Eating Problems And Weight Loss
Some men with advanced prostate cancer have problems eating, or dont feel very hungry. You might feel or be sick. These problems may be caused by your cancer or by your treatments. Being worried about things can also affect your appetite.
Problems eating or loss of appetite can lead to weight loss and can make you feel very tired and weak. Advanced prostate cancer can also cause weight loss by changing the way your body uses energy.
What can help?
If you feel sick because of your treatment, your doctor can give you anti-sickness drugs. Steroids can also increase your appetite and are sometimes given along with other treatments.
Try to eat small amounts often. If youre struggling to eat because of nausea , try to avoid strong smelling foods. Cold foods tend to smell less, or it may help if someone cooks for you. Try to eat when you feel less sick, even if its not your usual mealtime. Fatty and fried foods can make sickness worse. Drink plenty of water, but drink slowly and try not to drink too much before you eat.
Tell your doctor if you lose weight. They can refer you to a dietitian who can provide advice about high calorie foods and any supplements that might help. It can be upsetting for your family to see you losing weight, and they may also need support. Macmillan Cancer Support and provide support and information about eating problems in advanced cancer.
What Caregivers Can Do
- See that the patient drinks about 3 quarts of fluids each day.
- Ask the cancer care team how much or how long diarrhea should last before calling to report it.
- Keep a record of bowel movements to help decide when the cancer care team should be called.
- Ask before using any over-the-counter diarrhea medicine.
- Protect the bed and chairs from being soiled by putting pads with plastic backing under the patient.
- Encourage room temperature drinks. They might be better tolerated than cold or hot drinks
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Symptoms Of Prostate Cancer
Once a tumor causes your prostate gland to swell, or once cancer spreads beyond your prostate, you may have symptoms including:
- The need to pee often, especially at night
- Trouble starting or stopping a stream of urine
- A weak stream or one that starts and stops
- Leaking pee when you laugh or cough
- Not being able to pee standing up
- Pain or burning when you pee
- Blood in your pee or
- Pressure or pain in your rectum
- Pain or stiffness in your lower back, hips, pelvis, or thighs
- New trouble getting an erection
These arenât symptoms of the cancer itself. They happen because the cancer growth is blocking your prostate.
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Common Causes Of Cancer Itch In Patients
While itching can be annoying, you should not usually worry about it. Most often, the cause is dry skin caused by spending hours in a dry hospital environment or repeated cleaning of the skin while undergoing treatment. To help resolve itching, use a rich body lotion or cream after showering or bathing, and be sure to drink plenty of water.
Another common cause of itching can be an allergy. While you are preoccupied with your cancer, you may not be as vigilant about avoiding things you are allergic to. Do a mental review of your diet and the places youve been to see if you may have been in contact with one of your triggers. An antihistamine and avoiding your allergens may be all you need.
Some patients experience itching or flushing while undergoing treatment for cancer. In this case, itching may begin almost immediately after the start of the infusion. Tell your doctor or your nurse if this happens to you. Some drugs commonly cause a skin reaction and an itch. In this case, the drug can be stopped temporarily and then resumed at a lower pace. If the itching persists, your doctor may prescribe a stronger antihistamine or change your treatment protocol to make you more comfortable.
Managing Other Prostate Cancer Symptoms
Other prostate cancer symptoms can include:
Loss of libido . Side effects of drug treatments for prostate cancer can cause a loss of interest in sex and erection problems. A common treatment for prostate cancer is hormone therapy, which is used to slow your body down from making testosterone, the male hormone. Your doctor may recommend you do hormone therapy off and on to lessen the side effects of these medications.
To manage a loss of libido with prostate cancer, you can:
- Ask your doctor about breaks with your hormone therapy treatment, or only restart treatment when your prostate-specific antigen levels begin to rise
- Talk to your doctor about drug treatment for erection problems
- Seek advice from a sex counselor or therapist
- Talk with your partner about loss of libido
- Keep a healthy diet and stay active
Depression. News of cancer can be understandably difficult for you and your loved ones. Following a prostate cancer diagnosis, it isnât unusual for you to experience depression and other emotional side effects. Because stress is often another side effect of depression, depression in cancer patients has been linked to shorter survival times.
To manage the effects of depression, it can be helpful to:
- Join a support group for those with prostate cancer or in recovery
- Talk to your doctor about changes in your mood and feelings
- Talk to loved ones about what you are experiencing
- Try to remain active
To manage your thinking and memory, you can try to:
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The Top 7 Signs Of Advanced Prostate Cancer
- Advanced prostate cancer means your cancer has spread to areas outside of the prostate gland.
- Some signs of spread may include changes in urinary or bowel habits, sore lymph nodes in the groin, unexplained weight loss, and pain in the hip or back.
