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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Prostate Cancer / December 2004Anxious in FLA
First let me say how impressed I am with the many brave, caring, supportive, and informative people on this group. All posts seem to be answered in very thoughtful ways, as well as the ability of some to actually have kept a sense of humor too! It's truly great. As for me, I was diagnosed 8/30/04 with T1c, psa was 7.6, Gleason 3+3, age 53 in otherwise good health. I am pretty athletic and have always kept myself in shape since high school, so this diagnosis was a blow for me and hard to take. Surgery is for 12/14. After visiting with a number of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, uro/surgeons, GP's etc I am going with robotic laparoscopic surgery. It was in the opinion of all the doctors that I've met with was for me to have the surgery and remove the offending organ. RLP is supposed to be a lot faster recovery time and more precision involved too, so I have researched, and I hope I am correct in the final outcome. The first uro/surgeon wanted to do the surgery the conventional way on 10/26/04 so I changed doctors & hospitals to the Cleveland Clinic not far from my home, about a 15 minute drive. I am kind of a medical wimp. Ok, I am a medical wimp! One surgery was postponed on 11/12 due to the doctor having to go out of town suddenly. (Although the thought had passed my mind to do the same). Just kidding. He is the head of Urology at the Cleveland Clinic. It was then rescheduled to 11/23, but my pre-op EKG was abnormal. I then had to go for a thallium stress test. Then I had to have an angiogram. The head of cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic did it and found that my heart was as clean with no plaque or blockages. He seemed surprised and said to keep up with what ever I was doing because it worked. (I wish that I can say the same about my prostate!) I guess doctors today have a lot of lawyers looking over their shoulders and have to cover their a.ses. Anyway, hopefully when all is said and done I will have had most of my anatomy checked out and cleared with a good bill of health, including finally getting the cancer out!! I hope that all of these postponements did not cause a real risk. I had a DRE by the doctor who will be performing the surgery on 10/13 during a pre op consultation, and he said my prostate was small and supple with no lumps. Wow, looks are deceiving. Well, wish me luck, and my best to all! Welcome Bob. No, my reading tells me that the delay would have no effect in a case with your low numbers. Here's wishing you the same success I got. jimhoney standard RRP age 52, cured, no significant aftereffects > First let me say how impressed I am with the many brave, caring, supportive, > and informative people on this group. All posts seem to be answered in very [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > pre op consultation, and he said my prostate was small and supple with no > lumps. Wow, looks are deceiving. Well, wish me luck, and my best to all! By the way, I forgot to mention that both the bone scan and CT scan with contrast performed last September were negative too. Such service. Those tests are not usually offered when the chance the cancer has spread is as low as in your case. I certainly didn't get them at Johns Hopkins, and my numbers weren't as good as yours. jimhoney > By the way, I forgot to mention that both the bone scan and CT scan with > contrast performed last September were negative too. "Offered"? If I waited for my doc or HMO to "offer" me anything, I'd be doomed. Any doc or HMO or patient would be pound-foolish to select or carry out a treatment without knowing whether the disease is localized, IMO. I ask, then persuade, then demand, then, if necessary, pay for, "stuff" I believe I need, whether it's a CT for cancer mets or a job transfer to another city. I try my damnedest not to subjugate my life -- or death or career or vacation or even rental car color (I actually have cared a couple of times) -- to the whims of others. If there's any chance $1,500 may tell me surgery is wasted . . . where's my checkbook? And if I have to pay for the CT (and bone scan) but the HMO wants to see the results before paying for the surgery? Well, dream on, guys. OTOH, I've called and/or written and persuaded my various HMOs numerous times over the years to change their minds, whether for my, their, or the doctor's benefit. Offers are real nice, but the other 90% of life's victories -- including my accelerating my diagnosis and treatment by 6-12 months -- come from initiative. I.P. > Such service. Those tests are not usually offered when the chance the > cancer has spread is as low as in your case. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >> By the way, I forgot to mention that both the bone scan and CT scan with >> contrast performed last September were negative too. > By the way, I forgot to mention that both the bone scan and CT scan with > contrast performed last September were negative too. Almost identical numbers here Bob..... actually most of us are in the same boat. Relax, and you'l be fine. It's over before you know it, and is much less an ordeal than you ever think it is going to be. I had my RP over 2 years ago, and it's like a bad dream now. Good luck!  SignatureJK Sinrod Sinrod Stained Glass Studios www.sinrodstudios.com Coney Island Memories www.sinrodstudios.com/coneymemories > First let me say how impressed I am with the many brave, caring, supportive, > and informative people on this group. All posts seem to be answered in very [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > laparoscopic surgery. It was in the opinion of all the doctors that I've met > with was for me to have the surgery and remove the offending organ. (su-nip) Welcome, Bob, to the club no one wants to join. He appears to have prepared well for the ordeal, and I wish him every success. His life has fundamentally changed. I hope he'll keep us informed as to his result and recuperation. Lastly, he might look into attending Us Too! support group meetings, if any in his area. He can check this out at http://ustoo.com/ Regards, Steve J __ "Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.'' --Sir Winston L. S. Churchill "Stephen Jordan" <mycroftscj@earthlink.net> wrote > > His life has fundamentally changed. Or not. My PCa will kill me -- if my CCa doesn't kill me first -- but until then its primary impact on my life will be the dang time all this research and decision-making takes. As soon as I make a post-RRP decision and act on it, it's back to the good stuff until