Just Thanks and support for the VA

Hello everyone,

I posted this on another tread earlier today, but I thought I would repost it here to make sure all of you nice people on here that have been so helpful to me in trying to make my decision.  Your information and personal experiences have been helpful beyond your imaginenation.

I was on a month ago and got excellant information from this group and since then I have just been reading the information every day or so and I keep getting more information all of the time and I would like to thank everyone for their time spend in educating those of us who are new to the site and do not have the experience with the prostate cancer. All of the writings have been very, very helpful.

As to the VA, I can not say enough good about them here.  I go to the VA in Livermore CA which is connected to the palo Alto VA facility.  the Palo Alto VA works closly with Stanford and inter changes doctors and surgeons.  When they found my PC in the biobsies they sent me to the San Francisco VA where they have a prostate clinic.  My wife and I met with the doctor at the clinic and we were very impressed with the Doctor and the facility.  I have been to 3 VA faciliti4es around here and found them very clean and the people on staff exceptionaly nice and friendly and most important very concerned and helpful.  The Doctor in SF told us my cancer was so slow growing that it did not matter if I had surgery or seeds done now or 6 months from now so we are going ahead with plans for a trip in Jan and my robotic surgery is set for Feb 8.  The doctor who is doing it has done over 200 robotic prostate operations and if fact he is the doctor who trains the doctors at the University of California Medical center to do the robotic surgery.

I am 66 and I have Medicare so I can have it done anywhere and financially I could pay for it myself if I felt it would make it better for me, but after being in the VA system here for about 6 years and from my past experience of having things done here, my wife and I agreed that VA is the best solution here.

I will just keep reading everything daily and be back on for more advise when I am a couple of days away from surgery.  Thanks to everynoe for your help and positive attitude.

Motelmat

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PSA 6.6, , Had biopsies On October 26, 06 with 5 positive and less than 30% cancer in any of them. Gleason 3+3

Hi Mat…     So good to hear from you!!!!!     E xcited to hear about the surgery date being scheduled.   I’ve gone back and read each posting and it’s really neat to see how you’ve processed the information you’ve received here and on other sites to make your decision.   I hope you don’t mind but I’m heading over to your original Thread… Need information on prostate cancer treatments.     To complete my posting to you!!!   There’s so much good info on it I wanted to keep it going for newbies… so they see the next step.   Take care, In Friendship ~ Lee & Buddy   OTHER THREADS BY: Motelmat…. If you are new to this forum…. Make sure you backtrack to see Motelmat’s other Threads: Need information on prostate cancer treatments Going to meet the surgeon (see great reply from Tamu!) Just Thanks and support for the VA   Hints for New Members. To quickest way to find them….   is to change the way you look for Threads…   I have mine set at Last Comment.   If you go in and change it to Started By and look for Motelmat (pages 19 & 20 as of 1-1-07) …. You will find them a lot easier! mama bluebird - Lee & Buddy… from North Carolina April 3, 2006  53 on surgery day RRP / Radical Retropubic Prostatectomy with "wide excision" PSA 4.6   Gleason  3+3=6    T2a   Confined to Prostate   June 29th ~ PSA Less than 0.1 Non-detectable