Friday, December 12, 2008

Anyone with severe side effects after radioactive seed implants 4 prostate cancer like vesiculorectal fistula

Anyone with severe side effects after radioactive seed implants 4 prostate cancer like vesiculorectal fistula?
My father was overtreated with radiation for prostate cancer and has suffered some serious side effects. The latest is a large defect in the inner wall of the rectum which connects to the bladder and continuously drains urine.

Anyone with similar problems of urinary incontinence and or suggestions? This is a sensitive issue,please be empathetic.
Cancer - 1 Answers
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5 years ago I had seed implants for prostate cancer and only someone like you or your dad would believe the side effects I have experienced! There are doctors that occaisionally visit this site and they will be quick to say that the medical literature doesn't support my blaming the seeds and the follow-up external beam radiation I was treated with for these side effects, HOWEVER: Before my treatments NONE of these conditions existed and withing 6 months of the treatments I developed: 1. A weight gain of over 70 pounds which I think was caused by the severe edema in both legs and feet I developed after the seed implants, which in turn may have caused - 2 Very painful neuropathy in both legs and feet AND: 3. Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) in both legs with a clot that made it to my lung (pulmonary embolism) 4. Total incontinence ( I can't start it, stop it and I never know when I am going to excrete urine, so I wear Depends 24/7) and have a permanent supra pubic catheter with collection bag (3 years now). The weight gain which I have been able to shed only 40 pounds of, I believe led to my diagnosis of type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes several months ago. The weight gain also exacerbated my already existing arthritis in my knees and lower back plus the pubic catheter gives me a permanent "catheter infection" making surgery on my knees a no can do according to the orthopaedic surgeon. The prostate never healed after the initial radiation procedures and the several subsequent procedures that were undertaken to try to fix the damage may have made the problems worse. I have sometimes scary episodes of blood in the catheter. There is also the discomfort of the :diapers" and the at least once every six weeks changing of the catheter. End result of all this? I am rated 100% disabled and use a wheel chair. When the cancer was diagnosed I was phsyically able to do most anything within reason for a 60 year old. My brother, who is 5 years older than me, had the same treatments performed at Johns Hopkins in Maryland and he is playing golf, walking 18 holes, three or four time a week! Life is still good and I am doing my darndest to keep going. I have two new grand kids and a wonderful bunch of caring family and friends that make life worth while. But I have to admit, I never would have dreamed 5 years ago that I would be so excited about having a wheel chair lift mounted on the back of my car! My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your dad. I know some of what you are going through and I sincerely hope you both are getting through it. It sounds to me as if your dad and me have two very important things in common - we are both still alive and we both have caring family. This was very long and I hope there aren't too many errors.

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