Prostate cancer, Brachytheropy and Haemorrhoids

If you have haemorrhoids and prostate cancer have the haemorrhoids seen to first before you have brachytherapy.

I had a biopsy at Maidstone Hospital 22/11/2016 and diagnosed with prostate cancer.

I had four consultations in London leading to brachytherapy on the 19/06/2017 at the University College London Hospital NW1 2PG. Anaesthetised at 8.30. Came round at 11.30 to be told the brachytherapy could not proceed because of haemorrhoids.

This condition was seen at my first examination and biopsy and should have been passed on to the London Hospital.

Would it not be better to examine the patient first before administering an anaesthetic?

[David1958]

That is most unfortunate! You would have thought someone would have looked there to begin with. Going under anesthesia is not risk free. Doing that for no reason is not good medicine.

[AlanMeyer Moderator]

I had bad hemorrhoid problems before, during, and after my combination HDR brachytherapy and external beam therapy. The docs never said anything about it. The radiation definitely made things worse, but heavy doses of Preparation H kept things under control and the problem went away within a couple of months of Preparation H treatment after the end of radiation.

However you're certainly right that the docs should have examined you before administering anesthetics or, at the very least, have asked you about it before they took you in for treatment.

Alan

[Notes: Preparation H may not be available in the UK, but the local pharmacists will have ointments that are at least as good. Also, my spell checker likes the American spellings of "hemorrhoids" and "anesthetics" :)]

[Desanthony]

Would have been good if all your notes had been passed on and they had read them - I know to my cost that these things don't always happen.