- Tumors may grow in other areas of the body, such as the bladder, bones, legs, or lungs.
In the early stages, you may not notice any symptoms related to prostate cancer. This is why screenings are important. Symptoms can sometimes be noticed for the first time when the cancer advances.
Advanced prostate cancer, also called metastatic cancer, means the cancer has spread to other areas of your body beyond your prostate gland. The most common areas for prostate cancer to spread are your bladder, rectum, and bones. It can also spread to your lymph nodes, liver, lungs, and other body tissues.
Whether youve just been diagnosed or youre in treatment, its also important to know the signs of advanced cancer. Cancer can behave differently depending on your genetics, so not every person will experience the same symptoms in the same way.
Read on to learn more about the seven top symptoms of advanced prostate cancer and how to spot them.
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Things To Avoid With Diarrhea
- High insoluble-fiber foods, including fresh fruit with the skin or peel , raw vegetables , whole grain bread and cereals, beans, peas, and popcorn. Insoluble fiber worsens diarrhea.
- High-fat and greasy foods, including pizza, fried meats, bacon, french fries, mayonnaise, cheese, rich desserts, cakes, cupcakes, donuts, cookies, pastries, potato chips, gravy, and butter.
- Cowâs milk, because some treatments cause temporary lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance causes diarrhea. Typically, lactose intolerance that develops during cancer treatment this will improve when you have finished treatment .
- Caffeinated drinks such as coffee, soda, or large amounts of black or green tea. Caffeine can worsen diarrhea.
- Strong spices and herbs, especially âspicy hotâ flavorings, such as cayenne pepper, hot sauce, salsa, and Tabasco sauce.
- Very hot and very cold foods. Temperature extremes can worsen diarrhea.
- Sugar-free food, gum, and candy, which contain sugar alcohols such as sorbitol. Sugar alcohols can worsen diarrhea.
- Tobacco and alcohol. These items worsen diarrhea.
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Use Medications Your Healthcare Provider Has Prescribed
The most important thing you can do to control diarrhea during cancer treatment is to take medications as prescribed. As with many treatment side effects, prevention is more effective than cure. Once diarrhea is very severe, it can be more challenging to bring under control.
Severe diarrhea causes dehydration and loss of important electrolytes , including sodium and potassium. This can be a life-threatening situation, so do not ignore diarrhea. If your medical team prescribes medication to prevent diarrhea, do not wait until you have diarrhea to take it. For some cancer treatments, taking anti-diarrheal medications before the problem occurs is part of the plan.
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What Is The Prostate Gland
The prostate is a gland about the size of a walnut. It is part of the male reproductive system and wraps around the tube that carries urine out of the bladder. It grows larger as you get older. If your prostate gets too large, it can cause health issues. Having prostate problems does not always mean you have cancer.
Sometimes a doctor may find a problem during a routine checkup or by doing a rectal exam. If you think there is something wrong with your prostate, see your doctor right away.
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Will Radiation Therapy Cause My Hair To Fall Out
Only people who get radiation to the scalp or the brain may have hair loss. Others wonât. If it does happen, itâs usually sudden and comes out in clumps. In most cases, your hair will grow back after therapy stops, but it may be thinner or have a different texture.
Some people choose to cut their hair short before treatment begins to make less weight on the hair shaft. If you lose hair on top of your head, be sure to wear a hat or a scarf to protect your scalp from the sun when you go outside. If you decide to buy a wig, ask the doctor to write a prescription for one and check to see if itâs covered by your insurance or is a tax-deductible expense.
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Bowel Dysfunction After Prostate Cancer Treatment
The broad term of bowel dysfunction includes:
-
Diarrhea or frequent stools
-
Fecal incontinence or the inability to control bowel movements
-
Rectal bleeding
All of these side effects are far more common following external beam radiotherapy than any other primary therapy, but as techniques and dose planning strategies improve, even these rates have been dropping.
Using Palliative Care To Ease Discomfort
For both urinary and bowel incontinence that is caused by compression of nerves in the spinal cord as a result of prostate cancer that has spread to the spine or bones, palliative treatments for metastasized cancer may be of use. These treatments include radiotherapy, medication, or surgical removal of spinal cord tumors. However, these treatment options are not indicated for every situation. Your doctor will help you determine what path is right for you and to improve your quality of life. As always, coping with quality of life symptoms like these can take a toll on an individual or their caretaker both mentally and physically. For this reason, it can be a good idea to consult a therapist or counselor if needed for extra support.
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Online Support Groups For Prostate Cancer
- Us TOO. This organization has more than 200 support groups in the United States and abroad.
- Prostate Cancer Research Institute. This website allows you to search for support groups by state.
