Fred, As others have said, ED and incontinence are possible after treatment--and so much depends on the specifics of your case. Radiation tends to have fewer of these side effects in the short term....
Glen, treatment regret, as I've noticed among those who show up here usually has one or more background bits: 1. (this is less common now that it was 10 years or more ago): a guy is diagnosed with...
I note the conclusion statement about increasing patient involvement in decision making. This fits with the not uncommon discussion point in here. That covering all the bases in the pre-treatment...
Jack, he goes into that very question. By profession he is an oncologist based at Columbia in NYC. Also a gifted writer. Ultimately he sees the whole body system 'singing' together to maintain the...
I have just finished another wonderful book by Siddhartha Mukharajee. Some of you may be familiar with "The Emperor of All Maladies" and "Being Mortal". This one is called "The Song of the Cell", and...
U, the best explanation of this phenomenon goes something like this: The volume of erectile tissue you have does not change with the prostatectomy. During the procedure, the urethra is shortened...
There was a Rabbi who, over his career, had performed hundreds of Bris ceremonies. Over time, he collected the foreskins for some reason. As he neared retirement, he had an idea. He took the jar of...
jay, To answer your question, there is a gentleman on here who was in your shoes over 10 years ago, and he's still kicking well. So, yes, it can be done, even in as serious a situation as you are in....
Ahh Job.... Calamity strikes His wife tells him to grow up and stop sniveling His friends come and tell him it's all his fault He cries out to God in his pain God says, "who do you think you are?" He...
Congrats--keep on keepin on...
Congrats! Do they still make Zero bars? I used to love them!...
Bobbiesan, Cologard has you send it in via UPS next day. Point taken. I got my Cologard results a few days ago. Negative all around....
Thanks matt. I'm in your same boat. I just took mine literally a few minutes ago: 130/80. That's first thing in the morning. I bet this evening it will be more like 140/90....
I have taken the Cologuard test a couple times. There's nothing like sending a turd through the mail. There is that.....pooping in a box is not quite how it works...but I've heard that description....
When I think about it, we've all seen clusters and families that seemed to have a lot of cancer. My dad died of advanced PC (spinal). He also taught organic chemistry for 40 years--and by today's...
I had my first (and only) colonoscopy at 50, 14 years ago. When I turned 60, it was right after Cologard came available, and because my first one was unremarkable, I went that route. I did another...
Mark, I would think that with a G9 diagnosis, at least annual PSA tests should be routine for life. Heck for me with a G7, surgically treated with no complications, I'm still doing annual PSA at 8...
Sammas, the short answer to your question is yes, the chemo improves your chances. Honestly, with a 3+4, you're probably good for a long time. The question about those few pesky cells being left...
JRK, keep doing your kegals. Seriously. Eventually it become automatic and you don't even realize you're doing them. Most doctors won't even consider doing things like a sling or a AUS for at least 6...
Stephen, I didn't notice this was a zombie thread. I'll comment on the supplement question: IMO, we should be careful with supplements. Many popular prostate supplements contain saw palmetto, which...
Ed, as others have said, PSA is the 'future cancer check'. If some of the cancer cells got out before surgery, or got left behind and survived, then having your PSA stay undetectable means also that...
My RALP was on Feb 17, 2015. I had my blood work yesterday, and my PSA is <0.006, so the undetectables continue. YAY!...
We don't know: When he was diagnosed. Was it last week or 6 months ago? What his specific situation is. MRI results, other conditions, # positive cores, etc? Where he is getting treated. We can...
I'd agree with seeking a urological oncologist. Bladder cancer IS treatable today, compared to 20 years ago where it really wasn't. The surgical method involves fashioning a new bladder from a...
JLR, Welcome to our club that none of us really wanted to join. The traditional answer is that 6 weeks post surgery defines the trend, but not the final answer. What was his pre-surgery PSA? Has he...
Seriously? Just no....
The key point of using PSA to monitor for recurrence after surgery is really simple: without a prostate, the ONLY source of PSA would be cancer cells that avoided the knife. Hence the use of the...
Welcome to our little club--I hope your stay is brief! Protatitis (prostate infection) tends to cause the PSA to go crazy high followed by crazy low. The good news is, infection is not cancer. The...
So mom was right when she told us to put our scarves on? (Northeast Ohio has epic winters)...
Stephani, Congrats on the <0.04. By definition, the appearance of the "<" means undetectable on the test they used. There are tests that go as low as <0.006--I think it's the ultra-low test that...
Greenlight laser is usually used as a treatment for enlarged prostate (BPH), instead of the older 'roto-rooter' treatment. If it's being used for cancer treatment, I would suspect it is used in...
Athena, Hang in there. I get it that you're looking into treatments and possible side effects while you're in the scared sh*tless phase. You have a slightly elevated PSA from your baseline--which is...
IT, for the record, I was married 35 years at the time of diagnosis and surgery, and we're still very much active, thank you very much. For the new guy: PSA is the "check engine light" for your...
BBQ dude, Yes, that is a good report. No positive margins, and a bit of grade 4, but not a lot. Very similar to mine, actually, and I'm coming up on 8 years of zeros. Get healthy. Let us know how the...
davie, I'm going to point out that you have much to be thankful for: While you have an elevated PSA, any cancer you have is very, very minor. You're not in need of anything immediate on that front....
davie, Here's what to look for and ask about.... Your results will be given as Gleason scores, and it will be two numbers that are added together. The first number is the dominant cell type, and the...
Blood in your urine and ejaculate can last 2 weeks or more. Like anything like this, if you're really worried, call your Urologist's office. Please post your results when you get them. We can help...
bbqdude, Sounds like you're right on track. Walk, walk, walk more. Someone on here told me to get a small plastic bucket for the catheter bag--both to catch drips and to make it easier to walk...
clocknut, so very true. It also makes a difference how far North one might be. From San Antonio, Texas to far Northern Minnesota (same time zone, also roughly in the same e-w region, the winter days...
Missing in much of the debate is the view of those of us who live in the frozen north. I'd much prefer to stay on Standard time year round...it makes sunrise a bit later and high noon closer to noon....
PItgirl, you have made a treatment decision that is well within the standard of care for your husband in the diagnostic situation he is in. One of the basic ground rules for this forum is that...
And then there are the questions one should never answer........
I have a friend who found he had an elevated PSA (around 5) 2 years ago. Following a biopsy, low level G6, he opted for AS. He told me this morning that his PSA has been at 5.4 for a year, and his...
Pitgirl, Welcome from the other end of PA--I'm in Philly area. I'm glad you've been looking at your options, and covered many bases. It sounds like you're settling in to a treatment plan from a well...
bbqdude--Dr Smith is one of the best, and I'm sure you'll do fine. You've checked all the boxes, now go and get it taken care of....
Sonny was a special soul and true brother. "Every day is a bonus" is a great tagline. Be at rest, Sonny--and may Sherry be comforted as well....
Steve, you treat based on the highest (worst) opinion. I'm one who had an upgrade on post-surgery pathology. Not only a higher score (3+3 became 3+4), but I had it in all 4 quadrants of the gland,...
I took 3 weeks off from work. At the time I worked at an industrial corporation, which required, among other things, wearing steel toe boots...which are heavier than you think. I had the catheter in...
JRK, this is the dilemma, isn't it? I was diagnosed just after my 56th birthday in the fall of 2014. I opted for surgery, and I have had a really good outcome. I've been non-detectable since, and I...
With a G6 score, active surveillance (not watch and wait) is an excellent choice. A quality AS program includes the following: Regular PSA readings (at least every 6 months) A follow up MRI or other...