Brachytherapy

Herophilus said...
I had no trouble whatsoever with any of the covid vaccinations. I have never had any problem with the flu shot. Which is why I didn't even have a question about taking this vaccine on Christmas Eve. The Shingrex was a different story. Christmas morning I felt like I was hit by the proverbial truck. I felt real bad for 12 hours and bad for another 24 hours. However I've seen what shingles can do to a person!!! SO I'll be in line for another one after the 22nd of February
My Best
Hero

i had issues with all three covid shots and both shingrex shots. i'd say a couple of the covid shots were as bad as the worst of the two shingrex shots. but in general they all hit me about the same. not pleasant

oceanfisher58 said...
Well thank you Gentlemen for confirming my fears about the Shingles vaccine!! A few others also said how bad it was. I am in my fourth week of my shingles outbreak. Sucks is putting it mildly!! I also will stand in line when the dr clears me. I was told about two months after the outbreak before I can receive the vaccine.

My father had prostate cancer. He wasnt too keen on going to the dr. He was late stage when diagnosed. He effectively did nothing to combat the disease. I remember reading his bone scan. It read "Cancer in bones to numerous to list". That phrase echoes in my soul to this very day. All I can say is doing nothing is not the way to go. I guess I should rephrase my thoughts on second guessing my choice to battle cancer. I think its probably natural to second guess our choices especially when side effects show up. I did what I did and now I just have to live with it and make the best out of it I can.

I am waiting on my urologist to get to the bottom of this. I also plan on calling my oncologist this week to see what he thinks. I will fight the good fight and hope for the best. I am happy to have found this forum and know there are many here with wisdom and understanding to help me deal with this nasty disease.

Thanks again my friends.

good luck to you! shingrex shots were like having the flu but for a shorter duration

Ocean, I just re-read this entire thread. What you are dealing with is not normal and, answering your question, you should not have to simply accept the burning pain. I have two suggestions:

1. As others said and you indicated you would do, please consider going back to your RO to get his/her take on the issues. Another set of eyes may be helpful.
2. Consider another urologist for a second opinion after meeting with your RO. They don't accidentally call this the "practice" of medicine. Sounds like your uro is trying miscellaneous treatments on you in the hope that one of them works. That's not irrational but...perhaps another urologist may see things with a fresh set of eyes.

Your treatment was supposed to be the easy one with cure and minimal SE's. Time to find out what's going on. Be persistent!

Jim

I endorse --- heartily --- the idea of seeking out a second opinion with a top-notch urologist.

Our "waterworks" system --- so important to maintain the "plumbing & pipes" --- because it's part of daily living.

Everything to be gained by seeking a second opinion ... one new set of eyes can be life-changing --- and transformative --- in terms of treatment or lessening of the side effects you are experiencing.

Band of brothers here, Oceanfisher58 --- and we are wanting the very best for you!

Sending my best to you!

Fellowship, handshake, camaraderie ~~~

CYCLONE - # Iowa State University

@cwrkr. The risk of secondary cancer as a result of modern radiation techniques is extremely low. The best estimates are less than one percent for PCa. With prostatectomy approximately 50% have either or both significantly reduced urinary or sexual function. With prostatectomy you do gain a pathology report of the tissue removed and for some guys that’s very important. The problem I see is you don’t know the pathology of the tissue left behind and the loss of two urinary sphincters is a high price to pay. That said some guys have to deal with both BPH as well as PCa and for them the decision becomes a little more complicated.

Every treatment carries some side effect risks. Most guys choosing RT do report minor and temporary side effects following RT. The urinary tract runs through the prostate and a lot of RT guys report some burning when urinating or during ejaculation. Mine lasted 10-14 days and required no prescription medication and I describe it as noticeable but very minor. Almost all RT guys report the same urinary and sexual function after treatment as before. I encourage every guy to make an informed decision. Choose wisely.

The most recent study I have seen of suspected radiation induced cancers came from Sweden a few years years ago reported less than .3% at 15 years from over 300 men studied. This study was only of external beam radiation. Brachytherapy exposes far less benign tissue to radiation than external beam and would be lower risk. I have never seen such a study of brachytherapy and I presume there would be no point to do so as the potential incidence would be expected to be far less. One study of potential radiation induced secondary cancer done about 10 years ago showed the incidence to be equal to dying of complications from RP. Of course the cancer wouldn’t manifest for at least 10-15 years, where that one surgical death would be immediate.

