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Posted 5/21/2008 8:37 AM (GMT -6)

I think some of you are missing the real problem here.

The diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer is a series of indignities and intrusions.  That is a fact.  Someone seeing me naked is no big deal, I am an AANR member (American Assoc for Nude Recreation) and I am use to walking around with no clothes on.

The problem is that some medical people are thoughtless and treat us like we have no feelings.

Fortunaltly, that is not usually the case, but the minority of nurses and doctors who need to improve make the entire profession look bad.

Posted 5/21/2008 12:12 PM (GMT -6)
I can understand all the pros and cons here but I quess I'm the only one that still has an issue with the nurse leaving the man sitting bare a@@ on the chair with no tissue or pad under him. The same chair that the next guy will be sitting in bare a@@ed. I find that very unsanitary and for a doctors office no less. Makes me wonder what else was unsanitary in that office.
Posted 5/21/2008 2:15 PM (GMT -6)
LOL Ziggy9 you gave me my laugh for today after a stressful visit with the surgeon, I thank you for that I needed it. I've never compared my doctors office to a public toilet and you gave me visions of my butt sitting on a keyboard. Trust me when I tell you that wouldn't be a pretty sight :-)
Posted 5/21/2008 4:55 PM (GMT -6)

Beautifully and correctly said, Tony.  Bluebird will be sorely missed, but you sure fill the void.

Regards,

Bill

Posted 5/21/2008 8:27 PM (GMT -6)

    Wiggann,  I had no symptoms at all.  I had my GP do my annual physical and blood work.  My PSA was a little high.  I was sent to my Uroligist.  He did the secondary PSA and DRE.  The DRE was slightly firm.  The second PSA came back at 5.7....I think?  After that is when all the fun started!  If your interested check out My Journey!

    So sorry your husband was treated like that.  Good Luck.

    KW

 

Posted 5/22/2008 11:15 AM (GMT -6)
Hi, lvdgs,

I sure appreciate your posts and your thoughts.

Thank you :-)

Just wondered if you and your husband had gotten the
pathology report back from John Hopkins yet?

When my husband was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer,
at age 68, his urologist gave him several different treatment
options. The main ones were surgery and radiation, which
includes the radiation treatments or the prostate seed implant
(brachytherapy). He mentioned cryotherapy, which is freezing the prostate also.

My husband 's radiation oncologist wanted him to have both
the radiation treatments and brachytherapy which is what he
did. He had no side effects from the radiation treatments
and only some urgency when he has to urinate
left from the brachytherapy and we are hoping this will leave
in time. It is a good idea to check out all treatment options
thoroughly before making a decision.

Wishing you both the very best,
Wiggyann

Husband 68 at diagnosis in December of 2006
PSA 7.3
Gleason 7
Eight out of twelve cores positive for andenocarcinoma,
Stage T1c
Treatment 25 IMRT and 90 seed pallidium brachytherapy
last psa at 10 months was 0.7
Posted 5/22/2008 12:03 PM (GMT -6)
Wiggyann,

No, we haven't got the report back yet. It just went out on Tuesday and I was told it takes about 5 days depending on how busy Jon Epstein is.

My husband is 53 and was also told he has several options, surgery or Brachytherapy being the main ones with watchful waiting at the bottom of the list. We haven't talked to the radiology oncologist yet his appointment is next Thursday. We met with the robotic surgeon yesterday and he said the cryotherapy is an option if the seeds fail should he decide to go that route. I think he's leaning in that direction. His urologist said that's what he would do as well. Hard to get any feedback from patients that had Brachytherapy done as everyone seems to opt for surgery. I realize every case is different but we learn from each other. My husband knows someone that had it done 15 yrs ago and he's fine he was 43 at the time. He knows another that had it done 4 yrs ago and his PSA level has been 0 for the past two years.

I'm trying to figure out if a medical oncologist should be consulted as well.

Husband 53
PSA 1.7
Gleason 6
3 out of 8 positive all on right side
Posted 5/22/2008 3:15 PM (GMT -6)

 Although until I see a woman die from PCa I'll hold to my view it's the male victims who suffer more.

