Just bouncing this back to the top. Written in 2009. His paper was eventually published and somebody posted a link here somewhere. Just FYI. kcragman...
Mumbo and GoBucks: I had negative margins post surgery. I believe I was considered hi-risk because of my rapidly rising PSA. From 2.5 to 3.7 in something less than a year. At the time, with a Gleason...
BillyBob: Yes, surgery was my only treatment. I was the youngest member of a group study done at GW Med Hospital. The study was to show that surgery alone was a viable option for hi-risk patients. I...
Hi guys: I haven't posted in quite a while. Cinqo de May (5/5) is my actual surgery date, but I had blood drawn a couple weeks ago, and asked them to include a PSA check. It was negative, so I'm...
My experience was frustrating. I battled incontinence for what seemed like forever. I started a log - that helps you see improvement, even if it is minimal. It took about 6 months for me to start...
Just kicking this back to the top. Please be aware of the drug Agrinox. Helpful to some, damn near killed me. All the best, kcragman...
A doughnut inflatable pillow might be very useful. Some men, not all, have bruising in the rear end area. The ride home for me was very tough. My wife drove while I tried to hang from the handle on...
Subdenis: This seems to be a crap shoot. Yes, I would do all the exercises & walk. There was one guy in my company who had surgery before me, used half a bag of pads, and gave me the rest. He was...
The only thing we can assume is, change of drugs. Just prior to the shoulder surgery, my (former) neurologist switched me from one aspirin a day to one Agrinox a day. Agrinox is supposed to provide...
Thanks for the kind words. Not sure why my "signature" is not posting. I'm 61 now, had Da Vinci laparoscopic surgery, it was aggressive cancer but we got it just in time. BillyBob: Thanks for your...
Sorry I haven't posted earlier, but I've had a ROUGH 2017 (reverse shoulder replacement followed by a double hematoma (bleeding in the brain). So I'm VERY happy to be here. Cinco de Mayo was my...
Surgery - FOR ME - was the right choice, big time. I am absolutely convinced that I would be dead now if my wife and Dr hadn't almost slapped me and said, "Wake up, we have to do something now!" (I...
Sorry I'm late this year. My annual physical keeps getting pushed further back. On Cinqo de Mayo 2008 I had robotic surgery for my aggressive prostate cancer. Eight years later, I got my 8th "zero"...
FYI. Think I just found the button to display my "signature." Duh. In case anybody is interested. Thanks, kcragman...
Just got my 7-year "all clear." Wishing everybody all the best. kcragman...
BillyBob: Thanks for posting some of the hard core report. I was glad to be a participant in that study, and glad to pass the info along. It makes me happy to hear that it is encouraging for some. I...
Well, it is a shame that it is so hard to find reliable results. Dr. Jason Engel campaigns relentlessly for posting results (his results are usually good), and the control that the medical journal...
RCS: Here is an excerpt from my 5/19/11 post. Wow, my memory is terrible. I wasn't the OLDEST participant - I was the YOUNGEST!! "Some of the bottom lines are: With follow up to 85 months (average 31...
BrownTrout: Not sure why my profile is not showing up. I eventually graded out as a Gleason 9, stage pT3A. I had robotic surgery done at George Washington Medical Hospital (a teaching hospital) in...
Hi guys, I haven't written in awhile. Just wanted to report that back in May I got my 6-year "zero." Last fall I "retired" from volunteer coaching girls' rec league soccer after 21 years. My joints...
Wow, thanks for all the kind words. I had an excellent surgeon, and I was VERY lucky in the timing (or somebody was watching over me). Another few weeks or months and it likely would have spread. * *...
Congrats! Just remember, the first hours and the first day of recovery are the worst - it only gets better after that. Be sure you ask about bladder spasms. I had one about 12 hours after I got home....
Haven't written here in quite a while. Just wanted to say that I am still a "zero" 5 years after surgery (May 5th was my anniversary. That's right, Cinqo de Mayo will never be the same.) Life is...
d-in-sc: Tons of good advice above. All I'll say is, take it one day at a time. Focus on what you KNOW (not what might happen, or what could have happened, or what if THAT happens), only make the...
rgmjr: Just another opinion: It is uncomfortable and unpleasant - but not the worst thing I've had done. I did mine right in the clinic with a urologist that I liked a lot. He was very good. I only...