Cwkr, I trust that you are investigating both permanent seeds brachytherapy and High Dose Rate brachytherapy. The HDR is the most conformal treatment to the prostate and the cancer including surgery. It follows that it would have a lower risk to potential secondary cancers than any other form.

Basically, any concern about a radiation induced secondary cancer should not be a treatment consideration as it just doesn’t happen with the current technology. Most studies show about 35% of men have continence and/or ED problems after RP versus .3% secondary cancer from radiation after 15 years. Brachytherapy seems like a no-brained to me. Note, I used radiation very successfully more than 11 years ago to beat very high risk PCa and have no negative treatment induced side effects.

oceanfisher58 said...
I really want to thank all you wonderful guys for the sympathetic words and thoughtful responses...I am really getting tired of hearing from friends and others how having Pca is a walk in the park from everything they have read. I end up telling everyone it's not as fun as they make it out to be on TV!!!...

My apologies for responding so late, but I'm just now seeing this post. My cousin from Detroit, MI., said the same thing. When he ended up being diagnosed with PCa, that 50 plus year old man was crying like a p---y. C, it's always easy for people to tell Peter not to be afraid to step out into the water. But when it's their turn, let's C how fast they move. Folks always think they know until they end up finding out. Sir, I hope nothing but the best for you.

I have seen three urologists all within the practice of Urology of Virginia. All of them have been great and listen. I ended up changing so much as one was not a cancer urologist. The second one only wanted to cut. The third one I changed to because he was able to help place the seeds for Brachytherapy along with my RO.

I am now waiting for my RO appointment hoping he can find a cause for this burning after urination. My Urologist scoped me a few weeks ago and sees no reason for the burning. He thinks I am suffering bladder spasms and is treating me for OAB but the meds are not working yet.

Thanks for listening.

I'm glad you got in with the RO, but I'm very disappointed that he didn't have a solution. I think the fact that he's stumped is indicative as to how confusing your case is. Do you get any relief at all from your meds?

Maybe it's because my burning subsided in about a week after my brachy, but I keep thinking that yours has to go away *eventually* but wow, you've been enduring a lot.

Ocean, so sorry for your continuing issues. Re seed migration, it's unlikely that's the cause since the radiation from your seeds is long since dissipated. Unless...the seed migrated early on and caused some damage. You should have had follow up scans after your procedure that looked at seed placement so there is likely a paper trail on that. Also, the seeds were likely "stranded" (linked together) which makes migration unlikely.

My recommendation would be not to wait for another urology opinion. Duke University has a pretty extensive prostate cancer treatment center. You don't have to "leave" your current doctors to get a second opinion. I would suggest you look for a highly experienced urologist at Duke and see what he/she has to say. Your situation is highly abnormal and someone needs to help you get to the bottom of this.

Jim

Jim, thank you for your thoughts on the seed migration. I know sometimes when I write comments I do not always include all the information that is needed to understand my problem. I did have imaging done to make sure the seeds were in place as you said. I unfortunately take many meds each day and they affect my memory. Unfortunately I have more going on than PCa.

I believe your suggestion to contact Duke University is a great idea. I just thought I would give my meds a bit longer to work. I have waited this long and being my PSA numbers are low I dont think I am in any danger waiting. What ever my problem is after thinking about how the seeds initially caused severe burning and the fact that Uribel relieved the pain quite nicely then the problem now must not be related to radiation or severe inflammation. Having been scoped and told there is nothing to see would lead me to believe my problem must be something different than I originally thought.

I started a search on PCa and OAB. My urologist also said I could possibly have painful bladder syndrome or IC. My new meds do help with urgency and frequency to some degree. When I look at the reviews of Myrbetriq, Oxybutynin and Trospium I see they dont get much higher than maybe fifty percent approval rating by people giving reviews. I am working my way through the progression now as my primary physician gave me one and the other two came from Urologist.

In regards to the message left by Logos--Can someone kindly interpret it for me? I am sorry the deeper meaning of his thoughts seem to elude me. Forgive me Logos as I am too simple to understand such eloquent thoughts and language. I did however like your quote of "Many are called but few are chosen". A parable found in Matthew 22:14. Have you been called Logos? Do you know if you are chosen?

Again thank you all for your help