March 26th

 

Hi Wally- There are lots of people on this site that have and are going through the same thought process that you are......

For me, it was simple.....with my stat's, I had a good chance that my cancer was contained so I just went for the RP....I wanted it gone....!!!!! if some cancer did get out then I could always have follow up radiation treatment.

For me.....I made the right decision and it was not hard....everyone is different on how they deal with this decision.

Good luck....we are all here to help and support our fellow man.

Let us know how things go....

Sincerely,

Curt

I would for sure do another PSA.....

Hi Wally,

I am not sure of your rationale on progression with regard to choice of treatment. Would you pick something else if that was the case?

I was going nuts deciding. One day it was surgery, then HDR, then surgery, then you name it - if someone promised me eating worms would have cured me I might have tried it (one guy suggested baking soda LOL). It was Super-Stressful that for me and I suspect lots, if not most, of us. I was so stressed out. My poor wife.

The fine folks at the Chicago Prostate Center seeded me last Wednesday. I was a Gleason 7 (4+3) too. I have zero side effects: the urine is flowing out of me with no issues and no catheter (hate the cath worse than the biopsy), my erections are stronger than penitentiary steel (but we're taking it easy for another week or so to let those little radioactive miracles make themselves at home). In short, I feel great and expect a full cure. If the PCa has not escaped the organ by a long way out I am cured (and if that is the case NO TREATMENT MODALITY that I am aware of could have cured me).

They said almost any man with PCa can have, and be cured by, brachytherapy.

Whatever you decide on best of it.

if you are having this much doubt, then perhaps you should put off the surgery date, get another opinion, and re-think your decision. it's too important a medical decision to make if you are not 100% sure. kind of like walking down the aisle to get married, if you aren't sure, don't walk.

david

Amen to that advice Tall Allen!

Thanks, Tud. And Wally, if you decide to postpone or cancel your surgery plans, don't be intimidated by what the doctor or hospital will say or think. Not suggesting that you do either, but if you do. They "work" for you, not the other way around.

I had open surgery, but wanted seeds. In 2008 in my area, I didn't meet the local criteria. Robotic was out, as only 15 had been done in my area at the time. In the end, open worked, because of surgical difficulties, had I chosen robotic, it would have to have been aborted to open regardless.

I know these are tough decisions, but you have to feel 100% right in what you are about to do. I would err on the side of caution and re-think your treatment choice, only so that you ultimately know that you gave the decision everything you could before making it. I think either surgery or seeds would be appropriate for you.

Good luck, and we are here to support you either way, whatever you want to do.

david in sc

prior to my RRP, I had to straddle the bowl to hit it. A week after the catheter was removed, I could whiz the porcelain off the toilet bowl from six feet away. Now, I dont even need a weed eater in the back yard, or a leaf blower for the driveway.

Just call me firehose kbota.

Anyone need their house pressure washed?

he he

iSpark said...
Wally1960,

I have the same thoughts as you, is it the right choice?

I'm having surgery March 22nd. I know my choice is the right one, maybe not the one I wanted to make, but nonetheless, the right one.
My PSA has almost doubled since November 27th 2012 so I know that something is up and moving fast.

Another thing, I can barley pee now, it takes forever. I'm hoping surgery will fix that, well at least, later down the road that is.

ISpark, as long as you have a skilled surgeon, you will be able to pee like a firehose after the catheter is removed. That was my situation. My prostate was about 4x normal size and was causing horrible urination problems.

So my choice for surgery was an easy one. Even the radiation oncologist I met with at Mayo Clinic, who said that radiation could cure me, advised me to have the DaVinci procedure because it would eliminate the urination problem along with the cancer.

You've made a very wise decision!

Chuck

Resident of Highland, Indiana just outside of Chicago, IL.
July 2011 local PSA lab reading 6.41 (from 4.1 in 2009). Mayo Clinic PSA Sept. 2011 was 5.7.
Local urologist DRE revealed significant BPH, but no lumps.
PCa Dx Aug. 2011 at age of 61.
Biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma in 3 of 20 cores (one 5%, two 20%). T2C.
Gleason score 3+3=6.
CT of abdomen, bone scan both negative.
DaVinci prostatectomy 11/1/11 at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN), nerve sparing, age 62.
My surgeon was Dr. Matthew Tollefson, who I highly recommend.
Final pathology shows tumor confined to prostate.
5 lymph nodes, seminal vesicles, extraprostatic soft tissue all negative.
1.0 x 0.6 x 0.6 cm mass involving right posterior inferior,
right posterior apex & left mid posterior prostate.
Right posterior apex margin involved by tumor over a 0.2 cm length, doctor says this is insignificant.
Prostate 98.3 grams, tumor 2 grams. Prostate size 5.0 x 4.7 x 4.5 cm.
Catheter out in 7 days. No incontinence, occasional minor dripping.
Post-op exams 2/13/12, 9/10/12, PSA <0.1.
Semi-firm erections now happening 14 months post-op & slowly getting a bit stronger.

These all involve sophisticated/expensive technology, which you probably can't find locally and would entail a day trip for you.
•Cleveland Clinic or Vanderbilt probably do mpMRIs - ask for a 3 Tesla machine and an endorectal coil (which I understand is uncomfortable).
•C11 Choline PETs are only at the Mayo Clinic in MN.
•C11 Acetate PETs are in Phoenix, AZ, UKansas, Mass General, UWSeattle that I know of.
•The closest good reader of color doppler US to you would be Dr. Lee in MI.
I doubt that any of these would be covered by insurance. You would have to call those places to get an appointment.

- Allen