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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Prostate Cancer / September 2006Back from Biopsy Results
Hello All, Paul and I went to Dr. today to go over results. It is cancer and this comes to no suprise to us. We do feel releived that is appears to be the best case of base situation. I don't have paper work in front of me but it goes... psa 5.3 3+3 T1c2 NoMo Cancer was found in one needle biopsy right inner core. Does this make sense Paul is doing well. We are doing okay. I guess knowing something is better than the last 3 months of worry. . We are schedule with a Dr. Jason Lee for a consultation for robotic surgery next week. . We have had 3 months to read and research. Paul has been reading one of Walsh's book and we stopped in today and bought Scardino, spelling might be off. Now, can anyone who has the da vinci let me know about their experience I would apprciate it. We are exhasted but we feel positive. It is not a sprint but a marathon and we are ready to train and finish the race. I misspelled many words in my previous post..I am so sorry. I am so tired and now embarrassed. > Hello All, > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > We are exhasted but we feel positive. It is not a sprint but a > marathon and we are ready to train and finish the race. Don't feel bad about the typos. You've had quite a day. As of right now consider yourself lucky that it's only 1 core, 3+3, a PSA of 5-ish and T1c. At age 51 Paul is a great candidate for a very successful robotic RP and a return of sexual function and continence. Just do what you're doing - gather facts, ask questions and know what's ahead. It really does help. I'm feeling very optimistic today since I got my good PSA report now 14 months post-RRP. I was 48 years old, T1c, 3+3 and 2 cores when I was diagnosed last summer. When I told our office nurse my good PSA news today she just shook her head and said 'Man, you were so lucky'. I'll have my 50th birthday in 2 months looking forward to many more years. I wish the same for you two..... God bless you both. > I misspelled many words in my previous post..I am so sorry. I am so > tired and now embarrassed. [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > We are exhasted but we feel positive. It is not a sprint but a > > marathon and we are ready to train and finish the race. On September 18 Lisa wrote: > I misspelled many words in my previous post..I am so sorry. I am so > tired and now embarrassed. > Not to worry. I did note a reference to clinical stage "T1c2." Not so sure what that final "2" signifies. Never saw it before.. Usually, the clinical stage is reported as (eg) T1C, plus sometimes notations for lymph node status (N) and metastases (M). And yes, the rest seems to make sense. But I recommend that the biopsy specimens be sent to a specialist pathology lab for confirmation, as everything done from here on depends upon the accuracy of the Gleason grading. Sometimes the scoring changes, and sometimes it doesn't. Here is the contact info: Bostwick Laboratories, David Bostwick [800] 214-6628 Jon Epstein (Hopkins) [410] 955-5043 or [410] 955-2162 (Dr. Epstein does not do ploidy analysis) Dianon Laboratories [800] 328-2666 (select 5 for client services) David Grignon (Michigan) [313] 745-2520 Jon Oppenheimer (Tennessee) [888] 868-7522 UroCor, Inc. [800] 411-1839 The cost (~$350) is normally covered by insurance and Medicare. Other staging tests can be done at further cost. It would probably also be helpful to calculate the Partin score using the numbers now in hand. See: http://urology.jhu.edu/prostate/partintables.php for an explanation and the calculator. And I think that I have previously recommended reference to the Prostate Cancer Research Institute's comprehensive and authoritative website. Good luck. Regards, Steve J "The thing is to expect nothing in particular, but (to) be aware of the lack of enforceable guarantees or enforceable contracts with nature/god/entropy as to the condition or durability of our bodies." -- Brian Brunner, PCa survivor, December 12, 2005 on The Prostate Problems Mailing List Thank you, Brian. Lisa, I have little new to add, but would like to reinforce a few of the other replies you have received. As Steve J. said, a second opinion on the biopsy slides is worth getting and is probably covered by your insurance. My slides were seen by three labs. Quest Labs, the low bidder lab used by my HMO, diagnosed Gleason 6. The other two both diagnosed Gleason 7 - which required a different and more aggressive treatment than the one I originally expected. As I.P. and Bob A. said, it's worth seeing a radiation oncologist to hear what he or she has to say. Conventional wisdom holds that a man as young as Paul should have surgery, not radiation, but radiation treatment is getting better, it's easy to take, and it's worth finding out what, if anything, would be recommended. Finally, whichever treatment you choose, find the best and most experienced doctor you can. He might not be the first one you were referred to. All the studies show that, for every kind of medical procedure, experience and skill count for a lot both in the rate of