As the much-loved husband of a woman who has suffered as much as I have from this disease, I beg to differ.

Posted 5/23/2008 9:12 AM (GMT -6)
Dear Lana (creed_three and C.J.)

I just wanted to let you know how very much your post
meant to me :-) It is filled with so much good information
that I am going to print it out and keep it.

I am happy to hear that your husband is doing so well after his surgery and has such lows psa's :-)

Wishing God's best blessings to both of you,
Wiggyann

Husband 68 at diagnosis, December 2006
PSA 7.3
Gleason 7, eight cores out of twelve positive
for adenocarcinoma
Stage T1c
Treatment 25 IMRT and Brachytherapy (April 2007)
PSA at 10 months 0.7
Posted 5/23/2008 12:30 PM (GMT -6)

lvdgs said...
...Hard to get any feedback from patients that had Brachytherapy done as everyone seems to opt for surgery.

Hi,

I'd like to add that I chose brachy, and I'd take that route again. I mean none of this is a cakewalk, but it's been pretty good for me. Good luck with whatever decision you come to.

JC

Posted 5/23/2008 2:15 PM (GMT -6)
Hi JC,

Thanks for your reply. I've been following your progress and it seems like your doing well, good to hear. I keep reading that brachy should be followed up with some EBR but that appears to have it's pros and cons as well. You can read until your head spins and still not have the answers. My husband say's we are all going to die of something and to him quality of life is more important than quantity.
Posted 5/23/2008 6:41 PM (GMT -6)
Hello lvdgs,

There is a site named Seed Pods and it has a lot of men's stories who have had brachytherapy. You can email the men there and ask questions. They are all very nice. The url for the site is below. You will have to register and then you will have full access to the site. If you click on Chronicles, there will be a list of mens names who have had brachytherapy. Just click on anyone and his brachytherapy story will show up. I spent a lot of time there before and after my husband had his seed implant.

http://www.prostatepointers.org/SeedPods/

May God Bless You Always,
Wiggyann
Posted 5/23/2008 8:31 PM (GMT -6)
creed_three,

Hello :-) I sent you my email address. So glad that you
kept your post. I was going to print it out yesterday, but
my computer wasn't working with my printer for some reason
and today your post was gone.

Thanks so much,
Wiggyann
Posted 5/23/2008 11:29 PM (GMT -6)

Lana,

I was moved by your post.  It reminded me in some ways of my wife, especially during the early days of my cancer.  She did not want anyone to know, even close relatives, until I finally convinced her that it was unfair for us not to tell brothers, sisters, neices, nephews and so on.

She did not even want me to tell my employer, which she now realizes was naive.  I think she thought at first my surgery would be outpatient and I would return back to work in 2 or 3 days good as new.

In time, my wife was able to talk some about it with others....good friends and family members mainly, and I think in her case at least it helped her emotional state of mind.

I, on the other hand, am just the opposite of my wife on this.  I was completely shocked when I found out I had cancer, but talking about it with others has not been an issue with me.  I had done nothing wrong and had nothing to be ashamed of.  I had just experienced a tough break, and it helped me to be able to discuss it openly.

It does not bother me if someone knows I am still slightly incontinent.  I bought some new panty-liners today, if fact, thank you very much....

Does not bother me if someone knows I take injections and use a VED for therapy...discuss it in great detail with 3 of my close buddies.  For me, being able to discuss it makes it a little easier in some ways.  For better or worse, it is a part of who I am now and to some degree always will be.

Any way, I apologize for rambling.  I hope you and your husband are dealing with things okay and that you both are able to continue to deal well with whatever comes next.

DanMan

Posted 5/24/2008 9:21 AM (GMT -6)

Thanks for clarifying, Lana.

I realize that everyone reacts differently to things.   My wife and I are usually polar opposites in our reactions, so I respect differences completely.

