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Side effects of brachytherapy: Anyone have urinary and bowel issues?
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Aug 25 6:50am | Replies (11)Comment receiving replies
Other than more frequent & urgent urination, I had no urination issues and no bowel issues.
I used Depends pads in case of urine dribbles. Good for peace of mind. Stopped after a month or so.
To help prevent urination difficulty, I started taking Tamsulosin (Flomax) about a week before my HDR Brachytherapy (March2024). In retrospect, I probably did not need it. The only side effect I noticed was lightheadedness. IIRC, I stopped taking Flomax after about a month.
A rectal spacer (SpaceOar) was placed on the same day I had HDR Brachytherapy. This was done to protect my bowel from radiation -- especially during subsequent SBRT treatments. The spacer made my poop smaller diameter, so I took a stool softener (Metamucil) after every meal to help prevent constipation.
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@retiredboomer71 Hi, Great to hear all went well with your HDR Brachytherapy. Do you mind me asking a few questions as I'm having the same HDR Brachy procedure done with SBRT after. Did you do any ADT? What were your stats prior to the treatment? Did you have treatment done at a cancer center of excellence? Thanks and best wishes.