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Biopsy tomorrow!  
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Posted 6/24/2008 3:43 PM (GMT -7)
I am new here, but have been lurking for about 3 weeks. I was scheduled for a biopsy 2 weeks ago and the day before was called and told that scheduling conflict was a problem. We rescheduled for tomorrow 6-25-08. I'm a little concerned, but reading your posts has helped me.

I'm in southeast Idaho and I've noticed those of you who opted for surgery most of you chose Davanci. The closest Davanci surgeon is in Salt Lake City 3 hours away or Boise about 4 hours away. I know, I know, I'm putting the cart in front of the horse! At least that is what my lovely wife keeps telling me. I guess I'm not sure if Davanci is an option if we have to travel so far and will my insurance pay for it? I hope it doesn't take long to get the pathology results.

Thanks,

Doc
PSA 10/05 1.3
PSA 10/07 4.6
PSA 05/08 5.6 after 90 days of Antibiotics
Biopsy scheduled 6-25-2008

Posted 6/24/2008 4:07 PM (GMT -7)
good luck tomorrow. i was fortunate that i live in a large city where the robotic surgery was an option. as you say, you may be putting the cart before the horse but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. there are a lot of people that post here that went out of town/state to have the procedure done. you can always ask your insurance company about what is covered, etc. also, you have time to do research on the surgeons. i chose robotic because both surgeon and oncologist recommended surgery but there are other options. i hope all goes well for you tomorrow. my biopsy lasted about 20 minutes and i was able to drive home. also, i had the results in 4 days.
 

Age 48

occupation accountant

PSA increased from 2.6 to 3.5 in one year

biopsy march 2008 - cancer present gleason 7

decision - surgery (robotic)

surgery may 9, 2008 - houston, tx

pathology report -gleason 8

margins clear

4 week and 6 week PSA .04 (undetectible)

continence ok during day - 1 pad

night time different story

kegel's twice a day 20 reps

Posted 6/24/2008 5:01 PM (GMT -7)
Good Luck tomorrow, Doc.
It will be over before you know it. At least thats what my husband said. :) I was in the waiting room and he came out, I thought he hadn't even had it cause he did so well. Weigh all your options when its time but for now, just get thru this one part first. You will do fine!
Age 51 Kent Cindy 49

January 08 PSA 5.2 round of antibiotics went to 4.3

February 08 another round of antibiotics went to 4.2

March 17,08 had biopsy, 2 days later told cancer was on

one entire side of prostate.

Gleason 3+3

Doctor thinks its best to get the whole prostate with Perineal  Prostatectomy.

Surgery scheduled for this Thursday April 10th. Only took 1 1/2 hours. In recovery 1 hour.  Both nerves were spared.

Home 4-11. Cath out 4-22. Incision looks completly healed on the outside by 4-25.  Incontinence "a thing of the past" as of 5-28

lst PSA 0.04 June 3. YAY!!!

viagra up to 100 a day and feeling some change. Keep our fingers crossed.

Posted 6/24/2008 5:18 PM (GMT -7)
Greetings and good luck tomorrow, Doc.

If it's any comfort, and I know some of our biopsy experiences are different from person to person, I felt no discomfort at all. Nothing but a little pinch with each click of the gun. In fact my wife and I went out for a nice lunch after it was over and I felt fine afterwards. The only thing that was very strange to me was the blood in my semen, but that is normal and went away after a couple of weeks.

Again, good luck. You've found the best place on the web for support and information.

Jack
Biopsy: Diagnosed March 25, 2007. PSA 3.0. Gleason 6. Five of twelve samples positive with <5% each. No perineural invasion seen.

Surgery: May 21, 2007, Florida Hospital, Orlando,FL
Post-op Pathology: Upgraded to Gleason 7 (3+4), negative margins, negative capsular penetration, negative seminal vesicles, lymph nodes left intact, multifocal perinural invasion, 15% of prosate involving cancer in both lobes. T2c

Continence/Erections Out of pads at five weeks. Fully continent and can achieve erections.