Whatever works best for you and your husband is what you should do.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

DanMan


Posted 5/24/2008 9:21 AM (GMT -6)
Hi creed_three :-)

I am so thankful to you for sending me the email. Your post
is caring and compassionate and was written from the knowledge and insight you have gained by being a nurse and it has much value.

My husband is not much of a computer person. I am the one who did all of the research starting back when he was first scheduled for the biopsy. A lot of times, I will print out stories men have written about having prostate cancer and he enjoys reading about their experiences and learns a great deal from them, also.

And like you, I too have noticed the special love the teams of husbands and wives have on this forum and I find it especially refreshing. However, as you said, there are different personalites out there to deal with.

Several times I have had posts that I did not feel at all comfortable with because I felt as though I was being
ridiculed. I know this is what happened to you Lana and
I am so very sorry. You are such a nice person. I would
have never started a thread if I had known that something
like this could happen.

Why is it that hindsight is always 20/20. I think that
saying is the story of my life.

May God bless you, dear lady
Wiggyann

Husband 68 at diagnosis
PSA 7.3
Gleason 7
Eight out of twelve cores positive for adenocarcinoma
Stage T1c
25 IMRT and 90 seed pallidium seed implant
psa at ten months 0.7 (Praise the Lord)
Posted 5/24/2008 3:07 PM (GMT -6)
I do see the concerns of the original poster with respect to sitting bare-assed on chairs being sanitary.

I don't think getting embarrassed about being exposed is something to worry about. The medical staff gets plenty of that, even though they are human. It's par for the course, IMO.

When I had my biopsy, the male doctor did it, but he had two interns watch the procedure. The doctor asked my permission, and I gave it. I figure, if it helps someone learn, that's a good thing. And I've seen a lot of things more pornographic than putting lube and a condom on an ultrasound wand, so I didn't give that a second thought either.

My pre-surgery MRI was rectal, and quite a few people got an eyeful.

When the urologist gave me an in-office penile injection, he had a very attractive and young female urology intern watch the whole process of injection and testing of the firmness of the erection. He asked my permission as well. I was happy to do it :-)
Posted 5/24/2008 6:22 PM (GMT -6)

wiggyann said...
Hello lvdgs,

There is a site named Seed Pods and it has a lot of men's stories who have had brachytherapy. You can email the men there and ask questions. They are all very nice. The url for the site is below. You will have to register and then you will have full access to the site. If you click on Chronicles, there will be a list of mens names who have had brachytherapy. Just click on anyone and his brachytherapy story will show up. I spent a lot of time there before and after my husband had his seed implant.

http://www.prostatepointers.org/SeedPods/

May God Bless You Always,
Wiggyann

  Wiggyann,

Thank you very much. I'm going to scout out this site over the weekend for more information.  

Posted 5/26/2008 3:29 AM (GMT -6)
Hi Danman Bob,

I read where you will be having radiation treatments this year. I hope that everything goes good for you and that you have no side effects. The radiation technicians can adjust the
linear accelerator to where it will just hit the parts of the prostate
they want it to without damaging the rectum or bladder. They have really made some good improvements over the way things used to be :-)

Wishing you the best always,
Wiggyann

husband 68 at diagnosis
PSA 7.3
Gleason 7
8 out of 12 cores positive for adenocarcinoma
Stage T1c
Treatment 25 IMRT (radiaton treatment)
and a 90 seed pallidum seed implant.
PSA after ten months 0.7
Posted 5/26/2008 7:41 AM (GMT -6)

Thanks, wiggyann.  Appreciate the kind words.

DanMan

Posted 5/26/2008 7:58 PM (GMT -6)
For laughs I'll describe my introduction to clinical medicine. I was 18 and had gone to the medical clinic at Ohio State University because I was experiencing my first hemorroid. I had no idea of the procedure, so I just followed orders. First, I was given an enema bottle and a frock and sent to the john. Ok, back from that, the doctor told me to get up on the table on all fours, which I did, trying to keep the frock thing covering me as best I could. I was ready, but I didn't know for what.