recurrence and symptoms interfere again. We don't HAVE to change our lives until disability forces it, and your numbers don't support that. We're all gonna die, but until death gets closer than the footprint of any decisions we must make, it's not worth uprooting our lives over. Now, ask me again when mine recurs how I feel about this; I just might change my tune then. But I've known for 40 years that I'm likely to die by about 2020-2025, if not significantly earlier (disease, terrorism, nuclear war, hobbies), and made the long-term, big decisions (e.g., insurance, retirement, priorities, career options, location, diet, hobbies) involving those contingencies decades ago, including accounting for this beast. I'm hoping the same approach will get me through this problem, at least until it becomes an unsurmountable -- or intolerable -- physical and/or mental barrier. Right now I'm still more PO'd about the other political half of this country and the threats they pose to my way of life than about the statistics in my abdomen. So get some perspective, and don't get REAL worried about your problem until your surgeon says, "Sorry, but . . . " like mine did. I.P. > First let me say how impressed I am with the many brave, caring, supportive, > and informative people on this group. All posts seem to be answered in very [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > pre op consultation, and he said my prostate was small and supple with no > lumps. Wow, looks are deceiving. Well, wish me luck, and my best to all! Sounds to me like you've got things under control. You've done the research and made a decision. Fortunately, this condition is curable. Sure, it's going to upset your life for a while. But, from my perspective, I'd rather upset things for a relatively short while than to die from PCa in a few years. Sounds like you've got a good doc who's going to do a good job. Feel free to come here and ask questions - even the seemingly silly ones. We've all gone through what you're about to. I had trouble sleeping with the cath in - someone mentioned that their recliner was their friend during that time. A simple solution to my long agonizing nights was found here - I ended up sleeping in the recliner until the cath came out. Use this resource. Best of luck to you. Sandy K. Age 47 RRP June 17, 2004 Dry since September 15th 1st erection - 16 days post RRP!!! Welcome, Bob. Rough time of year for this to happen to you, a couple of weeks before Christmas. Sounds like you've got everything lined up and ready. With the robotic lap you should be well on your way by the holidays, though. Just don't overdo it. We'll be thinking about you on the 14th. Do keep us posted on your progress when you get back home. SignatureJerryW jweindel at flash dot net 2/11/04 PSA 2.6, Suspicious DRE (age 62) 2/23/04 Biopsy: Gleason 3+4=7, T2a, left lobe 5/18/04 RRP, Path: Gleason 4+3=7, T2c, both lobes Tumor organ-contained; lymph nodes clear, seminal vesicles clear Both nerve bundles spared 7/13/04 PSA <0.1 10/12/04 PSA <0.1 > First let me say how impressed I am with the many brave, caring, > supportive, [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > pre op consultation, and he said my prostate was small and supple with no > lumps. Wow, looks are deceiving. Well, wish me luck, and my best to all! > First let me say how impressed I am with the many brave, caring, supportive, > and informative people on this group. All posts seem to be answered in very [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > the same). Just kidding. He is the head of Urology at the Cleveland Clinic. > It was then rescheduled to 11/23, but my pre-op EKG was abnormal. Something similar happened to me. As part of the presurgical physical, I had an EKG which my primary care physician wasn't entirely happy with. So with less than a week before my scheduled RP, I had to scramble to arrange a stress echo cardiogram. And this was the July 4th weekend of all things. In any case, the results of the test were perfectly normal, and my surgery went ahead as scheduled. Damned good thing you didn't go on 11/23. You might not have been up to watching that great Browns game on Sunday. Best football game I've ever seen. :-) Looks like you've done your homework, made your decision, enforced your decision and are now satisfied with the way things ought to go. Personally, I agree with your decision and I think you'll find we will be supportive of you and the notion that looking back is folly. Sorry to hear you've joined our little club, but you have great numbers. You're a tad younger than the average here. Your PSA is much less than that average intial diagnosis PSA. The T1c is hard to beat. And about 45% of those here started out with a Gleason 6. Be content in your choice and your chances. SignatureProstate Cancer Survivor (so far), not a doctor PSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46 Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3bN0M0 PSA .1 .1 .1 .27 .37 .75 EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47 PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 Lupron (1 mo) 07/21/2003 @ 48 PSA .07 .05 .06 Lupron (3 mo) 8/03 (48), 12/03, 4/04 (49), 09/04 (50) non Illegitimi carborundum > First let me say how impressed I am with the many brave, caring, supportive, > and informative people on this group. All posts seem to be answered in very [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > laparoscopic surgery. It was in the opinion of all the doctors that I've met > with was for me to have the surgery and remove the offending organ. RLP is > supposed to be a lot faster recovery time and more precision involved too, > so I have researched, and I hope I am correct in the final outcome. The [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > pre op consultation, and he said my prostate was small and supple with no > lumps. Wow, looks are deceiving. Well, wish me luck, and my best to all! >Subject: Anxious in FLA >From: "Bob Anthony" bobantho@bellsouth.net >Date: 11/30/2004 2:16 PM Central Standard Time >Message-id: <7v4rd.1105$Dm2.388@bignews1.bellsouth.net> Looks like you have lots of good advice. I don't recall if RLP takes out the nearby lymph nodes for pathology, but your stats look good. Good Luck! >First let me say how impressed I am with the many brave, caring, supportive, >and informative people on this group. All posts seem to be answered in very [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] >pre op consultation, and he said my prostate was small and supple with no >lumps. Wow, looks are deceiving. Well, wish me luck, and my best to all! |
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