First, I want to say that I've been reading the posts on this list for
several weeks now and the information shared here has been
invaluable.

My story to date:
I'm currently 55 years old.  In the spring of 2006, my PCP saw a bump
in my PSA from 2.7 in 6/05 to 3.3 in 4/06.  A re-test in 10/06 showed
a PSA of 4.3 and a free-PSA of 9%.  At that point, he sent me to a
urologist.  Shortly before the scheduled biopsy, I noticed a some
blood in my urine over a day or so.  My PCP sent me to have a CT scan,
which turned nothing up, and then a cystoscopy, which revealed a small
growth that the urologist identified as malignant.  I had surgery in
January to have the growth removed.  I then had my postponed biopsy in
mid-February; toward the end of that month I got the diagnosis of
prostate cancer (Gleason = 4 + 3 / staging = T2a).

By the way, if you'd have asked me 6 months ago about my risk of PC, I
would've said "about average."  I now know that as an African
American, I have a greater PC risk based on that alone.  And I
discovered after my biopsy that my father had his prostate removed
when he was about 70-I have no idea why; and since he passed away last
year, I can't ask him directly.  Also, around that time I found out
that my maternal grandfather died of prostate cancer.  Apparently,
some research indicates that the genetic vulnerability is carried by
the mother.  In any case, had I known all this 5 years ago, I would've
alerted my PCP to be extra vigilant re: PSA variations.

Since my diagnosis, I've met with a medical oncologist and a radiation
oncologist at UCLA (my HMO); the latter recommends IMRT, though he's a
bit concerned by my having been treated so recently for bladder
cancer.  On a trip east, I set up a consultation with Dr. Partin at
Johns Hopkins.  He recommended surgery (of course) but admitted that
current data suggests that RP and IMRT success rates are comparable in
terms of effectiveness.  (Partin also read my staging as T1a, a slight
distinction that my urologist disputes.)  My partner & I have been
digging through mountains of information on seeds (stand-alone), seeds
+ high-dose RT, proton RT, laparoscopic surgery, etc.  I currently
plan to get an endorectal MRI done at UCSF within the next week or so,
but both my urologist and the radiation oncologist I saw suggest that
the results from that test may not be conclusive.  I might consult
with the PRT folks at Loma Linda (I live in LA) but the waiting list
is pretty long.  In the meantime, I'm also seeing an alt-med doctor
(for acupuncture, core-heating, and nutritional supplements of various
kinds)--our primary goal is to strengthen my immune system and to slow
the tumor growth.

Over the next couple of weeks, I may go meet with a radiation
oncologist who works with seeds + external beam, but I'm most
interested in identifying some surgeons.  I feel that the doctor who
operated on my bladder did a good job;  however, I'd like to cast a
wide net in terms of identifying the best possible PC surgeon, should
I go that route.  Does anyone have any recommendations for surgeons in
the SoCal area (at UCLA or elsewhere)?  Also, are there folks I should
avoid?

Thanks for your advice.
Richard