This day is always a mixed blessing for me. Eight years ago I received a life-changing prostate cancer diagnosis. This site is the place I went that very night to locate support for what was to come. I found my very first thread, posted that night:
Well fudge, new member, Gleason 9 (5+4).
(Online searches led me to another site first, and I met "Lupron Jim" over there, who mentioned this place, and I'm ever grateful to him, RIP.)
The initial numbers weren't good, and they got worse with more tests (biopsy reevaluated by Epstein's lab as 5+4, and MRI said staging cT3a, outside the capsule). Developing the plan was quite interactive with fellow survivors here, helping me understand what I'd heard, and refining questions for the doctors as time went on. I don't know what I would have done without the caring support of so many here!
And here I am, eight years later, with an undetectable PSA. There have been some physical effects for sure, and I'm now on lifetime ADT (and estrogen), but I feel simply
great!
There is hope. There is always hope. I didn't see it that night... in fact I woke up around 2am, unable to sleep. I went to the living room, dove back into online searches, and found myself trembling, simply trembling. I realized it was something I'd never experienced before, simply raw fear. "Quaking in my boots", quite literally! Online searches are probably NOT the place to go in that situation.
But once the treatment plan was decided, then underway, then finally completed, the primary stress pretty much went away. Living with the side effects of the treatments has had its own challenges, but life goes on.
After being here for a while I realized the G9 and G10 folks had some different concerns; the very high risk "crew" were more interested in survival than in coping with some of the unpleasant side effects of treatments. I started the "G9 Crew" thread eventually so we could support one another in a more focused way.
Over time, I have had much less involvement here for a variety of reasons. But still, it is so very important to help others see there is HOPE, even with a significantly challenging diagnosis. I do check in occasionally, and still see some familiar names.
I pray for the best for everyone here, and for all of those facing this beast. Here's to durable remissions for all!