HDR Brachytherapy experience

User

Posted 02 Aug 2016 at 16:54

For anyone who is considering it, here are my experiances:-

I had 6 months of HT before going into hospital last Tuesday. Arrived at 16.30, and got the bed etc sorted.

Woken at 5am on the next day for the Enema, which worked very quickly.

8.40 taken to have the General Anesthetic.

Woke up at 10.20 in the recovery area, after having the Template fitted, but couldn't feel a thing. No pain.

After a short while, I was taken to the Brachy dept, and put through a CT scaner, and each of the 18 rods were connected up to machine/computer, and then had a long wait, about 2 hours while the procedure was planned.

I then had 33min 53 secs of HDR.

after a short while, I was given liquid morphine and gas and air, and the template and rods(needles) were taken out.

Got back to the ward just before 3pm. A bit longer than I expected, but still no pain.

I was awake early the next morning, and the nurse asked if i would like the Catheta removed. I said yes please!!

I was told if I could pass 3 lots of clear urine, and pass a urine retention test I could go home. Which I did.

I phoned my wife and we went home at 12.30 on the 3rd day. A little sore, and very tired.

All in all, I was extreamly pleased with the path I had chosen.

I have to wait for the follow up in 4 weeks, to see how things went, but I would thoroughly recommend the procedure, if available.

I hope this will be of some use.

User

Posted 02 Aug 2016 at 19:38

Good post.

My experience was generally similar. Differences were that I had 3 months (rather than 6) hormone therapy (Bicalutamide) before the Brachytherapy, and was only in overnight.

Apparently it is normal at Southampton not to have a general anaesthetic, but I had one. I didn't get any pain relief before removal of the rods (other than maybe intravenous paracetamol) and that part wasn't pleasant.

I was up and about pretty quickly, I overdid it slightly, but was back at work 5 days after the procedure.

I had follow on radiotherapy (15 sessions) around two weeks after the Brachytherapy.

I would also recommend giving this serious consideration.

Pierre

User

Posted 03 Aug 2016 at 09:19

Thanks Pierre,

Nothing has been mentioned about follow-up RT. Why is this necessary?

Thanks.

User

Posted 03 Aug 2016 at 15:53

David,

Not everybody who has brachytherapy, high or low dose also has EBRT. This may be for several reasons among which where it is difficult to gain access for the radioactive needles or seed depositors to a part affected by cancer. Photons as EBRT are not restricted in this way, although care is exercised to minimise damage to other organs along the path of the beam. So much could depend on the position of a particular prostate (can vary from one patient to another and even with same patient under certain circumstances). Some oncologists may also use as a belt and braces approach.

Barry

User

Posted 03 Aug 2016 at 16:13

As Barry says, there are different regimes from different Oncologists.

My understanding is that there are prescribed limits of how much radiation you can be deliberately exposed to in a given timeframe. MRI's, XRays, and Radiotherapy all contribute to the volume.

I certainly didn't get 33+ minutes of HDR. Probably 20 to 25 minutes, so it may be that I was only partly "cooked" by the Brachytherapy.

I forgot to mention that I continued on the Bicalutamide for around 20 months after the Brachytherapy.

My treatment was just as Southampton General said it would be in the information I had when first diagnosed.

Pierre

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