Brachytherapy

Here it is maybe two years after my seed implants were put in and now I am wondering about radiation side effects. Honestly I did not think much about it till I read Pratoman's history.

Radiation kills tissue pain and simple. It is supposed to kill the cancer I have but now I am wondering about healthy tissue in my prostate and how that is reacting to all this. All the urinary burning is just getting old. Nothing like second guessing the choice I made two years ago. Any way scope of bladder is set in early January. Pca is hateful.

Thanks for listening.

OceanfIsher, sorry you are having to deal with this. I have no words of wisdom to offer, hang in there, hopefully this is something that resolves itself over time. Dont beat yourself up over the decision, you made the best decision you could with the info you had at the time. Water under the bridge.

I recall my RO, when i finished Salvage radiation, telling me not to be surprised if i had some bloody urine 2 years out and it would likely be nothing to be concerned about. It hasn't happened yet, but i remain vigilant, i hope thats the case for you with the burning..

What you're going through really sucks. I'm so sorry to hear this. I would address any radiation SE questions to your RO. Ask him/her for data on this and specific treatments. I think that's the practitioner that should be on top of this for you, although it's clearly important to have your urologist on board as well.

Yep...dammed if you do and dammed if you don't...I suppose the question is...do ya do or do you don't...umm...damm the dam...living water don't need stinkin dam...glory...boink

You wrote
Radiation kills tissue pain and simple. It is supposed to kill the cancer I have but now I am wondering about healthy tissue in my prostate and how that is reacting to all this.

Not plain and simple. Cancer cells are more sensitive to radiation than normal cells. Otherwise, radiation oncologists would all have to retire...

You reported that you have a UTI; that needs to be addressed first. I hope that this can be resolved. Perhaps I am too optimistic, but the pain issue could be related to the infection.

Hello to everyone and an update on my scope procedure. I have been dealing with burning during urination for about three months now. Urologists office called close to a month ago with a positive urine culture and put me on antibiotics. I have had slightly less burning now and just dealt with it. I had an appointment to be scoped set up and the day has finally arrived today.

Went in for the procedure this morning and my urologist said things looks reasonably well. He commented my prostate looked fairly well and the plumbing looked quite open and urine flow would be good. He did say he saw a few areas which looked more red in color with some slight inflammation. All in all a good report.

I then asked the dr why I was still having burning during urination. His answer was I was suffering slight radiation cystitis. He recommended aloe vera water and of course Uribel as needed. As I had never been scoped before I was not sure what to expect from the procedure. It was a bit uncomfortable but better than the two prostate biopsies I have been through. When the dr was finished I stood up realizing I really need the bathroom as I was about to explode. I asked about him filling my bladder and he indeed said he filled it completely. Having been numbed up I voided and then left the office and headed home.

Its an hour ride home for me and what a surprise I had in store when the numbing med wore off. I thought my burning was bad before but NO WAY!! New levels of pain here gentlemen. Lots of burning now. Took my uribel and hoped for the best. So far no relief from the procedure burning pain.

Advice please. How long does the burning from scoping last? This is as bad as when I had the radiation seeds implanted.

Prostate Cancer--the gift which keeps on giving!!! Sorry to complain guys, I know there are many here who have it much worse than I do.

Thanks for listening and the advice.

PS. To make matters worse I just had an outbreak of shingles a few weeks ago. This is some terrible pain my friends.

Had to laugh at your comments JNF!! Funny thing my urologist never said a thing about burning pain after the procedure. Considering I came to him for burning pain during urination you would think he would have spoken up about it.

I did not get the antiviral meds within the first 72 hours. I felt sick for about three days before the rash even showed up. At five days in my rash covered my lower back quickly so I headed to the dr having no idea what it was. The dr still gave me the antiviral meds but not sure if it helped or not. As you say JNF the pain will take your mind of most other things. You hear about how bad shingles is but like most things you have to live through it to understand. I am heading into my third week and so far no letup in the nerve type pain that shingles generates. I researched online and generally most people said it stays with you a good four weeks.

I had plans a year ago to get the shingles vaccine but my area was out. Covid seemed to consume every one and the emphasis was on getting that vaccine so I put off my shingles vaccine. Big mistake. I was told now I must wait three months after my shingles clears to get the shingles vaccine. It is also a two part shot with a spacing of a few months.

