People say that prostate cancer is a waiting game -- waiting to see if there is a recurrence, if your ED will go away, if your incontinence will go away. For now there isn't much for you to do but...
There are significant side effects associated with both radiation therapy and surgery. Don't do either unless you have to!...
To prevent kidney and bladder stones, drink a lot of water. Beer might be good, too. Crystals form when the mineral content of your urine gets too high, and then the crystal grows. Keep your urine...
Very sorry to hear this, HR....
I had salvage radiation after my PSA rose following surgery. My first psa post-surgery was undetectable, but then it started up. I underwent radiation treatment about a year after the surgery. Seven...
Did he have ADT? If so, when did it end? What is his testosterone level? His lack of interest in sex could easily be related to ADT....
It's been three years since you lost the "<" sign. The increase since then has been very gradual. In my case I had one undetectable PSA test, and then it started marching upward, so it was easy for...
That's a lot to take in. I'm sorry that your dad is going through this. I don't have any knowledge to share, except to say that cancer is a terrible monster....
Great news! How long since your treatment?...
This is a case where you need to get the best medical advice. I would be seeking help at a major cancer center. Good luck!...
The claims for its increased accuracy are based on a study of just 147 men. It's maker claims that it produces fewer false positives and fewer false negatives, which is really great if true. It could...
You should probably choose for your primary treatment the one that is most likely to get it all at once. The problem with having surgery first in more advanced cases is that there will be a high...
After 5 consecutive psa increases, there is a clear trend, and there is no reason to think it will stop. Which means that the sooner you can get treatment, the better....
Your cancer will need to be treated, and it is up to you to decide on the kind of treatment you want. The big choice is between surgery and radiation. Your job now is to learn as much as you can, and...
Clocknut, I admire your sense of humor. I don't know how I would have responded to the "cute, pert breasts" comment....
If your doctor says annual tests are frequent enough, I'd probably trust that advice. A lot depends on your level of anxiety. Some people get nervous with long intervals between testing, and when...
The dull pain in my groin area turned out to be a hernia....
I think yearly testing makes sense. You've had surgery and radiation. If your psa starts rising, my understanding is that there won't be anything to do for quite a while. Get tested less often and...
When I click the link, I get this: Your session has timed out. Please go back to the article page and click the PDF link again....
Your English is fine! I think you should see a radiation oncologist. A lot of doctors and researchers believe that you should initiate radiation at a lower level than 0.2. I started at 0.05. Search...
My urologist said that the better your erections are going into surgery, the better they are likely to be coming out. Not an iron rule, of course, but something to think about. The other factor is...
My understanding is that prostate cancer causes a slow, steady rise in PSA, not an abrupt spike....
That's interesting, but I'm not sure how you square that finding with the fact that after the introduction of widespread PSA testing, PCa deaths went way down, from 39 deaths per 100,000 in 1993 to...
After surgery I couldn't drink coffee because it caused extreme urinary urgency. I tried decaf coffee, and it still had the same effect, so the culprit must not have been caffeine. I switched to tea,...
Pratoman, it can take a long time to get used to a CPAP. Be persistant! It is hard to get good support in finding the right mask and the right pressure. There are some very good CPAP and sleep apnea...
Historically, institutions have worked to protect individuals who generate a lot of revenue. Epstein's operation must generate a great deal of cash for JH. Which makes me think that, if JH cut ties...
You've been on quite a medical odyssey. I'm wishing you many years of indolent follicular lymphoma (a disease I never heard of before)....
For very early salvage radiation the threshold is about .05, and you are less than half of that now. Wait and see. Still, it does not hurt to think about your options should the rise continue....
Austin is 70. which is on the old side for surgery. I'd like to know why he opted for surgery over radiation for his prostate treatment. I doubt we will ever know, since reportedly Austin values his...
It's good that you are planning to see both a surgeon and an RO. Read up as much as you can bear on the benefits and side effects of different treatment options. That will make your visits with the...
That is a great idea for an article. Given the abundance of misinformation on the internet, it is truly heartening to see that prostate cancer forums provide accurate information and help patients...
I think it would make sense to get a second opinion from another RO. I had salvage radiation and was never warned about those dire consequences. The only side effect I experienced was some relatively...
If you have not done so already, you should check your benefit level for different months of retirement. I was surprised to learn if I delayed my retirement from 69 years, 10 months to 69 years, 11...
I had one DRE after a prostatectomy. I don't know why. Nothing after my RT....
There is a very interesting Radiolab episode about this. One theory is that you can slow down time by having new experiences. In the podcast, the reporter tries to do new things every day for two...
I don't know if anyone has said this already, but even if so it bears repeating. If at all possible have your partner come to meet with the doctor -- with a notebook. Ask her to take notes. You will...
I know it's nearly impossible not to worry in your position. But you should keep in mind that many (most?) biopsies come back negative. Among those that come back positive, many are not dangerous and...
There is a lot of confusion about Medicare expenses, so some data may be in order. Medicare costs continue to rise, but the cost per beneficiary has leveled off and since 2011 has been essentially...
In the past few months I have experienced a new phenomenon -- I suddenly have to have a bowel movement and I literally can't wait. I've had a couple of small accidents when I couldn't get to the...
To add one more example, I had my DRE done by a nurse practitioner, and she found nothing abnormal. But PSA was high, so off of the urologist I went. He performed a DRE and found abnormalities on my...
Hello jotaToledo, You seem to be new to this board. Would you be so kind as to introduce yourself? Is English not your usual language and you are using a translator? This is usually a very welcoming...
I think you can go ahead and schedule an appointment with a radiation oncologist and ask the Uro to send over the file. No need for the the uro to say its ok to see an RO. It would make sense to wait...
After I had two successive test results without the <, my uro suggested I initiate radiation therapy. There is a debate about how high psa should rise before starting RT, but there is a lot of...
JNF -- Thanks for that thorough response. You know a lot!...
Congratulations on winning your battle! I found it very interesting/surprising that the rise in PSA was due to cancer cells in what was left of your prostate after radiation. I had the impression...
I don't think I've seen anyone post it, so I will. This link takes you to a "nomogram" that allows you to enter your information, and it will estimate chances of a recurrence at different intervals...
I'm curious why your PSA went down after the HoLEP, if none of the tissue removed was cancerous....
It might help at airport security if you have a letter from your doctor explaining that you have seeds that will upset the scanner. You could also mention to one of the employees that you are about...
I had surgery followed by radiation. I think I probably had a follow-up visit with the RO a few months after completing the RT, but after that I went only to see the urologist. After 2 years I quit...