Halftime

prezmic
prezmic Member Posts: 36
in Prostate Cancer #1
I just completed the first half of my treatment (IMRT + Brachytherapy). 25 IMRT sessions was a breeze. Even dropping trousers 25 times in front of strangers seems normal now.

The only side effects are a slight reddening of the skin at the top of my legs - which will go away, and a weaker urine stream. I noticed that my flow varied during the week - improving over the weekend but getting weaker after 5 sessions. This too will improve now that the treatments are finished.

Now for some halftime fishing and hunting. Scheduled for Brachytherapy in early November. I'm going to win this game.

Comments

  • nowrest
    nowrest Member Posts: 48 Member
    #2
    great
    Keep up that attitude and you will certainly win the battle. Catch some fish also!
  • Old-timer
    Old-timer Member Posts: 196
    #3
    Sounds encouraging
    I like your attitude. Good luck on the fishing and hunting. Tell us about the big ones that didn't get away!
  • PawPaw J
    PawPaw J Member Posts: 34 Member
    #4
    Great news on the limited
    Great news on the limited side effects. I guess we all have learned that dropping trousers actually gets to be not nearly as personal as we thought it was before we started this journey. Our hunting season starts in the morning but our LSU Tigers play at 11:00 AM. What a dilemma! Best of luck on the rest of your treatments.

    Johnny
  • prezmic
    prezmic Member Posts: 36
    #5
    PawPaw J said:

    Great news on the limited
    Great news on the limited side effects. I guess we all have learned that dropping trousers actually gets to be not nearly as personal as we thought it was before we started this journey. Our hunting season starts in the morning but our LSU Tigers play at 11:00 AM. What a dilemma! Best of luck on the rest of your treatments.

    Johnny

    SEC Football
    I am a current resident of Mississippi and LOVE SEC football. I also am an alumni of West Virginia University and had mixed feeling last week. Would have preferred a closer game.

    At the moment, I am being treated at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centers as I work in the northeast. Penn State and Steeler football rule.

    I suggest an early morning hunt, a lunch break for LSU, then back in the woods for the evening hunt. That is my routine in Mississippi. Since I have a bass pond in my front yard, it is easy to take a few fishing breaks. The biggest decisions are football, hunt, fish, BBQ, and beer. I love this time of year!
  • robert1
    robert1 Member Posts: 82
    #6
    prezmic said:

    SEC Football
    I am a current resident of Mississippi and LOVE SEC football. I also am an alumni of West Virginia University and had mixed feeling last week. Would have preferred a closer game.

    At the moment, I am being treated at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centers as I work in the northeast. Penn State and Steeler football rule.

    I suggest an early morning hunt, a lunch break for LSU, then back in the woods for the evening hunt. That is my routine in Mississippi. Since I have a bass pond in my front yard, it is easy to take a few fishing breaks. The biggest decisions are football, hunt, fish, BBQ, and beer. I love this time of year!

    Progress
    Hello prezmic:

    As a fellow WVU alumni, I am glad to hear you are progressing.

    I finished 28 IGRT sessions two weeks ago today. No real issues that weren't likely caused by having a balloon inserted 28 times. I never got used to this. Ejaculation burned a little for about 3 weeks, but the feeling was also more intense. I'll take that temporary trade. Seeds come on October 12. Iodine 125 is my oncoligist's (John Sylvester) preference. I'm ready.

    Proactive use of Flomax starts about 2 weeks ahead of the procedure, and I have been warned that the seeds may cause a bit more temporary effects than external radiation. We are focused on the potentail for temporary urinary issues like low flow, burning, urgency, etc. They may happen, and they may not. Either way, I like the proactive approach.

    Good luck with your seeds and the long life ahead of you!

    Kind regards,

    robert1
  • PawPaw J
    PawPaw J Member Posts: 34 Member
    #7
    prezmic said:

    SEC Football
    I am a current resident of Mississippi and LOVE SEC football. I also am an alumni of West Virginia University and had mixed feeling last week. Would have preferred a closer game.

    At the moment, I am being treated at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centers as I work in the northeast. Penn State and Steeler football rule.

    I suggest an early morning hunt, a lunch break for LSU, then back in the woods for the evening hunt. That is my routine in Mississippi. Since I have a bass pond in my front yard, it is easy to take a few fishing breaks. The biggest decisions are football, hunt, fish, BBQ, and beer. I love this time of year!

    I like your style. This is
    I like your style. This is also the time of year I wait for. We live on a 14 acre lake and are avid hunters. Tomorrow we will be hunting, watching football, BBQing and bringing our 5 m/o grandson out in the little boat for the first time! Its good to take time out away from our dreaded disease and enjoy life! By the way we were ok with the WV score! Keep us updated on your treatments.

    Johnny
  • prezmic
    prezmic Member Posts: 36
    #8
    PawPaw J said:

    I like your style. This is
    I like your style. This is also the time of year I wait for. We live on a 14 acre lake and are avid hunters. Tomorrow we will be hunting, watching football, BBQing and bringing our 5 m/o grandson out in the little boat for the first time! Its good to take time out away from our dreaded disease and enjoy life! By the way we were ok with the WV score! Keep us updated on your treatments.

