Had a long conversation with Dr. Chao who is the
SpaceOAR implant specialist as well as an experienced radiation oncologist. He patiently answered numerous questions I had such as why a certain hospital? Answer: the procedure is similar to
brachytherapy......yeah, look that up....and he has a team that is experienced in these procedures he has confidence in at this location; what was his take on the
SABRE 5 high dose treatments vs the 40 low to intermediate dose treatments - pros and cons but he's leary due to just how close the one "finger" of the tumor is to the bladder and the high dose is a pretty damned high dose. So there is all that to consider. This being palliative and not curative, I want as little damage done to OARs (Organs At Risk) as possible which will allow me to recover as quickly as possible and get on with life. I just have to ask more questions, look at more data and weigh the benefits vs. the rare but extreme potential downside. They really have gotten quite good at just frying the stuff that needs frying.
We're just waiting on the insurance company (United Health) that administers my Medicare as of 1/1/19 for the small sum of $69/mo to ok it all. I mean, it's not like it's important or anything.
But I have easily a week or two to decide the number of treatments, even though the clock starts ticking once the implant is made as it is absorbed by the body within six months.
In the mean time, I'm as ready as I'm ever gonna be to do this, so let's do it!
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