Category: Radiotherapy

About My Prostate Cancer Treatment (2)

My Prostate Cancer Treatment has now started, for which I am grateful, they said they will cure me!

I have now had 6 months of hormone treatment; I had the first injection on 20th February 2018 and the next one was on 15th May 2018.  My next hormone injection is scheduled for 7th August 2018.

Yesterday – the 25th July 2018, I went to The Christie Hospital for the first time as a patient, for the pre-operative assessment which took 3 hours altogether, but at least I saw the Consultant Radiologist as well. I’m now getting ready for the first stage  of Radiotherapy.

This stage will mean I go into Christie’s for one night on Monday 30th July 2018 to have the high dose radiation brachytherapy, which involves having a radioactive source, iridium pellets placed in the prostate, through hollow needles, under general anaesthetic (3 hours).

I have to be there for 7.30 am and I live 35 miles away!!

What makes it worse though is the fact that my wife (who goes through everything with me) will not be able to visit me. There is NO VISITING because of the radiation.

After all of this it will then be followed by a CT scan on 6th August to plan the next stage, which is when I will have 15 sessions of External Beam Radiotherapy daily over 3 weeks at the Christie Hospital, probably starting 7 – 10 days later.

I am confident of a successful outcome now, but I know I am going to be pretty worn out by the end of it, not to mention trying to park the car anywhere near to Christie’s, although that wasn’t a great problem yesterday, being quite early in the day.

 

About My Prostate Cancer Treatment

The appointment at the Macmillan Cancer Unit at Leighton Hospital in Crewe was to discuss what treatments were available to me.

I thought that I would have to make a decision about my prostate cancer treatment so I had read as much about the options beforehand  so I could make an informed decision.

However, when I met the Oncologist, who told me that surgery was not an option because of a hernia repair I’d had done in February 2016, I didn’t know what to think.

Thankfully, they had a plan which I knew would include radiation therapy of one kind or another.

They floored me when they said that it would be 6 months before the radiation therapy  would be started; instantly my wife and I were so worried, but then the consultant outlined the plan fully.

Instead of just one treatment I was going to get three – one after the other!

About My Prostate Cancer Treatment

Their aim is to cure me with this treatment:

The 1st part is 6 months of hormone treatment; I have already taken anti-androgen tablets for 3 weeks which minimise any effects of the hormone injections. (I had the first injection on 20th February 2018 and the next will be on 15th May 2018).

The second stage will be a session of HDR Temporary Brachytherapy (I’ll explain what this is later) and,

Thirdly I will have 15 sessions of External Beam Radiotherapy daily over 3 weeks at the Christie Hospital.

I am confident of a successful outcome now, but I know I am going to be pretty worn out by the end of it, not to mention trying to park the car anywhere near to Christie’s.