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Posted 5/4/2007 2:28 AM (GMT 0)

I met again with my urogroigst again today after flying home from my second ablation for a-fib, really fun stuff. time will tell if it worked so far im back in SR hope it lasts so I can deal with the PC. At the meeting he said I was a also a good canadate for seeds being a Gleason 6 T1c. I've set a date for the robot with Ahlering but still have time. I've read Julie's  post and it was very helpful . what I would also like to know is what are the long term side effects 2+years out. on the surface it looks good to me for keeping my life style. thanks for the help. carl

Posted 5/4/2007 3:07 PM (GMT 0)

Hey Carl:

I can only give you the post-year side effects - of which there are none - at least for my husband.  Everything seems to be back on track for him - no pain, no bleeding, no excessive fatigue - in fact he's back at the gym and coaching four times a week.  If you have any other questions, fire away ...

JustJulie

Posted 5/4/2007 5:31 PM (GMT 0)
Julie,After the seeds were put in how long was he laid up? thanks carl
Posted 5/4/2007 6:24 PM (GMT 0)

Carl:

He has a labour intensive job so he stayed home for a couple of months as there was no opportunity to do half-days or part-time.  He was up and around the next day but had to take a break in the afternoon for a nap for the first little while.  He took it easy and let his body tell him how much he could/could not do.  Maybe we were lucky but his side effects were minimal.

Posted 5/4/2007 6:50 PM (GMT 0)
Julie, why then wouldn't i do it? Down side? seems like much less trama and drama. what do you think? carl

Posted 5/7/2007 1:28 PM (GMT 0)

Carl:

You need to investigate all your options and decide what is best for YOU.  Because of the location of my husband's tumour, surgery was riskier so we opted for the "next best" treatment which we felt was Brachytherapy and felt confident in our decision.

I know all the information can be overwhelming and the options scary, but you owe it to yourself to gather everything, be confident in your decision and do what is right for you.  We have a very good doctor and results have been good so we've very happy.

Good luck to you - keep us posted.

JustJulie

Posted 5/29/2007 11:42 PM (GMT 0)
Hey, you great bunch of folks, I'm back from the brink. I haven't posted in awhile, because I didn't have any news. I had my Brachytherapy on May 22, 2007. (thirty catheters and 101 125-I (Iodine) seeds. I was in and out in less than an hour. Nurse pulled the urethra catheter and out came very little blood; one seed; and the wonderful sight of urine (can't go home until ya pee). Now I have 100 (nice round number). Side effects up to this point: I feel much like JustJulie's husband. So far, the side effects have been minimal.

Day One: Returned home and waited for the first bladder release. I didn't have to wait long. Then I thought someone had played a joke on me and put some little nails or razor blades in my bladder.

To be honest, the first three urinations were painful. However, the pain started to subside and by the next day I felt almost normal. First night awakened about every two to two and one-half hours to go. This duration got longer as the days went by.

Day Two: A little pain with urination, but bearable.

Day Three: Much like Day two.

Day Four: Believe it or not, I was wondering had I been dreaming about the Brachytherapy?

Note: I have yet to take any pain meds.

I do have one question, though, for anyone out there who has had Brachytherapy. It's been a week and I've felt dizziness and lightheadedness (same thing I guess) off and on throughout the day. Anyone experience anything like this?

Best of luck to all of you getting ready for surgery in the next couple of days.

 

Posted 6/1/2007 3:50 AM (GMT 0)
Good news i'm going to do HDR mono @ CET in oakland. one question, did they strand your seeds? all the best carl

Posted 6/2/2007 12:44 AM (GMT 0)

Carl,

Good luck with your HDR therapy. I didn't have surgery for similar reasons as JustJulie's husband - risky beause I have a history of Deep Vein Thromboses (blood clots in the deep veins in my right calf. I'm sorry to hear you also are having difficulties with A-fib. My sister-in-law, who is 67, has the same problem and she said it can be a *****. Hope your thumper stays in sinus rythym for a long time. I can't answer your question because I don't know the definition of "strand' seeds. All I know is the urologist put 30 catheters in the perenium (between the legs) and then the radiologist placed 101 Iodine (125-I)  seeds into (hopefully) my prostate. I lost one before I left the surgi-center, but still have 100. Once again, good luck.

