Pre-Implant Instructions
- An antibiotic will be given to prevent infections just as you used prior to your prostate biopsy. Typically you will receive Cipro 500 mg, and you should begin this medication in the morning the day prior to your procedure and continue to take twice daily including the morning of your surgery. Take all pills until they are gone.
- An alpha-blocker, such as Uroxatral or Flomax, will be given to help the symptoms you will get from the implant. These symptoms typically include a slower or weak stream, burning with urination, urgency or frequency. This should be started the evening prior to surgery and typically taken for several months. If you are already taking this medication prior to your implant, you should just continue on the normal dose of medication.
- Take two Dulcolax laxative pills after supper the evening before the brachytherapy procedure and use a Fleet's enema the morning of the brachytherapy procedure. Both of these can be purchased at the pharmacy over the counter.
Post-Implant Instructions
- Constipation needs to be avoided in the first two months after your procedure. Colace, also known as docusate, an over-the-counter (OTC) medication should be started twice per day. This should be initiated on the day after your implant. If you experience additional signs and symptoms of constipation in spite of this, we recommend senna compound or Senokot which is also an OTC medication, one to two per day. If you notice significant problems with rectal irritation, you should contact our office for a prescription for Anusol HC suppositories which will sooth this particular problem. This is not usually required, however.
- If you note ongoing burning with urination after your procedure, you should start Uristat or Azo-Standard which can be helpful. These are OTC medications which are available at the drugstore without a prescription. If your symptoms become more severe, you should contact our office to be evaluated further.
- Continue your routine pre-implant medications unless you have been specifically instructed differently.
- Pain is not typical after an implant, but if you have some minor discomfort we recommend an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen (Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve). The second medication, Aleve, is somewhat more convenient to use in that it is given twice daily, and we would recommend two tablets every 12 hours for discomfort, or you may use ibuprofen but this dose would be three tablets three times daily. These medications are both available at your drugstore without a prescription.
- You should avoid any activity which will bruise your perineal area where the seeds have been implanted. This would preclude you from riding an exercise bike or a motorcycle, or horseback riding in the first three to four weeks after your procedure.
- If you experience excessive urinary frequency or a feeling of inability to empty your bladder, you should contact our office to be evaluated for the possibility of urinary retention. This is an unusual complication that occurs after seed implantation, but needs to be evaluated in our office by checking a postvoid residual, which is a measurement of how much urine is retained in your bladder.
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