Meeting up with others who are having Proton Treatment

Posted by dandl48 Dave @dandl48, Sep 15, 2020

My wife and I had a very pleasant afternoon when we met up with 2 other men who are undergoing radiation treatment at roughly the same time as me. I met one of the men on this forum and the other was staying at the same place as the first. We exchanged our thought processes in choosing what treatment we picked, any "Buyer's Remorse" after choosing radiation and just talked about life in general. It was a very calming day and I hope to meet up with them again. I start SBRT on Thursday while the other man started his yesterday. Why did I post this? It's because the meeting of men in a similar boat away from Mayo relaxed me and reassured me that my choice was the correct one. This can help you also.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Prostate Cancer Support Group.

@davester

Is that proton radiation?

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Welcome, @davester. You asked @dandl48 if he had proton radiation. Is proton beam radiation being offered as an option for you?

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@davester

Is that proton radiation?

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Yes, it was Proton Radiation. Are you having it and if so, may I ask where? Make sure you get the Spacer put in.

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I am in the decision time, I am looking to get it done at Phoenix Mayo in Jan. The 5 treatments so insurance will cover it.

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@davester

I am in the decision time, I am looking to get it done at Phoenix Mayo in Jan. The 5 treatments so insurance will cover it.

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The 5 treatments in 10 days were easy for me, Getting an enema 5 times in 10 days was a drag. I've been at <.01 PSA for 2 + years, my Testosterone level is another story, real low.

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Proton radiation is not usually done in five sessions. Are you certain it was PROTON? SBRT using photon radiation appears to be what you received. The proton therapy uses nuclear fission to split off the proton part of the particles and sends them to your prostate and is very expensive.

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@imbimbo

Proton radiation is not usually done in five sessions. Are you certain it was PROTON? SBRT using photon radiation appears to be what you received. The proton therapy uses nuclear fission to split off the proton part of the particles and sends them to your prostate and is very expensive.

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I too am scheduled for 5 treatment Proton Beam SBRT in December. I was told that the price is the same as Photon Beam. The positive appears to be that the Photons enter the prostate and then exit on the other side potentially impacting other areas. The protons enter the Prostate and do not exit. Definitive research on Protons versus Photons is only now starting to appear.

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Did not know you could get only five. They at times do 38 28 and sometimes 20. Is this a clinical trial you are in?

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@imbimbo

Proton radiation is not usually done in five sessions. Are you certain it was PROTON? SBRT using photon radiation appears to be what you received. The proton therapy uses nuclear fission to split off the proton part of the particles and sends them to your prostate and is very expensive.

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@imbimbo SBRT can use either Photon or Proton.

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Regarding clinical trail, there was a clinical trial which was terminated because the results very quickly indicated the efficacy of 5 treatment Proton Beam SBRT. It is now one of the many treatment options available.

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