success and in reducing the incidence of side effects. There are doctors that do a hundred or more prostatectomies or prostate radiations every year, and others that only treat a prostate cancer case once every month or two. The first urologist I was referred to, for example, turned out to be a specialist in female incontinence who also did some prostatectomies once in a while. Assuming two doctors are honest, committed, caring individuals (and not all doctors are), the experienced guy has the edge in getting the outcome you want. Best of luck. Alan >I misspelled many words in my previous post..I am so sorry. I am so > tired and now embarrassed. NONSENSE!!! Spelling is not a issue among Internet users with any etiquette. And, certainly, pales in comparison to the news you just received. > We are schedule with a Dr. Jason Lee for a consultation for robotic > surgery next week. . We have had 3 months to read and research. Paul > has been reading one of Walsh's book and we stopped in today and bought > Scardino I hope you didn't dismiss brachytherapy without studying it closely and consulting a rad onc. The books tend to agree that the ideal candidate for brachytherapy alone has T1 to T2a cancer, G6 or less, and PSA < 10. May we assume you've read several other books as well? I found very useful facts and opinions in each of the dozen or so I read. Some rad oncs believe -- WHAT ELSE? -- seeds will soon surpass surgery as the tx of choice for cases like Paul's. I'm not trying to steer you away from surgery or towards radiation; I just want you to be sure you've objectively studied every mainstream treatment option, partly because their survival outcomes are so similar across the board and partly because if you don't, you may have second thoughts about the decision if and when Paul's results prove less than perfect, whichever tx he ultimately receives. I.P. > Now, can anyone who has the da vinci let me know about their experience > I would apprciate it. I had the Da Vinci experience 21 months ago at age 53. I had T1c and 3+3 at biopsy, although my PSA was 7.4 at the time. My PSA is still undetectable. The surgery was pretty easy (for me) as surgeries go, although I'm pretty sure that I could have found something better to do that day. Recovery was pretty rapid too. I was 100% continent from the first day the cath came out as well. Sexual function could be better, but your milage may vary. I need pharmaceutical help to make anything happen in terms of an erection at this point, although I did not have any problems in that area before. I also had some pain during orgasm that lasted for sometime that most here did not report to have. (I posted a report what is called dysorgamia on 9/7 and you can read about it if you wish). Keep in mind that a 3+3 at biopsy can be higher at pathology. I was 4+3 when they cut the bugger out and sliced it, and the cancer was contained inside the capsule, so I ended up a pT2c. If I did chose radiation, I would not have known this. Brachytherapy alone is usually not recommended in these cases, but combination IMRT with brachytherapy is. Also keep in mind that you have many therapies at your disposal with radiation performed with IMRT, combination IMRT with brachytherapy, as well as surgical procedures. Read about them all. The Prostate by Dr. Peter Scardino is a great book to refer to, and I've read quite a few of them. I think that you mentioned that you did have it. I hope that I've answered some of your questions. Feel free to ask any more if I've left out any other concerns that you may have about my procedure. I will tell you as best as I can of my own experience, and help to answer them as objectively as I possibly can. B.A. > Hello All, > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > psa 5.3 > 3+3 T1c2 NoMo Damned sorry to hear the results, but at least the numbers are good for a cure.  SignaturePSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46 Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins PSA .1 .1 .1 .27 .37 .75 EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47 PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 (4 mo), 12/03, 4/04, 09/04, 01/05, 5/05, 10/05, 2/06, 6/06 PSA .07 .05 .06 .09 .08 .132 .145 Casodex added daily 07/06 Non Illegitimi Carborundum Hi! Had my daVinci LRRP 12/27/05. PSA=4.3. Biopsy analysis was G6 T2a. Post surgical analysis was still G6 T2a M0N0 (organ confined). My hospital stay was about 28 hours total - surgery was about 4 hours. Both nerve bundles spared. There are 4 small incisions, each about 0.75-1.0 inches, and one more that used my naval as the exit port for the prostate, so this incision was about 1.5-2.0". Post surgery - Very little post-op pain, *easily* controlled by Tylenol. First 3 days after surgery were the most difficult, but by the end of a week, things were clearly getting better. Since I was finishing up my last year of graduate school, I only had 10 days available after surgery for post-op recovery before having to show up for my first class. I was sore and moved slowly, but was able to attend these 4 hour classes - never missed a class or an assignment all academic quarter. There are videos on the web of actual LRRPs, if you