Finally! Brachytherapy tomorrow morning

Well, it's been a long time coming but it's finally almost time.  My husband goes in tomorrow for brachytherapy.  After all the research we did and lots of discussions with family and friends who have gone down this same road and faced the same decision, we're more convinced than ever that we've made the right choice for him.

We've got our fingers crossed that all goes smoothly and there are no unanticipated problems.  He's scheduled to go back on Thursday to have the catheter removed. He's not thrilled about that.

I'll update on how he's doing afterward.  We'll both be very relieved to have this behind us.

Ellen

Mike and Ellen:

My sincere good wishes for your Brachytherapy seeding.  We've been there, done that so if you have any questions post surgery, please post.

My thoughts and prayers are with you as you begin your next steps down the road to recovery.

Warm wishes,

JustJulie

Here's hoping all is a go for tomorrow.  We were in the same boat just prior to surgery so I can understand your anxiety about postponement.  Wishing you a clear way tomorrow and as speedy a recovery as possible.

Remember to take a book or something to occupy your time - don't do what I did and take knitting, I knit and unknit a sweater about four times - take some fluff magazine you can thumb through.

Looking forward to your post surgery post and reasons to celebrate a Happy Holiday Season with both of you.

 

Thanks, Mika. It was a bit nerve-wracking this morning, but we're home now and my husband is resting. He had a hard time in recovery but only because of nausea from the anesthesia. All else went well, and the surgeon said there was very minimal bleeding and everything went very well overall. The radiation oncologist said that there were 114 seeds placed. We're both very happy with the two doctor team working on my husband's case. (The surgeon is the doctor who's been seeing my husband all along, and is the one who would have done the surgery if my husband had gone that route.)

When we got home, I had a hard time getting my husband to come inside and stop doing some light yard work immediately. He never stops! I think his body finally told him he better chill for awhile so at least he's resting now. We'll go in the morning to have the catheter removed and then hopefully get to the business of putting all of this behind us.

One thing I really didn't think of until today when the radiation safety person suggested that we not sleep together for a few nights: Guess we don't want our two Bengal cats sleeping on top of my husband like they normally do either!

I'm glad all went well today Ellen!  Our oncologist did not say that we could not sleep together she did however, recommend "lead underwear" (stop laughing) if you had little ones around.  Since my youngest is very tiny, I borrowed a pair to have in the house in case we had little ones over to visit- just a safety precaution.  I'm sure they also told you that you'll need to use a condom during the first few attempts - not that I'm suggesting that you try that any time soon :)  Rest is crutial, although he feels fine/good/great - his body has been through trauma and he'll pay for it if he over does it - TRUST ME ON THIS ONE!

Continued good wishes to both of you - glad to have you on the recovery side of the road.

JustJulie

Thanks, Mike. I can tell already that he'll be very happy when Mr. Hang goes away tomorrow. At least he's only got to have him hanging around for 24 hours.

Luck to you both, hope things go well.

Ellen & Mike,

I wish you well - be sure to get your rest - both of you!
I'm glad your past this part and can move forward.

Have a wonderful holiday together,
Susan

Ellen and Mike:

Great news - remember not to over due it though, fatigue sneaks up on you.  Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy your holiday season.

JustJulie

Just a quick update: My husband had the implant last Wednesday and was back at work for most of the day today (Monday). The only thing slowing him down at all are the side effects from the Hytrin. Not sure what he'll do about that as the dose is due to increase in a couple of days and it seems to be lowering his blood pressure too much. Other than that, all is well and pretty much normal at this point. (And our two cats aren't glowing yet, so I figure that's a good sign, too.)

Our thanks to both of you.

It's been one week to the day, and my husband has been doing well. He does say he can feel that the radiation is starting to have effects, but nothing terribly uncomfortable at this point. The only thing really noticeable is that he has dropped about 7-8 pounds and I can tell his appetite isn't quite like normal.

Just another brief update: It's been about two and a half weeks now since seeding, and my husband is doing great. He had a rough couple of days following a very heavy meal and found that eating lighter most definitely helps with feeling better and avoiding intestinal issues. He's been able to discontinue all the drugs he was on initially (steroid, antibiotic, etc.) and also stopped taking the medication that had been prescribed as a replacement for the Flomax that was prescribed initially since the side effects were still too much to manage. Thankfully he's having no problems with urination whatsoever. He also doesn't seem to be having problems with ED, based on some *unintentional indications*, although we've intentionally not pursued activities in that area yet. Through the holidays he's pretty much worked a mix of full and half days of work, depending on how he felt. I expected him to not have as much energy as normal, but if anything he seems to have more. Some of that could be related to the anxiety of the whole situation, though, and just not sleeping as much or as well as normally.

This week we'll be scheduling the CAT scan for next month to make sure that all the seeds are where they're supposed to be. It doesn't seem that any have found their way out that we're aware of.

So far so good ... Like many others here, we're anxiously looking toward future PSA results.

Hope everyone here has a great start to the new year. Both Michael and I appreciate all the support from all of you and wish everyone the best.

Well, whoever said the radiation would slow him down and make him tire more easily never met my husband. (Actually, it was his doctor who told him that..) Ever since he stopped the post-implantation drugs, he's been pretty much back to normal. He hasn't put on the 10 pounds he lost in the first couple of weeks, but hasn't lost any more and looks and feels great. about the only difference is that he'll get up to go to the bathroom at least once during the night whereas he never used to at all. Also, he has some urinary urgency at times. That's about it, though. On top of being back to work full time after less than a week, he's now got an older Corvette he's been working non-stop on restoring. He's already done new brake lines, rotors and pads and today we detailed the body from top to bottom. (I'm the one who's exhausted; he's still out in the garage doing more ...).

We're hoping that the CT scan on the 11th will show that all the seeds are where they should be, and then we'll join many of you anxiously looking forward to encouraging PSA test results.