New here need to know the effects of having Brachytherapy as it is a one off visit rather than spread over a few weeks.

Hi Tel, Sorry to hear your news.  I was diagnosed in August 22 with stats almost identical to yours (8 out of 18 cores at 3+4=7 T2) and am booked to have my Brachtherapy procedure on Monday 20th March.

The process started with HT (Prostap injection - 3 monthly) in September and December and after my first consultancy I started research into all the available treatments - Brachy was not suggested specifically as an option - but I now consider the possible side effects with Brachy to be more favourable than with EBR.  After three further appointments with Urology and Oncology I saw the Brachy consultant and after flow and volume tests I passed all the health checks and was given the thumbs up in early January.  

I'm more that happy to keep you informed of my experience and outcomes if you wish to keep in touch.

Hi Seajay please keep me informed how it goes for you have to say was hoping with my different lifestyle from my Fathers that when I was tested I would be fine but like somethings in life it is not the life you lead rather the family genes you carry.

However will see where it takes me if my mothers genes have anything to do with it I will have another 30 years upwards however some of the later ones will be with dementia 

Hello Tel, I don’t know much about brachytherapy other than having spoken to one man who had had it and seemed very pleased with the decision he had made. I would suggest doing your own research into the success rates and side effects etc.

I would also suggest looking more into your family medical history. As your father had prostate cancer you are, as you say, genetically at risk. My husband has a high incidence of premature death from breast cancer on his mothers side and his father died of prostate cancer and his fathers father died of ‘prostate problems’. My husband had a consultation with the genetics team this week and is to be tested so we can inform our children if they are at risk and so can be screened etc. 

hth and good luck on your journey! It sounds as if it’s all been caught early and I hope you get that 30 years plus of good health that you mention! By then they might have found the cure for dementia!!!

Good Morning Tel, 

Like you, my father went at 52 (heart attach so don't know if he had PC) and mother lived to be 97, so who knows what's in store.  As I said earlier I did quite a bit of research before embarking on the Brachy route, so here are few of the many links I found which you might find helpful:

https://prostatecancerfilm.com/?fbclid=IwAR3Hf1IvQgxMHtt-nyX8iRw8P4gvfUI4KlMIsjsOxptYESp3qrxIqtwK8AM

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/prostate-cancer/treatment/radiotherapy/brachytherapy/permanent-seed-brachytherapy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4NeQmz-Cho

https://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/media/gc2l41tg/brachytherapy-treatment-for-prostate-cancer_jul21.pdf

Not all hospitals offer Brachy so you might have to push to be referred in the right direction.

Best of luck and I will keep you posted after Monday!!

Chris

God morning Worried Wife have done the research more reaching out to find out from someone who has had either undergoing the treatment or has had it done.

reading about the side effects is one thing but someone who has had it can give a much better account.

in my case I know both my fathers and mothers side have cancer within the family lines. I have informed my children along with my brothers and filled in a form to give a study group information of my family history and those who died young from cancer. 

Yes aiming for at least another 30 years or so my wife tells me.

life is to good to leave early 

Hello Tel - couldn’t agree more with everything you say!  I will be really interested to hear how the brachytherapy goes if you choose to go down that route! I wish you all the very best with whichever decision you make!

I run the Prostate Brachytherapy UK support group if you want to talk with some people who've gone through it. We meet every 2 months on Zoom.

You could also ask the Prostate Cancer UK 1-2-1 service to talk with one or two patients who've had brachytherapy.

As someone else already mentioned, if you are interested in this treatment (or anything other than bog-standard prostatectomy or external beam radiotherapy), you often have to ask. Hospitals which don't do it themselves will rarely offer it, but you can be referred to somewhere which does do it. Even some hospitals which do do it, rarely offer it and rely on patients knowing to ask.

Good Afternoon Andy will take you up on your offer of the zoom meetings 

luckily it seem the hospital I attend do have access to LDR different site mind you
discussion with the surgeon in a few weeks time but think LDR is a better choice for me as we all know a surgeon can promise you the universe until they open you up and then it may be reduced to a tiny planet. 

Hi Seajay sorry not being in contact as away on holiday before my meeting with the surgeon. wonder how your Brachytherapy treatment went and how you are doing.

Hi Tel,  Well, I'm not glowing yet!!  That's the first thing all my friends asked me.  Joking apart, all went according to plan - in at lunchtime, out by 8pm.  The worst shock was waking up after the anaesthetic to find a Geiger Counter on your trolly!  The best part was being told I needed no more hormone injections (I had two, 3 months apart).  I suspect if you are not already on them as it's usually the first step on the road.

Are you seeing an Oncologist or a Urologist.  I first saw an Oncologist, who told me I would have the HT followed my 20 visits for external bean radiotherapy (EBR) - no mention of Brachy.  By this stage I had done a bit of research and could see that EBR was no fun and could lead to complications long term.  Looking at the Prostate Cancer website I had read a bit about this 'seed implant' treatment, so I asked why I was not given this as an option - I discovered the cost to the NHS was about £12 - £14K, so no wonder!  After a few more questions about by general health he agreed to book an appointment with a Urology (Brachy) consultant so I could see if I was suitable.

So I started the HT (Prostap) and then saw the Urologist after about 2 months (don't be alarmed once on it the HT wagon cancer spread is slowed).  He went through the Brachy procedure and explained the data shows an 80% success after 10 years.  He asked specific questions about my peeing habits - force of flow, urgency, getting up at night etc. - he seemed happy with my answers and I later had a flow test (you pee into a bucket and the rate of flow is measured - make sure you have a full bladder and you empty it!!).  They need a result over 50 (no idea what that is - I had to do it twice after drinking gallons of water) and then he checked the bladder and measured what was left, followed by an ultrasound of the prostate - they like it to be less than 20cc after HT - I passed the tests.  

My procedure was about 10 weeks after that, exactly 6 months after starting the HT; 7 months since diagnosis and the whole thing took about 90mins.  I was told and was given 48 seeds. Also, not to allow pregnant woman or the Grandkids to get too close for the first 2 months.

It's now 8 days since the op (full details are on You Tube if you are desperate to see it or I'm happy to tell you more it you have specific questions).  For the first 2 days felt very bruised and took a couple of pain killers - I went to watch snooker on Thursday night but I had to swear on pain of death not to play!!  They prescribed Tamulosin to help with the peeing, not that I'm having a problem and getting up at night no more than before, despite drinking gallons of cranberry juice each day.  They said stay on them until told to stop.

To day I feel much better - bruising going down and am hoping to play a few frames of snooker tomorrow and possibly a light session at the gym on Saturday (the HT saps your testosterone and at 76 I can't overdo it!).  I must say I have no internal pain and went for a short walk yesterday.  Today I received my follow-up appointments - a CT scan in mid April, to check that it has started working I assume and phone cons with the consultant in May and July after doing PSA tests.  

As I mentioned in my first post to you, my stats are identical to yours with 8 cores showing cancer out of 18 taken, although I think mine was all on one side.  I'm not sure why they would suggest surgery, especially at your age with all the likely side effects; some of which could be permanent.  Brachy is not a cheap option for the NHS and I'm sure that's why you have to push to get referred, but so far I'm very pleased with the way it's going.

Just booked a 6 week motorhome road trip to Scotland this summer!!

Do come back to me if you want to chat in more detail.  It's all a bit of a shock, but way up all the pros and cons and try not to get too concerned if things appear to take a long time - get the HT asap. It gives you more time to make a decision.

All the best,

Chris (Seajay)