want to see one. At first, I was totally incontinent (5-6 pads a day). At 3 months, this dropped to 2 pads a day. At 7 months, this dropped to 1 pad per day, which is where I am now. *Very* recently, erections are just starting to show some life - without Vitamin 'V', I can manage about a 50% of a normal erection - not usable, but encouraging. Have not yet tried it with Vitamin 'V' to see if it improves. I am scheduled to meet with a 'Pump' salesman next month to see about exploring this option. Orgasms are obviously dry and different, but still enjoyable. For the first few months, they were actually more intense as the damaged/cut nerve endings were also stimulated and responded in a heightened manner. Much more of an 'abdominal' orgasm. Very different, and very nice/intense, but they seem to be diminishing now as my body heals itself and things return back to 'normal'. (Darn, they were nice!) A friend of mine is scheduled for a traditional, open RP this Friday. I suspect his recovery will be more involved/lengthy. As always, a skilled/experienced physician is preferred over a 'newbie', regardless of the treatment approach. http://www.davinciprostatectomy.com/hosp_results_us.php http://urology.jhu.edu/MIS/daVinci/daVinci.php HTH, Let me know if your have any specific questions. Ken ====================== > Hello All, > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > We are exhasted but we feel positive. It is not a sprint but a > marathon and we are ready to train and finish the race. > psa 5.3 > 3+3 T1c2 NoMo > Cancer was found in one needle biopsy right inner core. > Does this make sense What other tests have they done? The reason I ask is that I was PSA 10, 4+3, 1 needle of 12, no symptoms and not detectable by a golden finger. I went Rad and the Rad-doc sent me for a series of high-tech scans, the MRI with plug, a radioactive bonescan, and as part of his treatment planning, an ultrasound volume study and a CAT scan. Each test added to his understanding. After he did his electronic magic, he said that my tumor was "probably" more aggressive and should be staged higher (that is worse) than orginally. He also downgraded my life expectancy from the Uro's 10-12 years to 8-10 years. While you don't want to hear news like that, information is your weapon. I'm about 2 years post-rad and am going for a Prostascint today at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Pardon me while I crouch in the bathtub for a few mintues. OK, back. Man, do I feel fresh and clean and light. Seems to me that a full up series of electronic tests would help you and your doc choose the best treatment option for you. In my case, the tests revealed that my prostate was larger than most and that the tumor was on the forward side (anterior) of the prostate, against the capsule, and away from the rectum. This explains why the biopsies tended to "miss" it and it was hard to detect by touch. The rad doc used this information to expand the beam-field to whack any forward micro-tendrals and to amp up the rad without hitting the colon. I have no experience with surgery I'd think that they also would want every test under the sun before they "go in". Good luck to you. -kh Thanks kh for your response. Thanks everyone for your response. We are going to consult with a Onc. rad. as well as surgeon..or surgeons. We will continue our education too. I really appricate those of you that have had the robotic surgery speaking up as to your experience. We have not confirmed that route but are leaning in that direction. We have also taken note of a 2nd opinion on the biopsy results. The Dr. did not order any additional test. She stated with the 5.3 psa and gleason 3+3....T1c that they did not normally order CT and Bone Scans. She ordered standard blood panel work up and chest xray. I have read in other places that with a psa below 10 they do not normally run bone scan and ct. I suppose the surgeon may want more test but we will have to wait until our visit next Wednesday. Paul is doing pretty good. We had to tell his daughter last night. She is 25 it was hard to tell her. We have held off telling the kids anything until we knew what was going on. We will tell his son next he is 23 and newly married. They are great kids..I guess not kids anymore but kids to us. Thanks, Lisa > > psa 5.3 > > 3+3 T1c2 NoMo [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > 10, 4+3, 1 needle of 12, no symptoms and not detectable by a golden > finger > Thanks kh for your response. Thanks everyone for your response. We > are going to consult with a Onc. rad. as well as surgeon..or surgeons. