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Posted 7/21/2015 7:39 PM (GMT -5)
I bet you know more about me than I know about myself cuz my wife Suz has been reading and writing on here for weeks hahaha

I am not good with computers. Type with 2 fingers and don't always know where to put commas. I was told I won't get graded on what I write. smilewinkgrin

So I've got prostate cancer. What a kick in the pants. Literally.

Tomorrow we go talk to a surgeon. Same guy who did my biopsy. We got a list of questions courtesy of Gedman. Anyone got anything to add to the question list? This dr we are seeing does DaVinci type surgery.

I will stop by more often cuz I was told to take ownership. yeah
Posted 7/21/2015 7:48 PM (GMT -5)
Hey Steve, welcome to the club. I'm another Cleveland area native (SW Burbs, grew up under the glide paths to Hopkins), and my dad was treated for PC back in the early 90's at the Cleveland Clinic. I'm suspecting you have a good list of questions...

I'd suggest asking him specifically how many procedures he's done, and what his personal record for patients in your similar condition is. What does he say your odds of trifecta and no recurrence are in his experience? That's a key question. I'd also keep encouraging you to also look at the various Radiation therapies. What I found, for me, is that when I met the surgeon I ultimately selected, I 'knew' I was in the right place. Others have reported similar experiences.

Ultimately, the Cleveland Clinic is a world-class facility and you'll get world-class treatment there.
Posted 7/21/2015 8:34 PM (GMT -5)
Hey Halbert! Nice to meet a home town boy! I moved around a lot as a kid with my dad's job. We lived a lot of years on a road that eventually got bought up by Weir Cook airport in Indiana. Had some good times chasing those planes on our bikes.

We don't meet with the radiation guy until August 17 due to him going on vacation. Suz is already doing research on some different machines. One is cyber knife and one is calypso, I think.

Thanks for helping with the questions. My dad has PC too. Been battling it for 20 years. Gets treated at UNC near Raleigh.

If you ever come to Cleveland stop by for a beer. I'm only supposed to drink green tea and pomegranate juice but I've got a stash in the back of the basement refrigerator.
Posted 7/21/2015 8:37 PM (GMT -5)
Hey Steve,

Welcome to HealingWell. I'm in the Cleveland area too and went to the Clinic for my surgery. I'll second the notion that you'll get world class treatment there.

Halbert is right; don't be bashful about asking how many surgeries he's done. It's an important and valid question. If he gets offended, find another doc. There are lots of good ones there.

I'd also suggest you keep an open mind about treatment options. Surgery isn't the only game in town so consider your options carefully. Make sure you also talk to a radiation doc before making a treatment decision -- even if you think you don't want radiation.

Good luck with your appointment. You probably already know that this is a very treatable condition; you'll be ok. Hang in there and let us know how you make out.

Best,

Jonathan
Posted 7/21/2015 8:56 PM (GMT -5)
Hmmmm I can see a meet with Jazzman and Steve (and Suz and Mrs. Jazzman if there is one...) in the future. I do get there from time to time, my mother still lives in the same house I grew up in. (Berea, in case you're looking for specifics).
Posted 7/21/2015 9:28 PM (GMT -5)
Hey Jazzman - cool name!
Who did your surgery? Did you like him? Would you do surgery again or think about radiation? Is it ok to ask stuff like this?

I'm going to listen to the surgeons spiel but I think I want radiation. Gotta keep an open mind and hope I click with someone like Halbert said. That would be a great feeling. For weeks all I wanted was to hear this was all a big mistake. Somebody mixed up my slides or read em wrong. Didn't stop thinking that way until we got the report with the second opinion.

Halbert - Berea is nice. Only been there a few times for Browns training camp back in the day. A CLE meetup sounds good!

Well I better go do my homework so I am prepared with the questions.
Posted 7/21/2015 9:41 PM (GMT -5)
Welcome aboard Steve!

Your typing is fine, a lot of 2 finger typers on the forum.

You are doing the right thing, joining in with your new brotherhood and keeping the wife happy.

Good luck with your doctors appointments. We are here for you with any questions you might come up with.

Bill from Florida cool
Posted 7/21/2015 9:53 PM (GMT -5)
Hey Steve,

Welcome.

My wife is a two finger typist and she's earned her living as a writer for years - go figure. There are a lot of us here who've been dealing with this for years and years. When you get a chance, post a signature with your stats. See mine below. That will help us all in helping you. Good luck with your talk tomorrow with your surgeon.

Jim
Posted 7/21/2015 10:29 PM (GMT -5)
My hubby is also from Cleveland and he had LDR Brachytherapy 2 years ago. He is doing great and very happy with his treatment. His urologist
recommended it even though he is a surgeon.
Posted 7/21/2015 10:39 PM (GMT -5)
Hey Steve,

J. Steven Jones did my surgery, but I think he's gone into administration. He fired me a couple years ago. :-) If I were to go to a urologist at this point, it would probably be Dr. Stephenson. I'd also want to seriously consider brachytherapy and beam radiation.

Good luck with your appointment and let us know what you find out.

Jonathan
Posted 7/22/2015 5:49 AM (GMT -5)
Welcome Steve, pleased to meet you. :-)

North of you in Detroit here. Done the whole gamut myself, take your time, think about your options, then do what you have decided to do. Good luck.
Posted 7/22/2015 7:56 AM (GMT -5)
Hello Steve and welcome. Yes, we already feel like we know you through Suz's threads and posts. If you haven't done so already, please read through those threads as she has already been given a lot of great information about your situation. To summarize: You should be thinking cure as your stats are not too bad, there are multiple options that are likely to cure you including surgery, SBRT, LDR Brachy and HDR Brachy and you should visit doctors who specialize in each so that your due diligence is done.

