and it could be negative in the success of your treatment. It promotes the formation/growth of new blood vessels, and dying cancer cells are “starving” for blood so that one should avoid any possible source which could “feed” it.
Surely I am not inducing that you should not do the treatment, but I recommend you to get second opinions on the above possibilities from an oncologist of the calibre of DR. Charles Myers.

I think that your doctor should firstly check the problem with tests like urinalysis, urine culture and a CBC count before ruling to such chronic radiation cystitis.
Have you experienced fever? Serious infections cause that symptom.

I hope that bleeding stops. Keep us informed on the progress of the problem.

The best to you.
VGama

BLEEDING STOPPED
HELLO VGAMA

"THANK YOU FOR THE REPLY"

Once the catheter was taken out, the bleeding stopped & urine is normal.
THe Cystoscopy showed a area in the bladder that was the potential bleed spot, but THANK GOD it all cleared up & no chamber needed.
I get my next Firmagon shot next week ---NOv. 16th ---so far I feel great & no issues.

CORdially
Rad HOPEFUL