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Thanks, Lisa Lisa-- I think you need to take a deep breath. You must be overwhelmed by the diagnosis itself and by all the advice you are getting. I have to respectfully say that a newsgroup is an excellent source of information but it is not a substitute for a doctor. Your task is to interview a couple of doctors that are highly recommended and find one you trust and can work with. I also disagree with the people who suggest that you should investigate every treatment, get every lab result and tissue sample reviewed by a team of experts and read a whole lot of books. Not to mention second-guessing everything the doctors say. Maybe that's easy for me to say because it's not my life that's at stake.. But iI really belief this adds yet another layer of torture to an already traumatic situation. My husband wsa diagnosed in August '05 with a PSA 10 and a gleason 3+4. RPP was recommended and the surgery was done 10/15/05.. I was my husband's researcher and I thought I did a decent job of it. I focused on doctors that were recommended to me and investigated them under a microscope. I interviewed patients sitting in the doc's waiting room tried to get references from anybody and everybody. I came to trust the doctor we chose and followed his recommendations. I also asked a laparascopic surgeon my brother-in-law put us in contact with EVERYTHING, about PC and its treatments, keeping in mind his bias toward surgery. It turned out he was the most honest of them all. The urology business is a small world and all the RP doctors know each other. If you ask somebody about a particular doctor and nobody's heard of him be careful. I also read the Scardino book, which the uro recommended. It is the most current one and is written by a doctor with broad knowledge of the subject. The surgeon we eventually chose could do RRP in his sleep. (Numbers are the main thing.) Also, this doctor got very high marks on enthusiasm. He said he videotaped all of the surgeries himself and reviewed the tapes often. He also said he gave himself a grade on every surgery he he performed. And I'm sure he didn't practice grade inflation. IN fact, this surgeon was so rapturous about RRP that I wondered if he didn't belong in Surgeons Anonymous. ... I have to say something that will not earn me a lot of friends here. (MY husband had a PSA 10, gleason 3+4). Although we chose RRP I think there is a lot to be said about open surgery. In fact,I regret that my husband didn't go that route. We were initially advised to consult an open surgeon but when we met and bonded with the RP -we blew it off. You have to keep in mind that the goal here is to get rid of all the cancer. The recovery is secondary. ' Here's what happened to my husband (Jonathan). Initially we were told by the uro that J. had a gleason 3+4 psa10, We had the biopsy result examnied by a specialist (I think at MSK). But when the robot went in he got a surprise. There was a lot more cancer than expected. They upgraded Jon's gleason to a 4+3. When all is said and done I wish we'd chosen a surgeon who could have gotten really up close and personal with the tumor. One who could have explored everything, in a leisurely.manner. One who would have been able to poke around inside as much as he pleased. By fhat I mean an open surgeon.. The RRP doc said he got it all but who knows? Anyway,tThe surgery went well and the worst of it was over in about a month. J. was well enough to ride his bicycle to the doc's office for his 3-mo. checkup (5 mi. RT) . I have to say my husband has tried to put this behind him: He chooses not to dwell on things or talk about them. To him the letters PC mean personal computer or politically correct. His life is back to normal -- in some ways better than it was before RRP. As far as I know he has no incontinence but he does have ED and we are hoping time will help that. In the meantime we use injections. Best of luck Leah ... > I also disagree with the people who suggest that you should investigate > every treatment, get every lab result. ... > Here's what happened to my husband (Jonathan). Initially we were told > by the uro that J. had a gleason 3+4 psa10, We had the biopsy result > examnied by a specialist (I think at MSK). But when the robot went > in he got a surprise. There was a lot more cancer than expected. And that is a reason for the full court press of tests. While these are pricey, most are a thousands of dollars, every bit of knowledge before hand helps make the treatment choice. Even with all the tests, there can be surprises but the saying in carpentry is "measure twice, cut once." -kh I had RRP 2 days ago, in hospital for 30 hrs. In recovery room, I had about 5 doses of Diladaud for pain in the groin area. It was about 5-6 out of 10. They then gave me morphine which did the trick. Back in room about 2 (procedure was at 7:45), got 2 Vicodin's then 1 more about midnight Monday. No pain meds since then. My neck is sore I assume from the jerking around for the breathing tube, and the large incision is a little sore ( 5 total incisions). I ate dinner the day of the procedure. The foginess has pretty much lifted at this point. My BP was low during recovery so they filled me full of IV fluid, which got rid of the drowsiness finally. Now waiting for cath removal next Thurs., and path report. No bladder spasms yet, and cath is actually not an issue. RML RML, Bless your heart..thanks for taking the time to write and share your experience. I read to Paul as he is getting ready for work....it really helps calm the fear. I wish for you a speedy recovery. Lisa > I had RRP 2 days ago, in hospital for 30 hrs. > e Lisa-- I want to say something that will not earn me a lot of friends here. > (MY husband had a PSA 10, gleason 3+4). Although we chose