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My Treatment Decision Is In: Single Seed Brachytherapy
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Oct 20 11:11am | Replies (35)Comment receiving replies
As noted earlier, my treatment is only one dose of HDR BRACHYTHERAPY; and of the type that is done from the insertion of one seed but moved among 20 locations within the prostate gland for shorter periods of time and then withdrawn.
I like to say that this is "one and done" and then off to 5 weeks of EBRT, or external Radiation.
And hearin lies my problem.
I am not at all concerned about one Brachy session.
It's those 25 days of being externally radiated.
This is where things can go wrong, including some very worrisome potential side effects.
Let's just call it what it is .... There WILL BE side effects- some mild, some severe, some short term, and others of life long complications.
My tamsulosin works great.
My ADT/ORGOVYX is tolerable now in the 4th month.
Have you ever heard of anyone who is highly recommending
External beam radiation everyday for 5 or more weeks?
I haven't.
Thanks for joining in my rant!
PAUL
Replies to "As noted earlier, my treatment is only one dose of HDR BRACHYTHERAPY; and of the type..."
Hello, Paul,
I will be getting 40 sessions of image guided radiation therapy (IGRT)--5 days a week for 8 weeks. My radiation oncologist tells me this way she can lower the dose to minimize side-effects. We'll see... Glad to hear Orgovyx is tolerable for you. I am coming up on three weeks of Orgovyx and the worst side-effect so far is Restless Leg Syndrome, which is surprisingly uncomfortable and makes it hard to sleep. Sometimes it seems like getting up from bed and jogging in place a little bit helps quiet it, but that could be coincidental. Wishing you the very best.
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Hey Paul, YES to your question! I am beginning 25 sessions of EBRT on Nov 4 at Sloan. It is the new standard of care for recurrent PCa. It used to be 39 sessions at a lower fractional dose but they found that 25 sessions at a higher dose was equal in success rates.
Here’s the bottom line: side effects with 25 tx are a bit more pronounced than the 39tx during treatment. However, side effects for BOTH groups are the SAME in intensity/duration after 6 months.
So yes, we WILL have side effects but after 6 months they’d be the same as the group with the lower fractional doses. I am not happy about it either but my anxiety and fears have been replaced by acceptance and the understanding that I HAVE NO CHOICE IF I WANT TO LIVE!
Looking at it that way has really helped me. Sometimes having NO choice to make is the best feeling there is.
Best to you!
Phil