Brachytherapy Part 1

Posted: Jan 18, 08 9:24am

Pre Op on Monday then to The Cancer clinic at 7:30 AM Wednesday. It's connected to the hospital & I am to stay overnight in the "Short Stay Ward".

Arrived on time & had the normal 30 minute wait before being called to the "assembly" room. Strip, dress in surgical hose, now appreciating gal's struggle into these things. Over sized embarrassing hospital gown with the open back. Blood pressure, finger pricks, retest as my Potassium is too high. What Too high is I have no idea. Anesthesiologist arrives discussing what they are using. Told mostly a spinal but also something else to make me drowsy. off to the operating room.

The normal crowd around me & I make the same old joke about I hope everybody Washed Their Hands. The Next thing I know it's 3 hours later & I have a dozen or so tubes attached to my prostate. Evidently what ever the anesthesiologist gave me did a bit more than drowsy. Down the hall to the cancer center where you guessed it I waited & waited & Waited thankful for my CD player a a Stone Barrington Novel by Stuart woods. Finally at around 5:00 they got to me rolling into the Vault like chamber Immediately Flashing if there's a major quake I would be stuck in here. Do not know where that came from. No pain just a slight tingling as each tube is given a pellet of Cobalt. Over in about 20 minutes then more waiting before metal rods put in each tube to prevent them from damage.

Down the hall (3 bumps) to Short Stay Room. No Roommate thank God. Normal stuff. more pricking, blood pressure, Etc before a hospital meal of Beef Stroganoff tasting delicious after my 24 hour fast. Sleeping pill & a surprisingly decent nights sleep awaking at 5:00 AM At 7:30 off to the Cancer Center (again the 3 bumps) then of course more waiting. Steel out of tubes then back into the "Chamber" for more treatment & removal of Cobalt pellets. The removal of the tubes was surprisingly pain free in fact the whole procedure is relatively pain free. Back to the Short Stay. Catheter removed. Can not leave until I pee 200 CC.s. a piece of cake. Forms to sign, antibiotics to take, juice to drink then on the way home by noon.

It was more boredom than anything else. I am so glad that hospital staff no longer do the "Cutesy talk to patients treating us like the adults we are.

A good night with just a bit of discomfort & only one "trip" to the Bathroom.

Get to repeat it all next week, then 4 weeks of Radiation. Hopefully then I will be cancer free.