I am taking the uribel and will look for aloe vera water today. I am sick of the burning when urinating also.

Thank you for your support and I hope is evey one here feels better soon.

I want to thank you Cyclone for your support and caring thoughts. I have been experiencing burning when urinating for a good three months. My in office urine test was I assume a simple strip test which showed nothing. At my insistence he sent my sample off to be curltured. Guess what? It came back positive for some type of bacteria. I was given a weeks worth of antibiotics which did lessen the burning but did not relieve it all.

Also I scheduled a scope session which took nearly a month to arrive. As the results above show he said all in all I looked pretty decent. Some cystitis but mild. His only answer was Uribel and aloe water. I am near two years from my brachytherapy and honestly thought my journey with cancer and urinary issues was over. What a laugh. I read as much as possible on those like myself who have had the seed implants. Its seems cystitis can be a common occurrence along with prostatitis. Looking back I wonder if not having RP was a mistake. When I read about others who have a strong urine stream along with never having to live through another bout of prostatitis is very appealing.

As you have said being your own advocate is the best way to go. None of us deserves to suffer in silence. As for the shingles what a nightmare that is. Painful nights as for me the pain ramps up around 10pm and lasts to about noon the next day. My rash was largely across my lower back which makes sleeping difficult. The rash did weave around to the front following my ribcage but was not nearly as large an area as my back is. I take gabapentin for that but it still hurts.

Having prostate related issues along with shingles is miserable. I also have spine issues brought on by degenerative disc disease. I have had a fusion and countless other procedures done to lessen the pain. Lastly my osteoporosis has gotten significantly worse this past year also. It has gotten so bad I fractured my pelvis about six months ago with my mri report calling it an "insufficiency fracture due to low bone density". Honestly gentlemen I did not fall or suffer any blows which might have broken my pelvis. The dr said the repetitive movements over time stress areas of low density causing them to break. Just my luck I guess.

Again I dont want to dwell or complain too much as others here on this forum have suffered more than I have.

Thank you everyone for your support. I am so thankful to have the understanding this forum provides.

Sorry you are suffering with concurrent issues. I had shingles after being diagnosed, from the stress of that and trying to find a treatment plan. Not a great way to start out.

Since you did test positive for an infection and your cystoscopy was normal, the burning you describe may be related to the infection, as it is a symptom of urinary/prostate infections. Unfortunately, antibiotics don’t always work. Hopefully your symptoms subside

As far as second guessing your treatment, that just creates negative energy that causes stress which can result in all sorts of physical ailments. It is possible that If you had an RP, you could have ended up incontinent impotent and needing additional treatment. At least your not dealing with a failed primary treatment.

Post Edited (Fauntleroy) : 1/15/2022 6:47:45 AM (GMT-7)

Thanks for being so transparent. I tell people all the time never have prostate surgery for treatment of cancer, I even say it should be illegal! I make it clear that it's only my opinion and not a medically supported position. I suspect I should moderate my radical opposition. My best, truly hope things turn for the better. On another note I received my first dose of zoster vaccine Christmas eve.
Hero

Makes three of us. RP should go the way of leaches and blood-letting. But, there are approximately 13,542 practicing urologists in the USA. They are growing by 2-3% per year. I’m sure many of them will keep prostate surgery alive.

F8 -JNF

oceanfisher58 said...
I have read many messages here where RP resulted in complete cancer remission. I have also read where Brachytherapy and beam radiation were also successful. I do not wish to start any discord about which treatment plan is best. I chose what I thought would be best for me. Unfortunately now I have some unwanted side effects or who knows--it may be something altogether different.

I do not consider myself to be an expert concerning anything about prostate cancer. I hate urinary issues. I have a few medical problems but going to the urologist just makes my stomach turn. I would rather have another spine fusion than deal with prostatitis or prostate cancer issues. My wife wanted me to cut out the cancer but I was just against doing that as I was so worried about incontinence. We just cant win in my opinion.

Hero, I would like to ask you about how the Shingles vaccine first shot left you feeling? Was it horrible? I had heard from others the shot makes you feel horrible. Then of course there is the second dose to worry about. I know with my covid vaccine I felt horrible for three days after my second shot.

Thanks for all the help my friends.

they'll both cure cancer but at what cost?