A Patient's Guide to Prostate Brachytherapy at the Arnold Palmer Prostate Center

What is it?

The consultation is your initial visit to the Arnold Palmer Prostate Center. As with any initial doctor's visit, forms must be filled out and insurance cards and referrals must be brought in. Family members may be present during the consultation. Questions are welcomed and encouraged during your visit. If, at any point after your visit to the Arnold Palmer Prostate Center, there are unanswered questions, feel free to give us a call and speak to one of our staff members.

• You will be asked to fill out forms that provide the doctor with information regarding any symptoms you may be experiencing or concerns you may have. They include: the "Patient Registration form", "AUA Symptom Score Sheet", "Sexual Health Inventory" and "Pre-anesthesia Questionnaire". For your convenience, we have included these forms in this folder. Forms to complete for this appointment are blue in color and are located in the left pocket of this folder. Please fill them out at home and bring them to your appointment.
  
  
• Prior to your meeting with the Radiation Oncologist, a staff member will review your medical history. For your convenience, the "Pre-anesthesia Questionnaire" has a section to list current medications and physician's names, addresses and phone numbers.
  
  
• The doctor will perform a digital rectal exam (DRE) during this visit. (The doctor inserts a gloved lubricated finger into the rectum and feels the prostate through the rectal wall to check for hard or lumpy areas.) The information obtained from this exam is used to assign a cancer stage. Once assigned, the cancer stage is used to devise a plan of treatment. The doctor will discuss his recommendations for treatment after your PSA (prostate specific antigen), pathology report, rectal exam findings, and medical history has been reviewed. If the decision to proceed is made by you and the Radiation Oncologist, an appointment will be made for your prostate volume study.