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Question for all that have had HDR bracky..alone or in combination therapy

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Posted 7/11/2016 4:44 PM (GMT -5)
I`m on 6 month Lupron now and I am scheduled for either 45 sessions of IGRT or 25 sessions of IGRT and 2 -HDR`s 2 weeks apart. My question to all is: after the HDR treatments were over , did you go home with a cath. in for from 2-4 days ?? My Uro....and my second opinion Uro. both say they leave a cath. in for 2-4 days because of swelling of the prostate after the high voltage frying.....thank you for you replies David
Posted 7/11/2016 8:42 PM (GMT -5)
Hi David. I had HDRBT as part of my triple play. EBRT 5 of 23 complete. I only had 1 dose of HDRBT, not 2. My cath was yanked out within 30 minutes after I woke up.

Where you are having 2 doses, the cath for a couple days might be warranted after the 2nd one.

Just wondering what the Gy per HDRBT session will be. My single boost dose was 15 Gy.
Posted 7/11/2016 11:57 PM (GMT -5)
I had HDRBT, 11.5 Gy on one day and 11.5 Gy the next day. Cath stayed in, along with the catheters overnight while at the hospital. After 2nd treatment was done, cath (and everything else) was pulled out. I did not have to go back for any further HDR treatments. It was a long night with all that in there on a gurney (they don't move you on a bed for fear of moving things out of position). Hated it then, barely remember it now. Good luck to you. I feel for guys who do HDRBT and then go back and repeat it. Take care. -JR
Posted 7/12/2016 8:55 AM (GMT -5)
I had two HDR procedures one week apart. With each procedure they inserted a Foley catheter before inserting the radiation catheters and template just after they administered a spinal block and put me to sleep.

After they radiation treatment, they removed the Foley catheter just after removing the radiation catheters and template. Then I got off the gurney, got dressed and went home. I did not go home with a catheter after either procedure.

I recently asked both my radiation oncologist and urologist about the method. They both said they never send the patient home with a catheter after HDR. Both said the standard protocol is to remove the Foley catheter after the radiation procedure is completed and neither know any HDR doctors that leave the catheter in. They did say that some permanent seed clinics will leave a catheter in for an overnight and remove it on the day after the seeds are inserted.

How many HDR procedures have the doctors done and how many do they each week? You want to make sure you are using specialists that perform a lot of procedures. My docs do nearly a dozen each week.
Posted 7/12/2016 9:15 AM (GMT -5)
I had one brachy boost along with 25 shots of radiation and a year of Lupron joy. They took out the cath at the hospital before I went home. Pissed blood for several days and it burned like stink. I think they gave my wife a take home cath in case we needed it.
Posted 7/12/2016 12:41 PM (GMT -5)

Fl Drifter said...
I`m on 6 month Lupron now and I am scheduled for either 45 sessions of IGRT or 25 sessions of IGRT and 2 -HDR`s 2 weeks apart. My question to all is: after the HDR treatments were over , did you go home with a cath. in for from 2-4 days ?? My Uro....and my second opinion Uro. both say they leave a cath. in for 2-4 days because of swelling of the prostate after the high voltage frying.....thank you for you replies David

I left the same day for both treatments, but I had to produce 100ml of urine before being discharged.
Posted 7/12/2016 1:49 PM (GMT -5)
OK great info ...sounds like the docs in my area are the odd men out....still waiting to hear of a guy that went home with a cath . in .....Thanks David
Posted 7/13/2016 5:17 PM (GMT -5)
The cath was removed before I left the hospital after both of my HDR sessions. They did want to see that I was urinating before they let me leave.
Posted 7/14/2016 2:46 PM (GMT -5)
HDR Mono here. Two treatments done a week apart. Did not need to leave with a catheter either time. But did have very bad pain after the first treatment on urinating for several days. Advised them of that when I went back for the second treatment and they treated the catheter (only used during the treatment) with, I believe Novacane, and did not have the same problem the second time.
Posted 7/14/2016 3:31 PM (GMT -5)
I went home with a catheter and had it removed the next morning. I was really anxious about it but afterwards realized it was no biggie.

ed
Posted 7/14/2016 3:48 PM (GMT -5)
My impression is that it's very unusual to leave with a cath. UCLA, where I had the procedure, makes you leave with a cath if you can't urinate a sufficient volume afterwards, but otherwise doesn't make you leave with one. For the record, I couldn't pee enough after my first procedure, but I was fine for the second.

UCLA also provides directions to head to an emergency room if you're having problems urinating after the procedure...perhaps your docs feel like they're better covered you leave with one to avoid the possibility of that outcome.
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