A thanksgiving update: I give thanks after 12 days that so far things are going very well indeed. Ending the cipro course was a good thing -- i felt much less dizzy and foggy after the last of those pills (might be coincidence, and just the last of the anesthetics wearing off). As advertised I experience a little urgency and burning, and have to get up twice a night or so. I guess the seeds are still building up a charge and may have more surprises for me. But so far this has been quite tolerable. A day of tests await at the end of the month.

i'll take a first crack at these and there are others here who know a lot more:

Sore throat from intubation: comes with the territory with any surgical procedure requiring anaesthetics, alas. Mine was sore for a few days and then was fine. I think they warned me about possible damage to teeth as a legal precaution.

Effect on bladder: I dont think I'm eperiencing any direct effect on my bladder from thi procedure, so far.

Vomiting: in my case an effect of anaesthetics, i think.

Swollen testicles: nothing to report here.

Discomfort in hte area: there were a couple of days of being aware that numerous needles were pushed through "the area" but quickly faded in my case and now nothing to report.

Hygiene: no surgical scar so nothing out of the ordinary.

Stitches and wounds: pleasingly, there are no stitches involved with this procedure, and no wounds.

BMs: It is important to stay "regular" (i.e. to not allow failure in this department for more than a day or two) so that one's colon does not press against the irradiated prostate and perhaps receive more rads than it should. So a mild laxative is prescribed if needed. I needed this for the first week or so, and then not.

Safety: You are told not to allow infants to sit on your lap, and to keep a safe distance from pregnant women. If your wife is pregnant i think there might therefore be an issue with sleeping closely in the same bed. Otherwise there seem to be no safety issues -- your spouse will receive about as much exposure from you over the course of treatment as she would flying in a jet to Tokyo (or so they say).

Sleeping: The flomax is a pretty good sleeping pill, I find. You take it just before going to bed, and I find I've been sleeping quite well in the result. I have to get up once or twice a night, as advertised.

Recovery in general: I probably could have gone to work the day after the procedure. I tackled a pretty challenging week (including a high-stakes board meeting in the organization in which I am CEO) the week after it. So in the early going, before the radioactive seeds have really worked themselves up to their full potential, I think recovery is a lighter proposition than seem to be presented by some of the alternatives. I'm looking forward to reading others' experience with that, at the one, three and six month stages. The seeds should be fully expended by about six months.

I think you'll be glad you looked into this alternative. If you fit its profile you can look forward to a cure rate comparable to any alternative, with, possibly, less difficult side-effects and therefore a better quality of life. If you're still working I think it is paricularly worth investivating, assuming it fits your profile. Best of luck and happy to help with any oter questions.

All the best
bt

Good for you, Brian.

Here's hoping for many great years ahead!

Tony

brian,

it may seem to be a surgery site, but thats only because surgery is overwhelmingly the number one choice in primary treatment for PC at this time. there are more than a few here now that have had seeding, and they get the same kind of encouragement and support as any other treatment method. some have had conventional RT or RT/HT as their primary treatment. you are going to see the most about surgery, because that is what is mostly done.

david