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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Prostate Cancer / July 2005First checkup after seeds
Yesterday I had my one-month appointment with my radiologist and urologist after brachytherapy. No real examination--the first PSA test won't be done until 90 days after the operation, and they say the first serious results will be at the 6 month mark. I can stop straining my pee to look for loose seeds and not use condoms--hurray! More or less successful sex followed. Erections are slower, less strong, less frequent, but there. Peeing every 90 minutes or so, including at night. I'm told I'm at the high point now for this sort of nuisance (irritated urethtra) and that it should slowly taper off. I had to have a CAT scan so they could do a census count of the seeds to make sure they were all still in place. Both docs seemed pleased so far. > Yesterday I had my one-month appointment with my radiologist and urologist > after brachytherapy. No real examination--the first PSA test won't be done [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > so, including at night. I'm told I'm at the high point now for this sort > of nuisance (irritated urethtra) and that it should slowly taper off. Sounds familiar (I was seeded 8 months ago). The peak was at 6 weeks in my case, and then symptoms did indeed taper off for about a month, at the end of which I was getting up once or twice a night and not burning any more. Then round 2 began: urgency and frequency both worsened, not very fast or very far but noticeably. Now I'm back to getting up every 2 hours at night, and dribbling a bit at the end of peeing, and the rad onc says some people have this happen (apparently due to swelling of the prostate) and it will most likely resolve by itself in time. I hope your luck is better (not that mine's been that bad) and wish you a lifetime of negligible PSAs!  SignatureGreg Louis I promise when the swelling goes down the peeing gets better. So does everything else. Bev > > Yesterday I had my one-month appointment with my radiologist and urologist > > after brachytherapy. No real examination--the first PSA test won't be done [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > I hope your luck is better (not that mine's been that bad) and wish you a > lifetime of negligible PSAs! > ... Then round 2 began: urgency and frequency both worsened, not very > fast or very far but noticeably. Now I'm back to getting up every 2 hours > at night, and dribbling a bit at the end of peeing, and the rad onc says > some people have this happen (apparently due to swelling of the prostate) > and it will most likely resolve by itself in time. > ... Greg, Has your doctor given you any treatment for this? I found Flowmax very helpful. Ibuprofen or other anti-inflammatories may also help. Alan >> ... Then round 2 began: urgency and frequency both worsened, not very >> fast or very far but noticeably. Now I'm back to getting up every 2 >> hours at night, and dribbling a bit at the end of peeing, and the rad >> onc says some people have this happen (apparently due to swelling of the >> prostate) and it will most likely resolve by itself in time. ... > Has your doctor given you any treatment for this? I found Flowmax very > helpful. Ibuprofen or other anti-inflammatories may also help. Thanks, Alan! Yes, I was on FloMax (0.4mg daily), and when "round 2" started I called the uro, had a cystoscopy done, and was advised to double the dose (2x0.4mg half an hour after dinner) -- that helped. Never thought of trying Ibuprofen, and the rad onc (whom I saw for an 8-month checkup last week) didn't seem to think of it either. I was going to call today to get the latest PSA result, and I'll ask about anti-inflammatories then. SignatureGreg Did they do a urine test to check for a low grade infection? You can also test with over the counter test equipment (dip stick turns a different color if there is an infection present). Bev > >> ... Then round 2 began: urgency and frequency both worsened, not very > >> fast or very far but noticeably. Now I'm back to getting up every 2 [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > today to get the latest PSA result, and I'll ask about anti-inflammatories > then. > Did they do a urine test to check for a low grade infection? You can > also test with over the counter test equipment (dip stick turns a [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >> >> swelling of the prostate) and it will most likely resolve by itself >> >> in time. ... Suggestion much appreciated, thank you! Both uro and rad onc seemed to think that my symptoms (which really don't bother me all that much, though a bit more uninterrupted sleep would be welcome) are well within the normal range of reaction to brachytherapy. I didn't ask about the possibility of infection; will certainly do so if symptoms persist or worsen further. (I'm on a tetracycline derivative for another problem; of course there's no guaranteeing without a culture-and-sensitivity check that any bugs in the bladder would succumb to that particular antibiotic, but it ought to have made _some_ difference if an infection is influencing the symptoms.) SignatureGreg Paul, Interupted sleep makes everything seem worse than it is. Hang in there. Steve U It feels so good when they can account for every seed. Our doc never made hubby strain for seeds. Bev > Yesterday I had my one-month appointment with my radiologist and > urologist after brachytherapy. No real examination--the first PSA test [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Both docs seemed pleased so far. Looks like you're doing just fine. Congratulations Paul! After my seeding, improvement was instantaneous at 8 weeks. One day, peeing was problematic, the next day it was so improved, it was shocking. Go figure. The important thing is it will get better. Larry > Yesterday I had my one-month appointment with my radiologist and > urologist after brachytherapy. No real examination--the first PSA test [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Both docs seemed pleased so far. > Yesterday I had my one-month appointment with my radiologist and > urologist after brachytherapy. No real examination--the first PSA test [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Both docs seemed pleased so far. It has been two months since I had the seeds implanted. In the past two or three days I feel I've turned the corner. I now dribble longer and less frequently. That is a great relief! Before, it was like 4 - 5 times an hour. Yesterday we were out for almost two hours and I didn't have to go until we got home. Woops, just heard thunder. Another band from hurricane Dennis is passing through. Jimmie |
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