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Brachytherapy - worrying times

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User
Posted 22 Oct 2020 at 01:32

I'm a worried daughter and just after some advice and reassurance.

My Father (64) was diagnosed with cancer last Christmas, and he was adamant that he did not want surgery or radiotherapy. He got given the option of brachytherapy which he took. He had the surgery on Friday (16th) and is home.

He is mentally at the moment very low. I believe that some of this is due to the fact he has no energy to do anything, when this happens he tells me that he can not think straight. Pain is still an issue and having to get up to the toilet 3-4 times a night may not be helping him. Hes taking medication to help him go to the toilet. He believes that this is going to keep going for months and months and that it will be like this for the rest of this life.

I know that it is still early days 6-7 days after surgery, but can some one please talk to me about their experiences and if what he is saying is true. Just someone to talk to would be nice.

Thank you

Lyndsey

User
Posted 22 Oct 2020 at 17:51

Thank you Johntheprint my dad is taking Tamulosen already the first night he took it he had chest pain, went dizzy and his heart was racing, he has continued to take it after talking to the specialist nurse and basically told him that there was nothing else he could take it was that or nothing. 

Chigwell2020; I dont mind you saying that at all. My husband would tell him the same thing. He has said today that he wants to get back to work on Saturday, but i dont know if that is right at the moment because hes a driving instructor, and hes still not 100% but there is no stopping him once he starts on things. 

 

Old Barry: I do not believe he was offered any hormone therapy, he just decided that he wanted to go straight to brachy therapy. he had the radioactive seeds think he had 98 implanted. 

thank you for the replies, i appreciate it all. 

User
Posted 23 Oct 2020 at 08:25
Lyndsey,

Please keep us informed of his responses. Best wishes,

Chigwell 2010.

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User
Posted 22 Oct 2020 at 11:21

Hi Lyndsey,

I am 74 and had Brachytherapy in 2016 at the age of 70 and four years on doing very well.I think your dad needs to give it time to mend and the tissue time to get back to normal.

He will be getting up a few times a night in the beginning and the doctor will prescribe Tamulosen for the near future to relax his lower area and like me can stop taking them when it suits him, i came off them after six months but everybody is different.

I did have tiredness for a long time but a lot of that was because of having to care for an elderly relative on call 24/7 for the last two years and later my wife having a couple of operations the last being a hip replacement three months ago so had little time think about my problems.

If you click on my avatar you can see my journey and if you need to ask more questions please come back to me.

I think everybody reacts to prostate cancer in a different way and it can affect your mental health as well and of course ED but that also comes with age in men.I struggle to talk to my family about it and just say I'm winning

with twelve monthly checkups but still worry when the next test is due for me this month.We was hopping to start traveling again soon but then the Covid appeared and to be honest i am more worried about Covid killing me in the short term than the prostate cancer coming back

Edited by member 22 Oct 2020 at 11:27  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 22 Oct 2020 at 12:07

Whatto Lyndsey,

 

I was exactly the same age as your Dad when I had Brachytherapy in April 2010 now over 10.5 years ago.

I am no super hero but I was playing Golf 4 days after the procedure and continue to play Golf 3 times

every week and jump out on my mountain bike a couple of times each week for about and hour each time.

He should be encouraged to become as active as possible paying due regard to his physical capabilities

prior to the procedure. The Hospital Authorities would for sure have considered he had a long term chance

of a full active recovery or they would not have offered the treatment.

Perhaps some Physiotherapy would help but for sure he has to be convinced that his own self help is the best

therapy to be prescribed.

Please forgive my bluntness but if he can get off his arse then he should do just that and start right now to

think straight. If the pains continue then perhaps a call to his Consultant might be helpful.

Best wishes to you and your Dad.

Chigwell2010

User
Posted 22 Oct 2020 at 14:06

Has Dad been on Hormone Therapy because that can have side effects for the time taken and for a time after it ends that can result in both physical and personality changes. This is compounded by radiation. I assume it was External Beam radiation Dad was set against as he did have either radioactive seeds (most likely) or High dose radiation treatment by temporary placed probes. Incidentally, these methods (Brachytherapy) are supplemented by a small number of fractions of External Beam RT in some cases.

I agree it is much too soon to take a view on how Dad will be affected long term.

Edited by member 22 Oct 2020 at 14:09  | Reason: Not specified

Barry
User
Posted 22 Oct 2020 at 17:51

Thank you Johntheprint my dad is taking Tamulosen already the first night he took it he had chest pain, went dizzy and his heart was racing, he has continued to take it after talking to the specialist nurse and basically told him that there was nothing else he could take it was that or nothing. 

Chigwell2020; I dont mind you saying that at all. My husband would tell him the same thing. He has said today that he wants to get back to work on Saturday, but i dont know if that is right at the moment because hes a driving instructor, and hes still not 100% but there is no stopping him once he starts on things. 

 

Old Barry: I do not believe he was offered any hormone therapy, he just decided that he wanted to go straight to brachy therapy. he had the radioactive seeds think he had 98 implanted. 

thank you for the replies, i appreciate it all. 

User
Posted 23 Oct 2020 at 08:25
Lyndsey,

Please keep us informed of his responses. Best wishes,

Chigwell 2010.

User
Posted 05 Nov 2020 at 19:46

Hi , just catching up with your post about your Dad and Brachytherapy, if you check out my avatar you will see my background, I had LDR Brachytherapy on the 22nd of July 2 and i have documented my journey in the treatment section.

Over 3 months on and all is fine except for some tiredness which I attribute to being up 2 or 3 times at night going to the toilet but there are some nights now that I am up only once, I am still taking Tamsulosin but will probably try and go off it shortly. I play golf three times a week at least and live an active life, I selected Brachytherapy as it looked to have the least side effects and best chance of resuming a normal life after recovery, so far I  happy that I made the right choice and many men who have been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer do not get the option of brachytherapy. Good luck to your Dad in the coming weeks and make sure he gets plenty of rest.

User
Posted 10 Nov 2020 at 09:59

Hi Lyndsey... Like John the Print, I too had LDR Brachytherapy, on 31st Jan 2017. Unfortunately, it was not a complete success snd  my PSA is slowly rising again. Please click on my avatar for a more detailed description of my journey

Regards Tom   

 
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