Posted 6/27/2012 4:20 PM (GMT 0)
From my last post (thought I'd start a newer thread):
<<Hello again!
I am now settled in to Houston and have completed 14 of the 38 radiation treatments scheduled for me. So far, it has been very tolerable with the only evident SEs being that I have been noticeably more tired (it could be the heat of Houston and just the stress of starting all of this) and once I do get overtired I need to get inside and get some rest. I've also experienced a week of diarrhea, but I think that was more a case of diet/food/bad water? than from the therapy it self. Either way, it's past and that end of the system is "working as intended". The sessions last approx. 20 - 30 min, depending upon how the whole system is running. They run treatments from 6 AM to about midnight and a few times they get backed up and you can spend 2-3 hours waiting for them to catch up. When you see all the small children in here for brain and spine tumors waiting along with you it's pretty easy to be patient. As far as ED, I haven't had anyone down here with me... but my doc has told me that he wants me "to get at least one good erection per day" and so far at least that is possible and it is still working...
The treatments (Mon-Fri) require that you have a balloon catheter inserted in your rectum (to kind of pin the prostate up and in the same general position each day). I can say that , for me, this is less than comfortable and borderline painful when inflated, but it's over with in 15 min so it is bearable. Of all the guys I've met in her so far, none of them seem to think it is painful (I just might be a tight ass??)
Anyway, I have 24 treatments left and will be going home the 2nd week in June. The staff here is very, very nice and so far, I am happy with the choice I made to come here. I'll post again after a couple more weeks of treatments and update on my progress and any new SEs that I may experience.
Take care,
Tom>>
I completed the Proton (Pencil Beam) Therapy on June 8th and within the hour, drove back straight to Minnesota. I'm now two weeks out and back at work. Had no complications and have had little SEs. There was a little twinge or slight burning that developed near the last couple of weeks in my bladder/urethra, probably where the bladder sphincter sits at the top of the prostate. The small amount of burn is not much, has lessened and I feel it only at the very end of urinating, like at the last squirt. ED has not been an issue, except for the change at the end of the "act" where nothing comes out anymore. Feels a little different at release, I guess I can now actually feel how my prostate gland used to spasm and how it tries to now. Hope that isn't too descriptive or offends anyone here.
I'll have my first post treatment Psa in Sept, which may or may not show much drop and then every 3 months for 2 years. Expectation is that there should be a somewhat significant drop at 6 months and a gradual decline from there. So for now I'm just not worrying about any of it anymore.
Of the many PC patients I met there over the 8 weeks, I think I was the only one that I knew who had not been on Lupron prior to starting the radiation. My radiologist had also "suggested" that I start on it before treatment as well, but with a few discussions, he agreed that there wasn't any proven benefit to the combo treatment for me (when prostate size, tumor location/size, PSA and Gleason were figured in). I think they just like to have everyone on it to hedge their bets since a Proton facility is so expensive and they want to do everything to keep their "success" rates as high as possible.
Obviously there is no 1 treatment that will fit all of us PC men but if you have the time, $, insurance to go through Proton Beam therapy, especially the Pencil Beam delivery available at MDA (and your PC is at a stage where this therapy will work) newly dx'ed men should investigate this.
Thanks again to all those here for their knowledge sharing and support.
Tom