Surgery or Radiotherapy? Decision made!

Well, here we are, just about to go for my 13th out of 23 treatments on the LINAC.  The usual bladder/ bowel balancing act, then a short 30 min drive down the A1 whilst drinking my 500ml water (Mrs AW driving, bless her - she refuses my many offers to go solo, but does allow me to drive back ).  Side effects starting building from 10th faction.  Urgency / looser bowels (only in morning before my RT, but all manageable. Very slight build up in fatigue is managed by 10km walks, chopping wood, DIY, etc. And hot flushes last maybe 10-20 seconds (rechargeable battery fan essential) with only one or two in the night after a pee. Fingers crossed for the remaining 10 factions!!   AW

Over half way there - the rest will fly by.  In a couple of weeks time you will be wondering what to do with the spare time.  Only so much wood you can chop 

16th faction today - all still going well.  Just posting this so that my thread gets to the top of the list, as we have a recent arrival and I have referenced this thread to her.  I will report again at the end of the week (4th week out of 5!!).  AW

Nearly there AW. Just beware! Once the RT is finished there is a peculiar sense of ‘what now!?’ As all or most the appointments come to an end after months of them and your time suddenly becomes your own! It’s a really odd feeling but it soon settles and your life becomes your own again!!!!!! Blue skies nd exciting travels beckon for you!!!!! :)

Those of you who have been following this thread will know that I’ve included details chronologically so that anyone else considering brachytherapy boost treatment can get an idea of what lies ahead. I did my research and went for the treatment with elective IMRT radiotherapy to the whole pelvis, including my pelvic nodes (up to spine lumbar L5) rather than just to the prostate gland area.  So, brachytherapy seeds inserted in my prostate and 23 factions of 2 Gy per faction to my pelvis.  My bio has a concise version of my journey and this thread has more detail.  Anyway, less of the introduction and an update on how it is going so far:  Today I had my 18th faction, so only 5 to go and this time next week I will have finished my treatment and will move onto monitoring via PSA. Side effects are still under control (diarrhoea earlier in the week has cleared up), and I have good control (urgency to pee whilst waiting for the daily faction, with a full bladder, is a given!). No fatigue during the day and I’m sleeping 8 hours a night, averaging 2-3 nocturnal visits for a pee. No mood swings (I’m a born optimist anyway) and about 4-5 short lived hot flushes per day easily sorted by taking off a layer and using the hand held fan.  The occasional hot flush in the night (after bathroom visit) easily cured in half a minute without the duvet on.  I hope this gives some encouragement to any new RT brothers that are about to embark on the journey. I hope my final week continues in a similar fashion (I am expecting some “hard yards” but hoping for the best).  I will update you next Friday.  Have a great weekend! I will have a glass of red wine with dinner.   AW

That's amazing AW - You are doing so well - keep it up as you say 5 to go - I will keep my wine on ice until next Friday (I am a man of moderation!).

You journaling this journey will be so useful to anyone thinking of embarking on a similar route. It's brilliant - Thank you so much.

Enjoy the sunbed free weekend (you will miss it when it's over!).

Best wishes - Brian.

Glad to hear it's all going well & that the end of the RT is now in sight.

I can certainly empathise with the urgency to pee whilst waiting for the daily fraction, all due to having to drink what felt like gallons of water beforehand to ensure I had a full bladder but in reality was only 350ml in my case.  Once each session was over there was usually a quick dash to the toilet for relief.  I always wondered why they had so many available in the immediate area!

Hope you enjoy your weekend & relish that glass of red wine tonight.

Ha ha - yes, the dash to the toilet - urgently- then I’m so full that I can’t fully empty my bladder, so I have to go again 5 mins later once I’ve relaxed.  

Ah yes, that 2nd visit was essential before leaving the hospital to start the journey home .  

Good Morning Alpine Wanderer  Me thinks it's your last day on the sunbed today - I wish you well and it will be strange next week when you have no appointments. - But it's a great feeling.

Best wishes - Brian