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My Treatment Decision Is In: Single Seed Brachytherapy

Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Oct 20 11:11am | Replies (35)
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@heavyphil

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 I am not happy about it either but my anxiety and fears have been replaced by acceptance and the understanding that I HAVE NO CHOICE IF I WANT TO LIVE!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

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Replies to "Hey Paul, YES to your question! I am beginning 25 sessions of EBRT on Nov 4..."
paul28 | @paul28 | Oct 19 8:53am

Phil, your knowledge and explanation of sessions and side effects is quite good, and I appreciate this!
Somebody comes up with all of this stuff, then they have to sell it to us, and all we can do is hope for the best!

In all honesty, I am not looking forward to any of it.
I would have loved HDR BRACHYTHERAPY as a monotherapy. But nope, I am not a good candidate for that. Of course, I'm not!

My brachy is the 11th of November and first EBRT is the 19th.
Best wishes to you Phil as we motor on!
PAUL

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jeffmarc | @jeffmarc | Oct 19 10:19am

Interesting that they have changed how they’re doing the salvage radiation with fewer visits. I know I went through seven weeks of treatments, but felt nothing. No issues at all after each treatment.

It would be interesting to know if you actually do feel something as a result of them having a higher radiation dose. Did they tell you there would be more side effects? What did they tell you that you should expect to feel?

I got 2.5 years of undetectable tests after radiation. Hopefully yours will end in remission.

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