RRP I think > there is a lot to be said about open surgery. In fact,I regret that my [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > Leah Dear All, I would like to set the record straight on some the things that I wrote in the above post. . I think I got a little carried away and should have thought things thru before I pressed the Send button. The truth is if we had to do the surgery all over again we would do exactly the same hing. What I regret is never havingI NVESTIGATED open surgery at all. Our uro made it sound barbaric and outdated -- he was definitely an RRP guy. RRP is great and has tremendous benefits but it is also overhyped Based on my experience I suggest that any man who is a candidate for surgery should consider both options carefully. Surgery is not one size fit's all... Also,I need to explain that during my husb's RRP they found more ca than expected but not A LOT more as I said. (It's just that as far as I'm concerned ANY More is TOO much). That's why the doctors revised his gleason score (order of numbers) but didn't raise it.. Our surgeon told us that he thought he had gotten it all of it out and I'm confident that he did. And BTW he had told us ahead of time that if the situation warranted, he could always turn off the robot and continue the surgery himself the old-fashioned way. So please, don't everybody run out there to have open surgery just yet. But consider that doctors have their biases (like our uro) and therefore you MUST not rely on one doc's opinion. We investigated a couple of doctors but they were all RRPs..I think that was negligent. The Good News: The fact is that Jon rode his bicycle to his 3-WK checkup not to his 3-MO checkup as I'd written. However, I wouldn't recommend this to everybody. A man wrote me a note saying he had felt great after his RRP- and had wanted to get on his bike right away but his doc told him to wait 2 mos. I guess you have to give those tender nuggets some time to bounce back. Anyway, the man told me he swam laps instead and is now doing a couple of miles a day. While i'm on the subject there is also all this buzz about bicycle riding raising PSA levels. I don't know if any of its true but I think it makes sense not to get on the saddle for a couple of days before testing. You can't believe everything you hear... There are doctors out there who swear bike-riding causes impotence. Not to worry: all you have to do is get yourself a comfortable seat and bike away... LIsa-- In response to the questions you asked me. Jon is 54, and had no major functioning problems before (although things do slow down a little with age...) He has no continence problems that I know of. As to Paul's fears: it is very unlikely with his numbers that the ca has spread. But your husband does sound depressed and I think you should try to get some help for him and for yourself. A depressed person doesn't make a very good patient. He will need to be geared up for the journey ahead. I suggest you see a psych and get Paul on some mood-lifting drugs -- they can work wonders. My husband started taking two anti-depressants before his surgery and he said they gave him a big boost. . Also, maybe it would help for Paul to talk to some veterans of the surgery. There are plenty of men (including jon) who would be very happy to oblige. About ED: Yes, there is a lot of it after surgery but what I've heard men can get their EF back over a much longer period than some people think..I think its not unusual for a man to notice improvements after a year or more. Tell Paul everything will be fine. And it will. All the best, Leah (Please forgive the verbosity; I am working on it) > RPP A little confusion is creeping in here. "RRP" means Radical Retropubic Prostatectomy". That can be "open", laparoscopic ("keyhole", abbreviated to "LRP"), or robotic laparoscopic (abbreviated to RLRP). On this group we tend to say RRP when we mean the open surgery and use the other acronyms or spell it out in full when we specifically mean one of the laparoscopic flavours. So far as I can tell, Callalily (what a nice handle, BTW), is saying that her husband had LRP, but she wishes they had investigated open RRP. My experience with open RRP and a very good surgeon was that it was no problem, recovery was quick, I needed minimal pain relief in the hospital (no morphine) and no painkillers at all once I left the hospital (after two nights). Three weeks later I flew to a conference and presented a series of lectures. Don't let trivial differences in short term comfort/recovery influence your decision - you want the best treatment quality available in your area. I initially wanted to get robotic surgery, but to get that from one of the "masters", I would have had to have flown to another city. Overall I preferred to have the slightly more invasive surgery done within a few minutes of our home. SignaturePeter Headland A couple of recent references commenting on the laparoscopic and robotic procedures...ron Bertrand Guillonneau, May 2005 "eradicating positive margins at the distal prostatic apex remains a challenge" Medscape 2005 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/507264?src=mp "The positive surgical margin rate continues to be higher with laparoscopic and robotic prostatectomy compared with the open approach.