I am somewhat concerned about a side effect of my radiation treatment which took place in July -August of 2008 in reference to treating my prostate cancer. Last month I went and saw my oncologist at VA Hospital here in Cleveland. Based on the blood test results my PSA was not bad at all. I think it was below 00.5 which is good but was elevated from my last test in January. I am scheduled to see him every 6 months for an update on my health status. I did have traces of blood in my stool which I mentioned to him.
He told me not to worry about it since it was showing up infrequently and he asked me about my sexual activity and if I had any blood in my urine. No concerns there. Everything is in working order.
Now he did ask about my ejaculate and if there was any blood within the semen. At the time it was not a issue because it was not showing up from any sexual activity that I had. Soon after I saw him, I started observing trace amounts of blood in my semen which freaked me out. It showed up in more than a trace amount and then I got concerned . Although he told me that it may show up from the radiation treatments since their was inflammation to my bladder,rectum and prostate from the process-it still caused me concern. At this moment I am hesitant to continue my sexual activities until it heals. Hopefully it will subside with time.
My reproductive , urinary and lower digestive tract are in close proximity to one another which account for the inflammation that we discussed during our biannual visits. It is sort of inevitable to have that side effect from the treatment. It is logical but nonetheless disconcerting. He explained the dynamics of why and how radiation can affect those areas.
It is like a scar that constantly get aggravated by the constant movement of those organs during normal activity and it may show up in the stool and of course in the ejaculate after sexual activity. So it somewhat normal up to a point. I will be in contact according to his instructions and my gut feeling if it gets any worse.
I will see him again in December or January to recheck my PSA level and discuss if I need any more treatment. I am confident that I will be OK. I have read some very interesting research and some personal struggles involving this silent and potentially deadly disease. It explains why I am so passionate about this and diligent about communicating it to men of my age group.
Until next time
Kirk
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