- Cancer Care. This site offers 15-week online support groups for people diagnosed with prostate cancer. Co-sponsored by the National Alliance of State Prostate Cancer Coalitions.
- Male Care. This organization offers online support groups for people with prostate cancer and their partners or caregivers.
- Imerman Angels. This support community offers one-on-one support with a mentor.
How To Manage Fatigue
Many men feel exceptionally tired and forgetful during prostate cancer treatment. Its important to give yourself plenty of time to rest, but it can also be helpful to stay as active as possible. A counselor or social worker can provide you with tips for dealing with mental exhaustion and depression, which can compound the effects of physical fatigue if left unaddressed.
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What To Expect After Radiation Treatment For Prostate Cancer
What to Expect After Radiation Treatment for Prostate Cancer? Many patients wonder what to expect after receiving radiation treatment for prostate cancer. It is the most widely used method of treatment regardless of the cancers stage. Radiation therapy can be followed by a radical prostatectomy, which removes the prostate gland and nearby lymph nodes.
Prostatecancer is the most diagnosed solid tumor type among men. In the early stages ofprostate cancer, indolent cases without major symptoms will receive activesurveillance and watchful waiting to observe how the disease progresses. If thecancer spreads outside of the prostate gland, other treatment options areconsidered, the first of which being radiation.
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How Will Your Doctor Diagnose A Prostate Infection
A prostate infection diagnosis is based on your medical history, a physical exam, and medical tests. Your doctor can also rule out other serious conditions such as prostate cancer during the exam. During a physical exam, your doctor will conduct a digital rectal exam to test your prostate and will look for:
- enlarged or tender lymph nodes in the groin
- swollen or tender scrotum
Your doctor may also ask about your symptoms, recent UTIs, and medications or supplements youre taking. Other medical tests that can help your diagnosis and treatment plan include:
- urinalysis or , to look for infections
- a prostate biopsy or a blood test for prostate-specific antigen
- urodynamic tests, to see how your bladder and urethra store urine
- cystoscopy, to look inside the urethra and bladder for blockage
Your doctor may also order an ultrasound to get a closer look. The cause will help determine the correct course of treatment.
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Bladder And Urinary Troubles
A prostate tumor that has grown significantly in size may start to press on your bladder and urethra. The urethra is the passage the carries urine from your bladder out of your body. If the tumor is pressing on your urethra, you might have trouble passing urine.
One of the common areas for prostate cancer to spread to is the bladder, because the two organs are close. This can cause additional problems with urination and bladder function.
Some symptoms your bladder and urethra are being affected by cancer include:
- urinating more frequently
- getting up in the middle of the night to pee
- feeling like you have to urinate often and not actually passing anything
Further Treatments To Control The Cancer
Your first treatment may help keep your cancer under control. But over time, the cancer may change and start to grow again. If this happens you might be offered other treatments, including:
- more hormone therapy
- clinical trials
More hormone therapy
Your prostate cancer may respond well to other types of hormone therapy, such as abiraterone , enzalutamide , steroids or oestrogens, or to a combination of treatments.
More chemotherapy
If youve had hormone therapy on its own as a first treatment, you might be offered a chemotherapy drug called docetaxel . This may help some men to live longer, and can help to improve and delay symptoms. If youve already had docetaxel, you might be offered more docetaxel or another chemotherapy drug called cabazitaxel .
Radium-223
This is a type of internal radiotherapy that may be an option if your cancer has spread to your bones and is causing pain. A radioactive liquid is injected into your arm and collects in bones that have been damaged by the cancer. It kills cancer cells in the bones and helps some men to live longer. It can also help to reduce bone pain and delay some symptoms, such as bone fractures. Read more about radiotherapy for advanced prostate cancer.
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Bph Vs Prostate Cancer
Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a very common non-cancerous condition that affects many men from the age of about 50.
The prostate gland gets bigger as you get older and sometimes presses on the tube you pass urine through . This can cause problems with passing urine.
In both BPH and prostate cancer, the prostate gland gets larger.
BPH is benign which means its not cancer and it cant spread.
Prostate cancer can spread to other parts of your body.
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Testicular pain may happen in one or both testicles, said the Cleveland Clinic.
The health site continued: Soreness may be acute or chronic .
Potential causes include injury, twisting, infection, hernia, nerve damage, fluid build-up, inflammation and cancer.
Testicular pain may be acute, meaning that its onset is sudden, and its duration is limited.
The pain is considered chronic if it is constant or intermittent and it lasts three months or longer.
Pain may occur in one testicle or both testicles.
The sensation of pain cannot be measured directly, and this is why it is imperative to speak with your GP about the possible cause for this pain.
Blood and urine tests may be performed to rule out any infections as possible causes.