[54,69,70] It is unclear how this will translate into disease-free and overall survival, since the laparoscopic and robotic experience is still immature. Nonetheless, it is cause for concern." Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy: Do Minimally Invasive Approaches Offer Significant Advantages? Joseph A. Smith Jr and S. Duke Herrell Journal of Clinical Oncology(JCO),Nov. 10, 2005 "Separating hype from reality is sometimes difficult with many medical procedures and this is particularly applicable to RALP. Patients who appropriately research treatment options so that they can participate in their own medical decisions may have difficulty interpreting marketing efforts by hospitals and physicians. The lack of randomized trials or even balanced prospective studies limits the ability to analyze comparative results of RALP versus open surgical approaches." > Paul is doing pretty good. We had to tell his daughter last night. > She is 25 it was hard to tell her. We have held off telling the kids > anything until we knew what was going on. We will tell his son next he > is 23 and newly married. They are great kids..I guess not kids anymore > but kids to us. I think you'll find that the two of you dealing with your children is the hardest part of this disease initially and the one that lasts for the run of it. Although telling my mom was no picnic either and another long-running issues. The next tough thing will be for you when he goes under the knife (assuming at 51 that is what he will decide to do). Sitting in a waiting room, even with family, when your spouse is getting cut on for cancer has to be just terrible. For us, it's another nap. Oh, and the hour before surgery with a parade of crying 'children' and siblings. That's a toughie, too. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't baby your husband for a few days. Makes him feel good. SignaturePSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46 Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins PSA .1 .1 .1 .27 .37 .75 EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47 PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 (4 mo), 12/03, 4/04, 09/04, 01/05, 5/05, 10/05, 2/06, 6/06 PSA .07 .05 .06 .09 .08 .132 .145 Casodex added daily 07/06 Non Illegitimi Carborundum On September 19, Steve Kramer wrote, in pertinent part: (snip) > Of course, that doesn't mean you can't baby your husband for a few days. > Makes him feel good. > Steve K has stated it well. Ladies, if you please...... You can balance the account later. Regards, Steve J > Hello All, > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > We are exhasted but we feel positive. It is not a sprint but a > marathon and we are ready to train and finish the race. Lisa. I am 62 years old, Gleason 6, T1C and 2 of 12 biopsy needles positive. I had my RRP on June 21st, and the surgery was very successful, with the ca contained to the prostate. My first post op PSA was non detectable. My wife and I spent a lot of time reading, and talking to cancer survivors at our local support group. The best news that I have gleaned from all my research is that one in 6 men will get PC, but only one in 27 will die of it. When detected early, the results are really positive.. and that's how I stayed positive about the experience. A few things from my personal experience. First, the most uncomfortable portion of the post op experience was a bad case of hemerroids, 5 days post op. Thinking back, when you have an RPP, they inflate your abdomen. Coupled with post surgical swelling, I suspect that the pressure caused the roids. A minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. Your doctor will advise your husband, that in a few isolated cases, they have to resort to open surgery because the gas pressure in the abdomen can't be tolerated and it can complicate the anesthetics. 3 months post op and my incontinence is 1 pad per day, and we willy is showing some signs of recovery. Another jewel of advice was that it would take 90 days to get to 90% recovery. Be patient, positive and thankful it was caught early.. your husband has been given a "Life Sentence", not a "Death Sentence" Hello, Wow, thank you all so much for your sharing. Thank you Prospector for sharing you experience. It just gives hope to a not so great situation. I love it..."Life Sentence"...this is what I am going to remember as we go forward and when I hit those times I feel crummy...thank you so much. > . Be patient, positive and > thankful it was caught early.. your husband has been given a "Life > Sentence", not a "Death Sentence" > Hello All, > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > We are exhasted but we feel positive. It is not a sprint but a > marathon and we are ready to train and finish the race. With such a diagnosis, the chances of a complete cure, either from surgery or radiation, are very high. Given the small size of the tumor, some urologists, for patients in their late 60s or older, might also suggest expectant management. Scardino has a lot of information about that. |
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