Brachy implants - 2 weeks ago - progress report

Hi to all and many thanks to those who continue to reply and share their experiences , worries and fears. This vital sharing of information can be so much help to others as we have already discussed.

So, it was 2 weeks yesterday that I had 76 seeds implanted into my prostate and I must say that things have gone much as predicted by Dr Henry at St James Hospital in Leeds when she spoke to me before and after the procedure.  I have yet to feel pain or discomfort which she warned may still occur once the radiation reaches higher levels in my prostate so I'm still bracing myself for that.

The bruising and soreness wore off pretty quickly in my case, was walking ok and without difficulty the next day even if I looked like a was carrying an egg between my buttocks. I've had no major problems with peeing, my flow is ok, not painful at all but definitely more frequent and at times I get the feeling of urgency which I have learned to control with some success by not sprinting for the loo and telling myself that I can wait. Ive only had one slight leakage after a walk when I'd drunk a lot more water than usual throughout the day and had not given myself enough time to pee before setting off, while I was unlocking the door I suddenly felt a huge urgency to pee and simply dribbled a few drops. This had never happened before and has not occurred since. When I know that I'm going out,I simply rein in the drinking for a while before , make sure I've pee'd and so far so good. Went out for a meal and did take a pad with me just in case but was out for a couple of hours with no problems at all. I am aware that this may change as the seeds increase their work but I am positive in my approach and hope and believe I can find ways to deal with it.   As advised I have increased my fluid intake: water , not beer or coffee I might add, so the increased peeing could be in part due to this.  I have been up 2 or 3 times a night  feeling as though I must pee although the volume suggests the I could easily have made it through the night. 

I went to the gym yesterday for the first time as was advised to refrain for 2 weeks, just did some yoga, a bit of treadmill stuff, larked around with my granddaughter in the kids pool then swam 20 odd lengths of the 25m pool. Not uptown my usual mile but felt great and guess what ? I slept through from 2200 - 0430 hrs when I was awoken by the pesky crows. I can't say for definite that this was due to exercise but the difference in how I feel is amazing. I've had a couple of days when the fatigue has been pretty overwhelming after broken sleep and in a letter I got from Dr Henry I was again warned that  this may happen more as the level of radiation in my prostate increases.

I'm looking forward to increasing my exercise and getting back on my bikes but may give this a little while as things are still slightly tender between the bum n balls.

I thank my friend Baffledman for his openness about things on the sexual front so I shall follow suit and hope that my story helps others. I was advised by Dr Henry to refrain if possible from sex for a couple of weeks and if I masturbated to use a condom. Other advice is to use a condom for the first 5 ejaculations post implant. I recall my horror following my biopsy when I was tempted to knock one out after a few days and spurted blood all over the place so this time I waited ! I was prescribed viagra and had some at the ready but am pleased to report that I got a satisfactory erection without taking any but I do admit that I wouldn't have been able to hang a wet towel or donkey jacket on it as I did in my youth. To spare you all the gory details I can say that everything worked pretty much as normal, yes it was a bit floppy if I'm honest but hard enough to get a condom on and manage an enjoyable if not slightly brief shag! No pain when I ejaculated and no blood or discolouration in the semen, which did seem reduced in volume as I was told to expect. I know that all this may change as I get further into the process and I will update as and when it does.

I have yet to return to site and driving duties but am aware that I will have to plan for pee stops and on the advice of Dr Henry am taking a Lenor bottle which has a wide mouth and is relatively easy to pee into. I think that I have covered most things but if anyone has any questions I will be more than happy to help if I can.

Keep talking and listening to each other

Best wishes

Dave