There won't be pictures with this one, but I'm a very happy man today. I've got my implants, and I'm not in any real discomfort, and everything's working just like always, except that now, my cancer is being killed, even as I write this.
Dr. Mira Keyes, our head of the Brachytherapy Section at our local Cancer Clinic is a real genius, and she's both gentle and quick, and does perfect work. I can't say enough good things about her. If I was getting this done again, I wouldn't change a thing! You can't improve on a perfect result.
Turns out, my suspicions were correct - the anticipation was the most painful part.
Enjoy your day, everyone, and especially you, Dr. Keyes! A big warm hug to you!
A short 'PS' to the above:-
ReplyDeleteThe one thing you can do to make sure you get the best possible results from your ultrascan during
the initial prostate mapping session and again for the actual implanting procedure is to make sure that you have sufficiently cleaned out the lower bowel (large intestine) with a really good enema.
Those good folks who perform these procedures tell me that their biggest problems are caused by patients not being properly cleaned out prior to the insertion of the ultrasound scanner into the anus for viewing of the prostate.
It is this ultrasound scanner inside the anus which first of all creates the mapping chart of the prostate, and later is used again to guide the insertion of the radioactive seed elements as these are placed within the prostate itself. So the success of the whole procedure depends upon how clearly and sharply the ultrasound scanner head can "see" its targets
(the cancerous areas) in the prostate gland. Feces and similar matter within the rectum obstructs that view, and literally clouds the vision of the scanner and its
operator and thus degrades the accuracy of the results.
So do a thorough 'clean-out' beforehand, as instructed, if you want perfect results from it. They can't accurately target what they can't see clearly. While I'm ranting about this, I should also add that the standard Fleet Enema
doesn't include quite enough volume to do a completely thorough job in some cases, and should be augmented with warm water so that the total volume is about three-quarters of a litre.