    Johnny

    When considering my
    When considering my treatment options, incontinence was at the top of the undesireable list. In addition to troubles in everyday life, I was especially concerned with deer hunting and wearing a diaper. I hope I will never need one but does Tinks make a cover scented depends?
  • PawPaw J
    PawPaw J Member Posts: 34 Member
    #9
    prezmic said:

    When considering my
    When considering my treatment options, incontinence was at the top of the undesireable list. In addition to troubles in everyday life, I was especially concerned with deer hunting and wearing a diaper. I hope I will never need one but does Tinks make a cover scented depends?

    Prez
    I don't think anyone makes that yet, but good idea. Now the only thing to do is what I normally do anyway. I have scent loc base slayers and put scent loc pants and shirt over them. Then spray with scent killer spray. This should work even if having to wear diapers. I too hope we don't need them but you never know. I am 8 weeks post op from open Rp and have been dry from day one but the uro said as we grow older sphincter could weaken so not to forget to do kegels.
  • PCCK
    PCCK Member Posts: 5
    #10
    Good Luck
    I'm glad to hear you are doing well and I hope this continues.

    Can you tell me why you're being treated with both IMRT and Brachytherapy? My urologist suggested the same treatment for me. I believe he is recommending this because of my Gleason Score (3+4), the presence of a nodule and the involvement of 1/2 my prostate. What was your Gleason and how far spread was the cancer in your prostate.
  • prezmic
    prezmic Member Posts: 36
    #11
    PCCK said:

    Good Luck
    I'm glad to hear you are doing well and I hope this continues.

    Can you tell me why you're being treated with both IMRT and Brachytherapy? My urologist suggested the same treatment for me. I believe he is recommending this because of my Gleason Score (3+4), the presence of a nodule and the involvement of 1/2 my prostate. What was your Gleason and how far spread was the cancer in your prostate.

    both IMRT and Brachytherapy
    My PSA was 9.6 Gleason 3+4, nodules felt by DRE, more than 50% of cores positive, both sides of prostate. Same as you.

    My urologists (3 separate ones) all said an aggressive treatment was needed. This is the reason for both RTs. They are treating lymph nodes and prostate surroundings as well with IMRT. The seed implants will be CS 131 - a higher energy (and shorter life) isotope. read the following report:

    http://medicalphysicsweb.org/cws/article/newsfeed/46317

    From what I can gather from my studies and reading this forum: Smaller areas of cancer with low gleason can be treated with Cybernife or other highly specific techniques. A larger area needs a larger treatment. IMRT or IGRT alone is possible but treating all the surrounding areas and the prostate with enough radiation also affects the surrounding tissue (bladder and colon, etc.) Seeds alone can target the prostate itself, but not anything outside. The combination approach seems the best attack.

    Of course I am not an expert but this is what I think.
  • PCCK
    PCCK Member Posts: 5
    #12
    prezmic said:

    both IMRT and Brachytherapy
    My PSA was 9.6 Gleason 3+4, nodules felt by DRE, more than 50% of cores positive, both sides of prostate. Same as you.

    My urologists (3 separate ones) all said an aggressive treatment was needed. This is the reason for both RTs. They are treating lymph nodes and prostate surroundings as well with IMRT. The seed implants will be CS 131 - a higher energy (and shorter life) isotope. read the following report:

    http://medicalphysicsweb.org/cws/article/newsfeed/46317

    From what I can gather from my studies and reading this forum: Smaller areas of cancer with low gleason can be treated with Cybernife or other highly specific techniques. A larger area needs a larger treatment. IMRT or IGRT alone is possible but treating all the surrounding areas and the prostate with enough radiation also affects the surrounding tissue (bladder and colon, etc.) Seeds alone can target the prostate itself, but not anything outside. The combination approach seems the best attack.

    Of course I am not an expert but this is what I think.

    Thank You
    Thank you, very helpful. Good luck.
  • hunter49
    hunter49 Member Posts: 247 Member
    #13
    great go kick its ****. You
    great go kick its ****. You bow hunt?? What made you choose this method to fight this disease?
  • prezmic
    prezmic Member Posts: 36
    #14
    hunter49 said:

    great go kick its ****. You
    great go kick its ****. You bow hunt?? What made you choose this method to fight this disease?

    Preparation for hunting
    I usually don't bow hunt - early season is still too hot in Mississippi. I spend this time working stands and food plots for the Dec rut hunting around Christmas.

    Being 53 yo - initial recommendations and thoughts were toward surgery. Get rid of it and have lots of time and good health to recover. Potential side effects and risks of surgery were a concern. Reading many stories of surgery then radiation - for various reasons - made me doubt that surgery was the best option for me.

    I wanted the least invasive procedure with the least side effects. Incontinence was number 1. I cannot imagine the next 20-30 years of dealing with this. Impotance is the second concern. I have many more years of an active life - not ready to give up on this either.

    My quality of life is the most important deciding factor.

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