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My LDR Brachytherapy Story

User
Posted 12 Aug 2025 at 06:57

Hi Ford55

sorry you’ve had to join this band of men but at least we have this site, forum and all those who contribute, to help us out.

I opted for Brachytherapy and had my treatment in March this year.  My staging was similar to yours and I’m a similar age, I will be 66 in October.

The procedure went well, I’ve had or still got, most of the common side effects but nothing that’s affected my everyday life.  I had hoped, initially, that after 3 months I’d be back to normal, I’m not there yet but things are still improving.  I had 72 seeds implanted, I think it’s based on the size of the prostate but if it’s too big, not sure what the limit is, it might preclude this as an option.  

My lasting effects are a burning sensation when urinating, thankfully I’m back to 6-8 times a day down from about 12-14 at its peak and my stools are a bit loose and I go more frequently than before having been constipated early on.  I normally wake a couple of times in the night, down from about 4 but my flow at night is still very slow.  I did have a couple of urine infections both times cleared up with a 7 day course of antibiotics not something that is that common after treatment and may not even be related but I’ve never had one before.

Medication wise, I’m on Tamsulosin 400 mg daily and Sildenafil 100mg twice a week, both until my next review in October.  I tried doubling the Tamsulosin and adding Ibuprofen for 7 days to try and address the nocturnal flow issue but it made no difference so we’ll see if anything needs to be done about that long term, at present I can live with it.

So I guess all in all I’m very happy with the way things have gone and if it’s done the trick, which it does in +90% of the cases, then I’ll be delighted.

Good luck with your treatment and onward journey, keep us posted and all the best, John

User
Posted 12 Aug 2025 at 09:39

Hi , It's good to see another prospective Brachytherapy member taking the the same road as me in 2016.

I had my Yearly PSA test a couple of weeks ago and it came back as > 0.01 and no further action ( was signed off in 2021 if i remember rightly 9 years ago) ,but i still feel i need the comfort of the test every year.You could click on my Avatar and scroll down a lot to get my full story but not a lot to tell.

I had my brachytherapy in Mount Vernon near London 25 miles away as it was the Brachytherapists home hospitals against the Lister Hospital in Stevenage  two miles away where they could only do my other option Robotic surgery. The brachytherapy operation was over in no time with very little discomfort and i was more interested in food and a cup of tea that the pain relief pills. Good luck with the treatment.

John.

User
Posted 16 Aug 2025 at 11:23

Good to hear a positive review for brachytherapy - thanks.

Saw my brachy doc this week, the hospital is about 90 minutes drive away as my local hospital doesn't offer it ( or even mention it). Doc was very thorough with explanation and potential after effects. Pre surgery assessment done and I'm booked in for mid September to have LDR brachytherapy. That's exactly 4 months since I asked my GP for the PSA test. I reckon that's good going for the NHS.

I wish everyone well on their version of this journey.

 

User
Posted 17 Aug 2025 at 08:40

The very best of luck man, keep us posted. 

Bryan

 
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