Around three months later, Doug had his LDR brachytherapy procedure whereby small radiotherapy seeds – about the size of a grain of rice – are inserted around the cancerous cells to eliminate them over a period of months.
“I went in at 8am, and I was out by 3pm. I was out cold for the treatment, but I didn’t have any pain when I woke up, and I was back at work the following day where I was delivering tires for a small local company at the time.”
Following his brachytherapy procedure, Doug had minimal side effects – such as having trouble going to the toilet. He was also taking Tamsulosin, and needed a catheter fitted for around fifteen months: “It wasn’t necessarily the operation that caused it, it was the drugs afterwards.”
Doug then had regular six months check-ups at the Royal London Hospital, and is now signed off by his GP. “I still have yearly PSA tests, and my last score was very low at 0.4, which I’m pleased with.”
Doug has come forward with his story to bust the taboo around men’s health and inspire others to get checked: “A lot of my friends are quite surprised with how well my prostate cancer treatment and the journey has gone, or how little I’ve moaned about it. I’ve always had a positive attitude, and when I was first diagnosed with it, I questioned myself – do I worry or not? But what’s the point in worrying if it’s not hurting me and I’m not in pain? It’s there, but it’s treatable. I wouldn’t put anyone against getting brachytherapy as it worked for me.”
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