The Daily Balloon

Well, I finally will share with you my daily routine of the balloon. A little uncomfortable but no pain. I had to laugh, one of the nurses told me one guy said it felt like a tree trunk up you know where.  Really doesn't and now you know.  See info below why and I'm sure glad they use it to control the prostate from moving during treatment.  The call letters are BOB, Brotherhood of the Balloon which I am now a full time member.  

IMMOBILOC

Daily Rectal Balloon

Rectal gas, peristalsis, and breathing result in internal movement of the prostate. The ImmobiLoc prostate immobilization device immobilizes the Prostate internally, allowing for more accurate and reproducible treatment.
Radiation Therapy technology uses sophisticated systems to deliver radiation to the prostate while minimizing the dose to the surrounding healthy tissue, such as bowel, bladder, urethra, and rectum. Clinicians take great care to keep the patient still during radiation treatment so the radiation is delivered directly to the prostate and not the surrounding healthy tissue. Rectal gas and peristalsis (wave like muscle movements of the bowel), result in internal movement during treatment. Clinicians utilize the ImmobiLoc, immobilization device, also referred to as an Endo Rectal Balloon, to stabilize the prostate and account for internal movement related to rectal gas and peristalsis

WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT

The balloon tip is actually smaller than a Physician’s finger routinely used for digital rectal exams (laugh, they call it a digital rectal exam, the doctor using his finger, nothing digital about that), and therefore the discomfort is minimal. Most patients describe the experience as a light pressure sensation once the balloon is inflated.

The balloon insertion only takes a few minutes. Once the balloon is inserted, the healthcare provider will inflate to a prescribed fill volume, and any adjustments to the device will be made. After treatment, the device is gently removed and discarded. A rectal balloon should never be reused (I hope not), as the product is cleared by the FDA as a single use only device.

Remember, the positive effects the ImmobiLoc rectal balloon offers far outweigh the formalities of the insertion of the device, and these balloons have been extensively studied and used for many years.