Thursday, November 25, 2010

An update on my Brachytherapy and its follow-up....

To review, I had a PSA reading of 15.0 and rising just before Brachytherapy on April 13, 2010.  That procedure, by the way, takes about 45 minutes and was less painful and much less messy than a standard prostate biopsy. I had two of those biopsies before being chosen for the Brachytherapy procedure, so I know.

About two months after that, the first follow-up showed a PSA reading of 8.2, which was good, but not really something to write home about. This latest test this week, at about the seven-months-later mark, shows a PSA of 1.8, which is very good. This tells us that the 100+ radioactive pellets (or 'seeds' as they are called) did in fact create the desired radiation cloud around and within the prostate, and that localized constant radiation has killed the cancerous activity in it. 


It being now just past seven months since the 'seeds' were implanted, and those having a half-life of about 90 days, the radiation  level within the prostate is now considerably reduced from its initial level, but its job has effectively been done already, and from now on, it's a matter of the radiation continuing to fade to none, and the body's normal cell activities resuming their usual functions, wherever possible.


I never did "glow in the dark" or set off any electronic security alarms, and that's been a definite disappointment, but I can live with it in view of the rest being such a success. And before I go, let me assure you that I can recommend this to anyone whose tests indicate a suitable candidate for the procedure. So if your urologist is one of those guys who believes in "watch & wait" until your PSA goes through the roof, get him to give you a referral to your local Cancer Clinic and get doing something positive about it.

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