Post Surgery PSA: Five tests, all <0.1
Family history: Great-great grandfather died from PC. My Father had his prostate removed at age 67 in 1997 and has had an undetectable PSA ever since. I was diagnosed at a much earlier age and had a more agressive cancer than my father. Go figure.

Posted 6/24/2008 6:00 PM (GMT -7)
Hopefully you will not need surgery, but if you do the old tried and true radical is not bad. Is Davinci better? Probably so, but I opted for the radical because I did not want to travel 150 miles to Vanderbilt. I am glad I did what I did. There is a longer healing period with the radical but the end results are about the same. I guess my point is, take your time and make a decision you are comfortable with. We support you.
Lets just hope all is ok.
Please keep us posted

peace and love
Dale
My PSA at diagnosis was 16.3

age 46 (current)

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dalechildress

My gleason score from prostate was 4+5=9 and from the lymph nodes was 4+4=8

I had 44 IMRT's

Casodex

Currently on Lupron

I go to The Cancer Treatment Center of America

Married with two kids

latest PSA 5-27-08 0.11

cancer in 4 of 6 cores

92%

80%

37%

28%

Posted 6/24/2008 6:21 PM (GMT -7)
    Hi ~Clock_Doc and Loved Ones,   W elcome     to   ~ HealingWell ~   and   A    Special Warm Welcome   to   You !   Knowledge gives us POWER.   POWER takes away the fear.   ~      ~      ~      ~      ~      ~      ~      ~      ~      ~      ~      ~      ~     Click   on   link   below for important information that will help you ~ help us!!     >>   Welcome New Members ~ to HealingWell   The information (link) listed above is to help you get around the forum!    This is a journey best traveled with friends.    Welcome ~ New Friend from all the members here... on HealingWell.com     Forum Moderators v       IdahoSurvivor ~   Moderator for Prostate Cancer Forum http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1160/1313099593_9f819e3ff8.jpg   v       TC-LasVegas ~   Moderator for Prostate Cancer Forum   v       Doting Daughter  ~   Moderator for Prostate Cancer Forum   v       James C  ~   Moderator for Prostate Cancer Forum
Posted 6/24/2008 6:38 PM (GMT -7)

Welcome to the forum doc.

We will await your return to give us what we hope is good news about a benign biopsy.

In the mean time don't worry yourself over something that might not exist.

The best to you and your family

Richard yeah tongue yeah

Retired USAF Richard & Debbie on The Shores of Toledo Bend Lake Louisiana

Biospy 1/10/08 Gleason 10, Stage T1C  8 of 12 samples positive all Less Than 5% 

Jan & Feb & Mar all tests clear

MD Anderson = No surgery and No Proton only Hormone and IMRT

Contacted with Loma Linda and UFPTI in FL

Started Treatment at the U of Florida Proton Therapy Institute in April 2008

May 2, 2008 LUPRON & Casodex

IMRT to started  5/27/2008 Will get 42 treatments 19 IMRT and then 23 Proton

Turn Stumbling Blocks into Steping Stones and Keep Smiling

Our Journey is on WWW.GLEASON10.COM

Posted 6/24/2008 8:00 PM (GMT -7)
your gonna be just fine,biopsy is no big deal ,as far as traveling for the divinci, well i see it a little diffrently than some, i had a divinci surgeon 35 miles away with 125 under  his belt.  i opted to go 700 miles away to a top notch surgeon who has remarkable outcomes , im not a well to do guy. i work 40 hours a week and havent got alot of money. but when its done ,its done for life  i am VERY pleased with my decision and would do it again in a minute,  i am continent  about 90% of the time from the time the cath came out .and the plumbing works fairly well with the help of meds ITS THE SURGEON  AT LEAST 70% OF IT  good luck my brother your gonna do good

Diagnosed November 2007   (43 years old )

PSA 3.9 / Gleason 6 / TC1 6 cores 1 shows 25%

Sugery scheduled 5/29/08 - City of Hope - Dr. Mark Kawachi

 "First show of the day"

 and now for the new ive been waiting for

 FINAL PATH REPORT:gleason upgraded to 3+4 T2c bilateral disease,tumor involvment 5%

extra prostatic extention:absent

seminal vesical invasion :absent

pathological staging:pTNM pT2 ORGAN CONFINED

margins free of carcinoma

usable erections ;6-6-08 with little blue pill

continence; 1 pad a day, dry at night

Posted 6/24/2008 10:08 PM (GMT -7)

Hey doc,

A fellow-Idahoan!  