If you haven't done so already, I would recommend that you read the sticky thread at the top of our forum that is designed for new patients. Also, I can recommend two excellent books, "Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer" by Dr. Walsh and "Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers" by Dr. Scholz.

Good luck and we look forward to seeing your progress.

Jim

P.S. You might consider adding a signature to your posts which will help us all respond better. You can do that in your profile and then check "include signature" when you post.
Posted 7/22/2015 9:07 AM (GMT -5)
Welcome Steve, another ex-Clevelander here. East side Mayfield High graduate. Lived in Colorado now for years. Back in the late 80s I was called Uncle Traitor by family for being a Broncos fan. Seen them go to 7 superbowls. Ok they only won two.. Art Modell I hope is in hell!!!
Posted 7/22/2015 11:54 AM (GMT -5)
Welcome to HW,
Good to hear from you.

Hang in there,
Andrew
Posted 7/22/2015 1:56 PM (GMT -5)
Hi Steve...just wanted to welcome you. This is scary stuff, but you should really do just fine. Just let us know how we can help you. (PS I think your wife has already cracked our code. She already has everyone dishing like old friends...)
Posted 7/22/2015 4:28 PM (GMT -5)
Hi Steve, I'm another new guy here too. I went the DaVinci route 4-1/2 weeks ago. So far so good but still a ways to go. Definitely ask your Dr how many they have done. At a minimum it should be in the "hundreds".
Posted 7/22/2015 7:38 PM (GMT -5)
Man, all these howdy and welcome messages are real nice. Does a body good to feel among friends. I need it today cuz the meeting with the surgeon was a bust. Only thing I know foe sure is he is not the one.

Suz thinks I'm crazy but pure and simple he was intimidated by her questions. She was respectful but asked questions that I don't think he was used to getting. You guys "learned her too good"!!! Hahaha
If she gets on here later she can tell you what she thinks. I'm gonna go read more of the Walsh book. I read the chapter about options last night and then did not sleep much. Had myself some strange dreams when I did.
Posted 7/22/2015 7:54 PM (GMT -5)
Steve, it's like that. You've got a good woman there who loves you. Some docs are intimidated and don't like the questions..that's ok. You do have plenty of options. It sounds like you're leaning for Radiation anyway...that's ok too.

For now, take an evening off from the digging and stressing, and remind Suz just how much you love her, and let her do the same for you.
Posted 7/23/2015 10:08 AM (GMT -5)
Hudson, Ohio resident for 25+ years.
Know the prostate teams fairly well at the Clinic.
Let me know if I can be of any assistance navigating those waters.
Use my email and put Cleveland Clinic in the subject heading.
All the best.
Posted 7/23/2015 7:43 PM (GMT -5)
Haven't posted for awhile but just wanted to add my husband's surgery was 4/22/2015 at Cleveland a Clinic. We live in Toledo but felt the travel to Cleveland was well worth it. Pathology not so great following surgery so now on Lupron ( took a 6 month shot) and radiation begins 8/3 for two months. Feel so comfortable with CC we will drive daily from Toledo to Sandusky (CC has a cancer there) to stay under their care. Good luck to all of you.
Posted 7/23/2015 8:38 PM (GMT -5)
Hey Halbert - Wish I read your note before Suz and I both konked out last night. It is a good reminder that I'd be flapping around like a fish out of water without her.

Ziggy in Colorado, huh? Am I picking up on a connection between name and locale? Guess I can forgive you going to the dark side with the Broncos. Hahaha

Samster - We're east-siders for about 25 years now. Both our boys graduated from Chagrin. Suz is a native but we moved around with my job, St Louis, Long Island, Conn. Happy to be back here. Real nice of you to offer to help, neighbor. We will take you up on that offer. We called Dr Klein's office and guess he hand picks his patients. He's going to review my case and let us know. If we don't make the grade with him, he will recommend another doc. We are seeing a surgeon at UH tomorrow. He did some kind of stereo tactic trial and thinking we can have some good discussion.

Digger - Always nice to hear about good experiences!
Posted 7/23/2015 9:14 PM (GMT -5)
Hey Steve,

Glad you found my list helpful. Good luck with the surgery consult.

Anyone else wanting to see my questions list, check the links below.

-Gedman
Posted 7/23/2015 9:27 PM (GMT -5)
This brings back memories. We ultimately went with the 1st and only referral I got from a from a good friend of mine who was really happy with his surgeon. But my wife wanted to get a second opinion. So she set up some pretty intensive interviews with the docs at THE major cancer center in Houston. We were shocked and disappointed at the attitude of surgeon when we questioned the information we given and especially when we asked how many RP's procedures he had performed. How could we be so indignant as to question THE major cancer center in Houston or it's young star surgeon? It was obvious we were just wasting his time, and I was nothing more than just one of a whole bunch of others guys waiting out in the big beautiful lobby they have there. We were just fortunate to find the right guy the first time. He has a great personality with a genuine sense of caring along with the experience of about 1,000 surgeries. Good luck in finding your doc. Don't settle if you have any doubts. You have time to shop around.
Posted 7/24/2015 9:50 AM (GMT -5)
Sounds great, reach out any time!
Posted 7/25/2015 7:51 AM (GMT -5)
Cleveland Clinic was my choice also, even though about 4 hours round trip. Any time you area treated at a learning institution it is good to ask if the surgeon you have selected is the one doing the surgery and/or will he/she be in the surgery suite when it is performed.

Just as a side bar, the two finger method is called the Columbus typing method. (Land and discover).
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