HDR Brachytherapy - what to expect?

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User

Posted 05 Nov 2022 at 12:08

Hi All,

I'm having my HDR Brachytherapy on the 2nd of December at St James Hospital in Leeds and was wondering if anyone on here had experienced this treatment and could give me any advice on what to expect, please?

2 weeks after this I will start 15 sessions of External Beam at Western Park in Sheffield. I have been told it's critical (as Western Park has) that this starts precisely 2 weeks after the HDR treatment.

Thanks in advance,

Jon.

User

Posted 06 Nov 2022 at 15:56

Sounds like exactly the same treatment I had. I assume you are on HT as well. I was treated at the Christie in Manchester. Expect to be admitted to the ward probably early morning. Prepared for operation, enema, discussion with anaesthesist, taken to theatre about midday. Wake up feeling groggy about 3pm with a catheter in, and a saline drip presumably to flush system. Have a cr*p night's sleep. Next day have catheter removed have a piss and if all ok be sent home.

I couldn't piss so ended up with a catheter for a week which delayed subsequent RT for a few days. Sounds like you will be having RT over Christmas, not very convenient but needs must.

There was nothing too unpleasant about any of the treatment, just the inconvenience of a stay in hospital and daily travels to RT afterwards.

Two years of HT was worse than the main treatment.

Dave

User

Posted 06 Nov 2022 at 17:30

Hi Dave,

Thanks for your informative reply.

Yes, Prostap 3, second injection this week. So far it's made me tired and emotional!

I know, Christmas will be a bit of a write-off, but Christmas and Boxing Day are on a Saturday so at least I can have my Christmas Dinner - better back off the Brussels though! How I'm looking at is, I'm giving up one Christmas hopefully for many more.

Were you sore where the Brachytherapy catheters had been and could you sit down OK?

Jon

Edited by member 06 Nov 2022 at 17:53 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 06 Nov 2022 at 18:59

Agree be careful with the sprouts. I wouldn't quite go so far as say stick to a bland diet, but I would suggest not going too over the top on rich food and drink. Your bowels and weight need to remain fairly constant throughout the treatment.

I don't know how far you live from the RT hospital, if we have a harsh winter consider having a hotel as a back up plan, not necessarily for the whole course, but somewhere you could book, if the weather forecast was bad for a few days.

I assumed I would wake up with a dressing on the perineum, but no, absolutely no pain or even evidence that I had the treatment: sit, walk all fine.

The catheter I referred to in the earlier post was a urinary one presumably needed for 24 hrs as the prostate will be bruised by the treatment ones.

Dave

User

Posted 06 Nov 2022 at 20:25

It's going to be difficult but I do realise how important it is to keep your weight the same while having RT so my "proper" Christmas will be mid-January. I think I will have my Christmas Dinner and that will be it...minus sprouts.

I live in Sheffield and the Hospital for RT is close to the Centre so I'm really lucky (parking is bad though). But Leeds is a fair distance from Sheffield so I hope all goes well as my Wife and I are stopping in a hotel on the night before and then she'll be on her own the night I'm in hospital so it could be interesting as she doesn't drive but we are going by Train.

That is good to know about the Brachytherapy catheters as I've been looking at YouTube thinking "That's going to be painful" so that has really put me at ease - thank you.

Jon.

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