Firmly on the fence. Surgery vs. Brachytherapy

Tony is correct that IMRT is better with high risk patients. For low risk patients there is no difference in cure rates between IMRT and BT.
For intermediate risk patients a combination of BT and IMRT is recommended because it can give a higher does with minimal side affects than either treatment alone.
Be careful what your read about all the new stuff on Brachy; most of it is just marketing hype in order to differentiate a doctor's practice from all the others. Dattoli is a master at it.
There is little difference in Iodine 125 and Paladium 105; Iodine's half life is longer so the side affects last longer, but the dose is the same. It's the doctor's preference and how he was trained.
Find a doctor that has done at least 500 procedures, a thousand is better. Be sure a urologist is on hand during the procedure so the bladder can be scoped for any stray seeds as this is common and won't hurt if the seeds are removed. The most important factor is the CT quality control scan 2 weeks after the procedure to insure all the seeds are properly placed.
JT

Hi Joe:

Welcome to the forum...as you noted, you will fine LOTS of good info here as well as support.  Actually, this thread that you found is a good one to demonstrate the debate between radiation and surgery.

Specifically, in answer to your questions:

1.  You note the short term effects correctly.  However, most of these are well controlled with a 2-3 month Flomax prescription.  Other than some avoidance of lots of caffeine or over-indulging with alcohol, life should be perfectly normal almost immediately post procedure.

2.  The only major long term side effect is the possibility of ED...though slightly less than with surgery.  That may occur 2-3 years after the seeding.  However, if your sexual functions were working well pre-seeding their is a high liklihood they were work just fine later.  If ED does occur, it is likely to be helped with Levitra, Cialis or Viagra.

From the brief stats you provided, you should do well with either brachy alone or with the additional radiation you referenced.

Good luck and let us know what you decide,

Tudpock

Nebraska Guy:

Thanks for the lind to SeedPods...I had not seen that one.  The issues you cite are extremely rare.  Maybe the reasons they came up are that most of the first person descriptions on SeedPods are quite old so the sides are not exemplary of current BT practices.  However, the links and FAQ could be quite helpful to a patient who is considering this as a treatment option.

Tudpock