7 DOWN. 32 TO GO.

What is prostate cancer radiation treatment actually like? What happens during an appointment? How do you prepare? And what about the side effects?

After completing the first 7 of my planned 39 radiation treatments for Stage 4A prostate cancer, I wanted to share what the experience has really been like—from the daily preparation and positioning on the treatment table to the emotional side of showing up day after day.

In this episode of Jonesing For The Journey, I walk you through 7 things I've learned from my first 7 radiation treatments.

I talk about:

• What I expected before starting radiation—and what actually happened.

• The daily routine of preparing my bladder and bowel for treatment.

• What happens inside the radiation treatment room, including positioning, imaging, and treatment delivery.

• Why those little alignment marks matter.

• How long the appointments actually take.

• The radiation side effects I've experienced so far—and those I haven't.

• How Sue and I are adjusting to what I call "a new normal. For now."

One of the biggest surprises? After those first seven treatments, I hadn't noticed any new problems with my energy, urinary function, bowel habits, or physical discomfort.

But that's my experience after seven treatments. It doesn't mean the remaining treatments will be the same, and everyone's cancer journey is different.

This is also another chapter in a much bigger story. Following my radical prostatectomy, we learned that my prostate cancer was more advanced than originally believed. Then, just as radiation was approaching, another unexpected discovery—prostate cancer cells in tissue removed from my bladder—added another detour.

Now, with radiation and ongoing hormone therapy, we continue moving forward.

And through every appointment, Sue has been right there beside me. Because cancer doesn't just affect the patient. It changes life for the people who love and care for us, too.

If you're preparing for prostate cancer radiation, currently undergoing treatment, or supporting someone you love, I hope hearing about my experience makes the unknown a little less intimidating.

We're not medical professionals. We're sharing our personal experience, what we're learning, and the questions we're asking along the way. Always follow the guidance of your own medical team.

RESOURCES FOR YOUR JOURNEY

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🧭 Our Resource Map — trusted cancer, patient advocacy, and caregiver resources, conveniently gathered in one place:
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💙 ZERO Prostate Cancer:
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JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Have you been through radiation treatment? What surprised you most? Or, if you're preparing to start, what's your biggest question?

Share your experience in the comments. Your story might help someone else facing the same uncertainty.

Follow Jonesing For The Journey on Spotify for more firsthand stories about prostate cancer, treatment, recovery, caregiving, advocacy, and finding a way forward when life changes the plans.

Remember: Never make an important decision on a single piece of information. Ask one more question.

Real Life. Real Journeys. Real Hope.

And so…the adventure continues. 💙

A routine baseline MRI after my radical prostatectomy was supposed to be just that — a baseline.

Instead, it found a new spot on my bladder.

That unexpected finding led to another cystoscopy, another surgery under full anesthesia, a bladder biopsy, days of waiting for pathology, and a delay in starting my planned 39 radiation treatments.

And then we got the answer.

The spot was not bladder cancer.

Pathology showed prostate cancer in the bladder tissue.

In this episode of Jonesing For The Journey, I walk through what happened from that first MRI in July through surgery on September 14th, what we know — and don’t know — about how the prostate cancer ended up there, and how the finding affected the next phase of my Stage 4A prostate cancer treatment.

One of the biggest lessons from this detour reinforced something I have said throughout my journey:

Never make an important decision on a single piece of information.

The MRI told us something was there.

The cystoscopy confirmed the spot.

Surgery removed it.

Pathology finally told us what it actually was.

Cancer has a way of moving the finish line just when you think you know what comes next. Sometimes the route changes.

You adjust.

And you keep moving forward.

If you or someone you love is navigating prostate cancer, surgery, radiation, recurrence, biopsies, scans, or simply the uncertainty that comes between appointments, I hope sharing my experience helps you ask better questions about your own care.

In this episode

00:00 — The Scan That Changed Everything
00:48 — The Baseline MRI
01:34 — A New Spot Appears
03:07 — The Second Cystoscopy
03:47 — Back in Surgery
04:18 — Waiting for Pathology
04:51 — The Answer
06:02 — Radiation on Hold
06:56 — Why One Test Isn't Enough
08:02 — Moving the Finish Line
08:55 — Where We Are Now

📘 FREE GUIDE — Ask One More Question
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✍️ Mile Markers Journal
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Reputable prostate cancer, patient, caregiver, and advocacy resources gathered in one place:
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🤝 ZERO Prostate Cancer
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I’m not a doctor, and Jonesing For The Journey is not medical advice. I’m sharing my personal experience as a Stage 4A prostate cancer patient. Every diagnosis and treatment plan is different. Please discuss your individual diagnosis, test results, treatment options, and medical decisions with your own healthcare team.

My name is Mike Jones.

This is Jonesing For The Journey.

And so…the adventure continues.

#ProstateCancer #Stage4ProstateCancer #Prostatectomy #Cystoscopy #RadiationTherapy #CancerJourney #PatientAdvocacy

The first four weeks at home after my prostatectomy brought a lot of things I wasn’t fully prepared for.

Leakage. Protecting the bed at night. Walking when I didn’t feel completely steady. Managing a Foley catheter. Constipation and gas. And sometimes just trying to feel clean and normal again.

In this episode of Jonesing For The Journey, I’m sharing 7 things that genuinely helped me through prostatectomy recovery weeks 1–4, along with several bonus products, practical ideas, and lessons Sue and I learned along the way.

This is not a shopping list.

It’s a preparation list.

We talk about:

• Daytime leakage protection
• Nighttime protection
• Walking support
• Having somewhere to stop and rest
• Compression socks
• Bowel and gas management
• Easier ways to clean up during recovery
• Managing a Foley drainage bag
• The little things Sue and I wish we had thought about before surgery

One of the biggest lessons I learned was that recovery wasn’t one giant problem we had to solve.

It was dozens of little problems.

And every little problem you can prepare for ahead of time leaves you with a little more energy for the one job that really matters:

Healing.

These are things that helped during my personal recovery. Your experience may be different, and your surgeon’s instructions and discharge plan should always come first. 7 THINGS THAT GOT ME THROUGH PR…

You can find many of the products I’ve used during my journey in the Jonesing For The Journey Amazon Storefront:

https://www.amazon.com/shop/jftjjourney

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Purchases made through affiliate links may provide Jonesing For The Journey with a small commission at no additional cost to you.

6 Things Nobody Warns You About After Radical Prostatectomy

https://youtu.be/C2_zxAR85_w

That video goes deeper into the gap between what we talk about before surgery and what everyday recovery can actually feel like once you get home.

https://jonesingforthejourney.com

Real Life. Real Journeys. Real Hope.

If you’ve already been through prostatectomy, I’d love to hear your answer:

What was the one thing you were really glad you had at home — or the one thing you wish somebody had told you to have ready?

Your experience might help the next person preparing for surgery.

And so…the adventure continues.

🛒 Products & Recovery Resources▶️ Related Video🌐 Jonesing For The Journey