Bob

Bob

 

Posted 6/2/2007 1:52 AM (GMT 0)
Bob, stranded means there strung together like pearls. This is supposed to keep them from moving you mite ask the doc what he used. The HRD mono is like bracky but they dont leave the seeds in. carl
http://www.cetmc.com/prostate.html#hdr_monotherapy
Posted 6/2/2007 4:19 PM (GMT 0)
Well, thanks Carl for that info. I'll have to ask my doc if mine were stranded. I know I had 30 catheters into which he put 101 (don't ask my why the one) 125-I seeds through the catheters and left them in the prostate. Whether he put three and a third stranded seeds into each catheter - got me? I lost one right after implantation, but still have 100 in there unless there's one or two are roaming around somewhere else. Good luck with your HDR. I can't remember why I didn't go that route. It's more than one treatment, right? Brachy, as you prob know, is an all or nothing proposition (well, almost). If the radiologist screws up, you can't go back in and do surgery because all the good stuff for healing is also destroyed by the radiation.

However, I have read on this forum there are some surgeons who "dare to go where no man has gone" and do some fix it stuff.  By the way, be prepared for some serious bruising in the scrotal sac. There's no pain, but looks like I got hit with two bricks. My bruising is amplified because I take a daily Plavix and an aspirin.

If she isn't too busy, she may be able to expand somewhat on the strand seeds. I'm not sure what type of seeds her husband had. Once again, good luck.

 

Posted 6/2/2007 7:29 PM (GMT 0)
My Oncologist initially wanted to do Seed Therapy to me and follow up with External Beam Radiation. I think it was Conformal at that time. After talking to me for 1 1/2 hours about my Prostatitus history he said I was not a candidate because of that and the shape and size of my prostate. I considered HDR as a friend had had that treatment successfully. It was also followed up with External Beam Radiation. I'm assumming the stranded seeds are fairly new as one of the reasons I was leery of Seeds, is the fact that they can migrate throughout the body. I guess the strands help with that. I ended up having Proton Beam Therapy and very happy it turned out that way.

Ken

Posted 6/6/2007 3:34 PM (GMT 0)

Hey Peeweeaz:

Glad to hear your Brachytherapy treatment is going well.  With any luck, you'll have the same quick recovery as my husband.

Wishing you well!

JustJulie

Posted 6/6/2007 3:56 PM (GMT 0)
Julie,

  Thanks everso for the encouraging words. Did your husband have any difficulties with light-headedness and nausea within two weeks of his therapy? And how long is the danger of incontinence and/or constriction? If I'm urinating ok now am I out of the woods?

Bob

Posted 6/7/2007 8:03 PM (GMT 0)
Bob:

Are you on Flomax?  One of the side effects of Flomax is light headedness - just take it easy when getting up and you should be fine.  He did not suffer any nausea (or at least didn't complain of any to me).

He never had any flow problems but I contribute that to the Flomax he took from the beginning - he's off that now and only uses it if needed.  If your stream is good, you're on the right track!  Funny how we can talk about everything on this forum isn't it ...

Continued good luck to you on your recovery.

Julie

Posted 6/7/2007 10:19 PM (GMT 0)
Julie,

Thanks for that info. I'm not on Flomax, but radiation oncologist suggested maybe my blood pressure medicine may need some tweaking. Perhaps. I guess my home blood pressure monitor will get a work out for awhile. Thanks again.

 

Posted 6/8/2007 4:23 PM (GMT 0)
Bob:

Blood pressure can indeed play a role in light headedness.  Take care my friend.  If you're comfortable asking about Flomax do so.  It's supposed to keep the tract smooth so flow is improved and easier for the first few months.

Julie

Posted 6/8/2007 5:55 PM (GMT 0)

Thanks Julie. I plan to start taking my blood pressure on a regular basis at different times of the day, especially when the light-headedness occurs. Maybe I can pinpoint the culprit this way. My oncologist said since the strongest release of radiation is during the first 60 days, I could repeat could have some difficulties with urination. He also said they have medication to help (perhaps Flomax). However, so far the flow is ok, except for the nocturia. I awaken about every 2-3 hours to go. I found out something interesting about the 125-I (Iodine) seeds. I'll share it on this post so others can have some more info. They have a half-life of 60 days which means 50 percent of the radiation is released in the two months. Then 50 percent of what's left is released in 60 days. Then 50 percent of that, etc. It takes approximately 11 months before all the seeds become just metal shells. By the way, I took advantage of the Brachytherapy and its side-effects to stop smoking after 42 stupid years. It will be three weeks cold Turkey this Tues. Thanks for staying in touch.

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