Then the unimaginable happened. As I saw the doctor approaching with the sigmoidascope (sp?), he signaled for all the young nurses on duty to gather around, behind me of course, to observe the procedure. Suprised? Not much. I wonder how many shades of red I turned. So there I was, up on all fours, unable to see what was going on, but listening as he lectured the nurses regarding what he was doing.

Not much bothers me since that experience.
Posted 5/26/2008 9:52 PM (GMT -6)

wiggyann said...
Hi creed_three :-)



Several times I have had posts that I did not feel at all comfortable with because I felt as though I was being
ridiculed. I know this is what happened to you Lana and
I am so very sorry. You are such a nice person. I would
have never started a thread if I had known that something
like this could happen.

Why is it that hindsight is always 20/20. I think that
saying is the story of my life.


I think you may have misunderstood where the posters that you feel were ridiculing are coming from and their meaning. I would be truly surprised if any of the members on this particular forum ridiculed any question or poster. All understand how the fear, apprehension and confusion hits all PCa sufferers and their loved ones. Some questions can slip under the guard. With all that we go through regarding treatment etc sometimes the little concerns can slip under our guard. Things like the need to dispense with concern for modesty become so second nature we often forget what it was like before we had to do so and became so used to various procedures.
Bill :-)
Posted 5/27/2008 8:31 PM (GMT -6)
I was shocked to hear of your husband's biopsy experience which seems to have been performed in a very undignified manner.  I would have considered writing a letter to the head of the hospital where your husband's urologist practices, but realize that doing so can have negative consequences when one is battling PCa and just wants to get on with treatment. 

All medical procedures of this nature should be performed as professionally and discreetly as possible, which means that you should be asked to undress in private and put on a gown.  I had the following four experiences relating to my radiation treatments and have no complaints:

Biopsy:  had on a gown, was asked to lie on my left side with the gown obviously open at the rear.  the biopsy was done with me facing the wall, so i did not see what was going on or any of the instruments used.  i can't imagine why everyone would not have a biopsy performed discreetly in this manner.

Endorectal IMRT:  again i had on a gown lying on my left side with my rear exposed for insertion of the anal probe (which incidentally was painful because it had to be inserted quickly or i was told that it would have been even more painful with slow insertion)!  i joked about it with the nurse!  I asked the doctor if i could see the probe after the exam, but he said it would be better if I did not see it! 

Scan of the prostate and surrounding area for radiation treatment set up:  i had on a gown opening at the front when i got on the scan table on my back.  the procdure was undertaken by my radiation oncologist and assisted by two nurses and one male intern!  i was obviously lying naked there from the waist down because the doctor had to either insert a catheter or insert a fluid in my penis to pinpoint the location of my bladder to avoid radiating that area during treatment.  i took it all in good humor as they had to do their job.  i just didn't expect to have three assistants there.  however, during my treatment and post-treatment my doctor often has an intern in the examination room for a prostate exam, etc. (i.e., i usually get a double prostate exam). i am oblivious to it all now!

Daily radiation treatments:  put on a gown in private with the front opening.  i was placed on my back on the radiation table.  it was necessary to do an abdominal scan every day as part of the set up.  before opening the front of my gown and doing the abdominal scan, a paper sheet was placed over me for my privacy.  sometimes i would kid them about whether or not my family jewels had been exposed in the process! 

Dave 

 

Posted 6/10/2008 1:54 AM (GMT -6)
pcdave

Thanks for your post. So appreciated it, I read about your PCa experience. Sorry you had to go through the endorectal MRI. Did the urologist order that test? The urologist had my husband
get two CAT scans and a bone scan after his biopsy came back positive, but that was all.
My husband had IMRT treatments at the radiation oncologist's building and he had to have the tatoos, etc. But no dye was injected into his bladder. I guess the doctors just have their own way of how they do things.
Posted 6/10/2008 8:28 AM (GMT -6)
wiggyann, it seems that no two doctors or practices are the same, as far as protocol, from my experience. That makes it difficult to know what the "standard" is for something, doesn't it? :-)
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