THERE WAS NO RESPONSE TO AN UPDATE REMINDER IN 2017 SO THERE IS NO UPDATE.
Sorry if I have not been accurate with the data entry - it has been a long road. I hate having cancer, but so it goes. I had brachy seed implants 5 weeks ago at Hurstville Private in Sydney with David Malouf and Joe Bucchi - my wife and I selected them above the high profile surgeons from St Vincents (where Kerry Packer went) because we judged them to be the experts, the ones with most experiece at Brachy. So far so good is all I can report..
Hi All - now 14 months out from Bracchy seed implant therapy.
One month out I underwent "dosemetry" which basically tells the docs how much of the prostate has expereinced their desired level of radiation dose. I was marked at 91%, which pleased the radiation oncologist (I would hope so, with 95 seeds inside my walnut) who also said that the other 9% was still being hit by the radons, and they would wait and see if any further seeds were required.
Since then the PSA history has been: 2.4 after 4 months, 1.8 after 6 months, 1.9 after 9 months, 1.7 after 12 months. I would have preferred not to have had the 1.9, but the urologist said this was an example of "PSA bounce". Well, maybe.. However he was correct in saying that you need to look at the trend, not one or two data points.
Otherwise, I have now come off the flowmax after a year recovering in the waterworks and backside departments. All OK now, but it did take time. Likewise, sexual funcion is now back to 80-90% what it was - my wife and I engage in what we call necessary physiotherapy, but it cannot be claimed on any health insurance. The issue here is that bracchy can affect some nerve endings - I have a lack of feeling which feels a bit like having sex with a condom, takes me back - the doc said this could take a couple of years. The progress has been slow, but positive.
I am feeling less like a cancer patient and life is good. I hope this is useful. Happy to converse with anyone in the same situation.
Hi again. Badgering from the very good YANA folk has persuaded me to provide an update. I hope it is helpful.
Now 2+1/2 years out from brachhy implants I am feeling like a normal person. The latest PSA, 2 years out from the op, was 0.43 and following a consistent trend. The trend is everything. My doc says that if PSA is less than 0.5 after 2 years then they feel 95% confident that the cancer has been beaten. I feel that confident too, but you never know, so monitoring is still mandatory.
Waterworks and bowel functions are completely normal. Sexual function is approaching what it was before. This may be related to the 5mg per day of Cialis. But, hey, someone has to keep the shareholders of pharmaceutical companies (eg my super fund) happy.
Michael's e-mail address is: michael.fry1952 AT yahoo.com.au (replace "AT" with "@")
NOTE: Michael has not updated his story for more than 15 months, so you may not receive any response from him.
