hungerfo

Hi:

I don't mind sharing my experiences with this forum.

TomoTherapy is EBRT. A website explaining it is at:

[url]http://www.tomotherapy.com/[/url]

The treatment I received was 39 treatments--everyday for 39 days. Weekends off. The technique marries a daily CT scan with the radiation treatment. The prostate moves from day to day. With the CT scan, the technicians can locate and focus radiation where it needs to go. Collateral damage is minimized with the procedure. Moreover, the radiation dose can be programmed so that areas around nerves that control urination, sexual function, areas around the pelvic bones, and the rectum can be limited in the amount of radiation they receive. The last 2-3 weeks of radiation, you receive a focused boost of radiation directed at the area where the tumor is located.

I know three people in this area (Knoxville) who received TomoTherapy for PC. All of us have had good experiences.

I did not receive hormone treatment prior or after treatment. I did experience some fatigue about 2/3 of the way through radiation. This is fairly typical. I also experienced some lower GI irritation and had diarrhea for about 2-3 weeks after treatment which was controlled with Imodium. Hydrocortisone self-administered rectally helped some of the irritation.

I feel pretty good at this time.

I found two good books that I thought were good for patients diagnosed with prostate cancer:

Paul Lange, MD. Prostate Cancer for Dummies. (Dr. Lange is a urologist and surgeon from the University of Washington med school who is also a PC cancer survivor).

Aaron E. Katz, MD. Dr. Katz's Guide to Prostate Health (Dr. Katz is on the med school faculty of Columbia University)

A diagnosis of prostate cancer can traumatize you psychologically. I found it useful to jump in and learn as much as I could about PC. This helped me feel like I was active in my treatment process as well as kept me busy. There is a limit to how much immersion one can do--sometimes I had to back off for awhile from the research. I did not wait too long from diagnosis until treatment decision--about two months. I have heard of people waiting longer. I did not care much for the urologist my primary care physician recommended and I did not use him after the biopsy. I thought he was a little cavalier with my health. I asked him if there would be pain associated with the biopsy and he said "It never hurt him." One's sense of humor isn't too good after a positive diagnosis. My treatment was handled by a radiation oncologist in a cancer center. He has consulted with a urologist and the center cancer board concerning my case at times. If the PSA stays at 3.5 for me, I will go to another urologist as well as my oncologist.

Hope this helps. It is difficult for newly diagnosed PC patients to not panic but panic does not help. I linked up with a PC support group at the beginning of the whole process and I found that helpful.