THERE WAS NO RESPONSE TO AN UPDATE REMINDER IN 2018 SO THERE IS NO UPDATE.
Pretty much following the routine for the triple treatment. Currently on ADT with external beam scheduled soon and seed implant after that. Not especially happy with the side effects from ADT but only 5 more months to go.
I am starting a silly little blog to plot my radiation level after the implant but will probably post to it before the implant. Here is a link for anyone interested: http://www.spencerserolls.com/zap Not much going on yet.
Took a while to get over the side effects of Lupron. Now I feel like normal, actually better than normal after feeling like shit for almost a year :)
Do have painful urination due to a likely urethral stricture that will be treated in a few days and should be pretty much back to normal finally.
I feel good about the treatment choice, that the ADT plus internal and external radiation has given me the best chance for survival of an aggressive PCA (Gleason 9).
It has been about two years since brachytherapy, IMRT and ADT together. I did have some pretty severe difficulty urinating and pain while doing so. It was a blockage of the urethra caused by the vestige of my prostate. Cannabis helped with the pain which was mainly at night so I could use cannabis without interfering with my daily routine but I did not like to use it regularly.
A relatively new treatment was being used by my urologist to treat this type of blockage but it was not covered by insurance because insurance companies will do anything to avoid payment. They said that the"gold standard" for treatment is TURP (trans urethral resection of prostate) but this is not appropriate for anyone who has had radiation treatment due to healing problems. I paid for it and it was well worth the reduced price my urologist charged. He never got full payment from insurance. The procedure is called Urolift and consists of a number of small staple like devices inserted through the urethra and across the prostate. It was specifically developed for people who have had radiation treatment and does not have the risks of TURP. It has been over a year and the treatment is still effective. Maybe the insurance companies will be more likely to pay for it since medicaid and the veteran's administration are paying for it so they will have a harder time saying it is experimental.
My last PSA was undetectable and I have very few side effects. Sexual interest has returned after the ADT wore off but I can not attain the degree of erection I could before treatment. Also some penis shrinking that seems to be permanent.
Three years after brachytherapy and IMRT (and ADT) I have virtually undetectable PSA and minimal side effects. Got a Urolift when urethral scaring from radiation made urination difficult. Highly recommend this procedure for those who might need it after radiation.
Spencer's e-mail address is: spencer AT spencerserolls.com (replace "AT" with "@")
NOTE: Spencer has not updated his story for more than 15 months, so you may not receive any response from him.