"Unfortunately, he is telling me what I don't particularly want to hear, namely that surgery is the best option for someone with a low-grade cancer in my age group."
Dreamer, he 'told' me the same thing, and I 'told' him to buzz off. That book is so often quoted as the end all book of knowledge, and I find that unfortunate. There is indeed much information, but the slant towards surgery is blatantly obvious. You are indeed told that there are many options, but only one good one. Recent studies posted on this board suggest that brachy therapy is not only equal to surgery, but pehaps even superior. That was my choice, and I am very glad that I made it. Surgery may indeed be your best option, but please do not let Walsh make your decision. Do yourself a favor and at least talk to a radiation oncologist.
Bruce,
The symptoms you describe are eerily familiar to me. Between my PCA diagnosis and my eventual treatment, I had bilateral knee replacement on Jan. 14, 2009. The rehab from both knees at once was tough, but something else was going on. I felt just terrible, neck, shoulder, back, and almost every joint was swollen and terribly painful. I didn't know if the cancer had spread or what. It took several months to find out that I had something called Polymyalgia rheumatica which is very similar to rheumatoid arthritis except that it is ususally not permanent. Prednisone was a miracle drug for me. I started with a fairly large dose and still take 1mg a day. In a word, I feel great after thinking that I was a cripple for life. I'm not saying you have anything like this, but if nothing else turns up, you may want to mention it to your doc. It took a lot of pain and research before I began to recover.
God bless.