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Joe
Thank you for sharing your experiences and your words of wisdom. I am grateful for all the input and advice I have received from many people in this forum and others I am participating in. Ultimately, my wife and I have to make the right decision and be prepared to deal with any consequences. I know that with the good Lord at my side, I will be fine.
Merry Christmas
Charlie Fenstermaker
Fogelsville, PA
Thanks to Paul, John & Joe for your response and insights. Since your postings I did a lot more research on the Calypso technology. It was FDA approved in 2006 and approximately 2000 men have taken taken advantage of the procedure thus far. For the most part, there is little difference between the Calypso Beacon Transponders and gold seeds. The only procedural difference is that the gold seeds are detected to align the radiation beam at the beginning of each treatment. The Calypso system monitors the location of the implants throughout the treatment. So if there is a slight movement of the prostate during radiation treatment, the system will detect the change of position and stop the radiation until alignment can be adjusted. The seeds are made of a metal alloy, but will not interfere with metal detectors. Nor with they interfere with MRI studies, except for MRI studies of the prostate.
Being in the healthcare profession for 30+ years, I find this technology to be very intriguing. After carefully weighing the feedback I received from many people like yourselves, I decided to move forward with the Calypso. The implants were inserted yesterday and I will now begin my radiation treatments next week. I will keep you posted as treatments progress.
I used the Calypso markers in 2007. There were times when the technicians stopped the beam and repositioned me due to movement. They watch on a screen so hopefully all works better.