Welcome to a wonderful forum with a lot of caring people.

Wow... you are already investigating treatment options before the biopsy results!  I admire your tenacity and courage.

Your pathology results could be back in a couple of days, but your doctor will probably schedule a visit one week after the biopsy.  You could call into the office soon to get the results, but it would be better to wait and have a sit down discussion with the doctor.  You can ask a lot of good questions at the same time.  We all hope the test comes back with no cancer.

If there is a need for treatment options and you'd like to know what we have here in SW Idaho, I'd be glad to help.  Just let me know.

We're looking forward to welcoming you to the other side of the biopsy.

Kind regards,

Barry ~ (a.k.a. "Idaho") - Prostate Cancer Forum Moderator

 

Da Vinci Surgery July 31, 2007… 54 on surgery day
PSA 4.3  Gleason 3+3=6  T2a  Confined to Prostate

1st PSA  09/11/2007  <0.04 (undetectable)

2nd PSA 12/10/2007  <0.04

3rd PSA  03/17/2008  <0.04

4th PSA  06/17/2008  <0.04

My web site: http://pca-info.blogspot.com

Posted 6/25/2008 9:33 AM (GMT -7)
I was told that you have an 80% chance of your biopsy coming back negative. A lot of things can jack up your PSA, and some poor guys on this board have had multiple biopsies over the course of time. So relax until you know (easier said than done).

IF it comes down to surgery, I would say that the robotics is probably the best "long distance" surgery to have because there is not an extended hospital stay involved, and there are few follow up visits. I would recommend you get a hotel room as close to the hospital as possible for you & the wife and check in the night before the surgery. The next day, you'll go thru the procedure, and by that evening your wife & the staff will have you settled into your room, and then she can go back to the hotel and get a good night's rest. On the second day, they will discharge you by mid-afternoon. The ride home might be the hardest part. Be prepared for some serious pain when it comes to sitting. (You won't necessarily have it, but be prepared.) You'll go back a week or so later to have the catheter removed, and then you go back 3 months later for a PSA test. After that (or maybe before) you can have your records transferred to a local urologist and have all follow ups done close to home.

The advantages of having robotic surgery over open surgery are enormous. Good luck,
kcragman
Age: 52

March 2006: PSA 2.5

Dec 2007:   PSA taken for insurance application. I did not see the results until late Jan '08 - after I was rejected. Their lab said PSA 4.5. PSA again in Feb '08: 3.7.

March 2008: Biopsy. Gleason 7 (4+3) 12 cores taken. 5 on the left side were cancerous and the 6th did not look good.

May 5, 2008: Da Vinci robotic laparoscopy at GW Hospital, Washington DC.

Post op: Gleason 9 (4+5). 15% of prostate involved. Negative margins. Lymph nodes and associated glands all appear to be cancer free.

Posted 6/25/2008 3:42 PM (GMT -7)
Dear clock dock.

Don't get the cart before the horse, and cross that bridge when you get to it. Let us know how the biopsy goes. Maybe you will not have to join our club.

Mika
age at dx 54 now 56

psa at dx 4.3

got the bad news 1/29/07

open surgery Duke Medical Center 5-29-07

never more than 2 pads

wear one for insurance now

ED still a problem

last PSA undetectable

Posted 6/25/2008 5:53 PM (GMT -7)
Thanks for everyone's comments and help. You guys are like one big happy family. I appreciate all of the feedback. I'll start a new thread about my experience!

Doc
PSA 08/05 1.3
PSA 10/07 4.6
PSA 05/08 5.6 after 90 days of Antibiotics
Biopsy scheduled 6-25-2008

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