Purg: You have been a guiding light and a rock to so many on this board. Quite some time ago (a year? two years?) I told you that you should write a book about your experiences. I think you chuckled...
az4peaks: Ouch, you are rattling the old brain cells there. I had to go back and dig thru my medical pile, I mean file. Post op I was a Gleason 9 4 + 5, with 15% of the prostate involved....
Back again. reachout: Yeah, I live in Fairfax. My wife is a has a PhD in anatomy, and is a pretty sharp researcher, and when we first met with Engel, his almost exact words were: You won't come...
Well, screw it. Post op I was a Gleason 9, stage pT3a. kcragman...
Posting yet again. No used to having my stats truncated. kcragman...
Posting again with the hopes that my stats will show. Thanks for good words, guys. kcragman...
Hi guys: I got my 3 year zero last week. And - Dr. Jason Engel finally got his study published which included me. He tracked 73 high risk patients who used only robot-assisted laparoscopic radical...
Somebody asked about my stats. Hopefully, on this response they will show up. I was a Gleason 9, T3a flaming cancer boy. So it was on the table, under the knife about as fast as I could get there...
Lots of good advice here. Just remember as you obtain your 2nd or 3rd or however many opinions you get - if you go to a surgeon, they are generally going to recommend surgery. If you go to a...
Hi guys, Have not posted in awhile. Just wanted to let you know I got my 2 1/2 year zero today. Based on my stats, my Dr. wants to see me at one more 6 month mark, then I'm off to annual checkups....
Yeah, Bluenose. I think you, me, Rob2 and Steve n Dallas are all within about 30 days of each other. kcragman...
Thanks, guys. Casey59 - My wife is a physical therapist with a PhD in anatomy and a medical research background. She has taught pathophysiology for years, and knows every freakin' medical stat there...
Congrats on the 2 years, and here's to many more. Good luck with the rest - I hope it is resolved soon. kcragman...
Wow. That's something. I only know that Viagra works better for me than Cialis - but I have NO side effects with Cialis. With Viagra, I have to eat something first, and then within a hour or so we...
Hi guys - Haven't written in a while. I just got my 2 year zero today. One or two more 6-monthers and then we go to annuals. Life is good. With the help of viagra the old soldier can stand up and...
Steve n Dallas: Congrats on the zero, man. Now where's rob2? He was about our time also. As for cigarettes - I cannot imagine how hard it is to quit after 30 years, but I believe the medical evidence...
Just throwing my 2 cents in - I'm 18 months out and I still wear one light pad a day. I randomly squirt 5 - 10 grams (yes, I 've weighed them) during the day. Coughing & sneezing are the worst,...
Hi guys, Haven't checked in for a while. Got my 18-month zero yesterday. We are going to back off now to six months. I guess I'll do that a couple of times and then go to once a year. Afterwards, as...
The Washington Post had a pull-out advertising supplement yesterday called "Prostate Cancer, Your Guide to Early Detection, Treatment and Support." It was written and published by Media Planet. It...
Ed C. 28 (38%) of his 73 high risk patients had positive margins. At the time of this paper (written in late 2008-early 2009) 10 had experienced recurrence, and 18 had not. He does not speak to...
My guy, Dr. Jason Engel with George Washington University in DC, has done hundreds (thousands?) of robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomies (RALPs). He runs a Fellowship at GWU and does...
Thanks for all the kind words. Yes, it only took us 23 years to get back to Scotland. Bluenose: Yes, I was the Supply Officer ashore at Holy Loch from 84-86, when the USS Hunley was there. I believe...
I had my 15-monther yesterday (8/20) and am still all clear. One more at 18 months, and I'll go to a 6-month rotation. Took the fam to Scotland for the first 2 weeks in August. My wife & I lived...
UHC - I do Cialis twice a week, and I've been using the pump. I treated it strictly as a physical therapy type of thing. The more you use it, the more it stretches you out. And as I've written...
JetLagged: If you query my name, you will see that I went thru extensive pad weighing about 9-10 months ago (?). I am closing in on 14 months post op and I wear one light pad a day. I still have...