To all you people out there just diagnosed with advance prostate cancer. Do not be afraid. Go ahead with your treatment, and believe in your heart and mind that this will work. I was diagnosed with advance prostate cancer that had spread into my pelvis area. It had not spread into my boned yet. From the start, I wanted nothing held back from me. The consultant told me that I had about two to four years. I then ask for a second opium, and the result were the same. He told me with the treatment that is available (2009), I only have a 15% chance of been here after five years and my standard of life after two years will be very much effect. Well it is two and a half years later, my PSA reading is 0.47 and I am well able to function. There are side effects with all treatment and medication, however ever battle you take on in life will leave its marks on you, and this is no different. The hardest part of it all for me, was excepting doctors, hospitals and medication are now part of my life. That for a healthy man of fifty was a lot to take on. However, I am still alive, function as I did before the treatment and that all that counts. So do not give up, there is still hope.
Gerard.
Gerard, thanks for sharing your story with us and welcome to the Forum. How about some more details of initial stats, treatments and such for our data base. Sounds as if you may have been diagnosed metastatic G8 or 9? Is your current PSA 0.47?
Where are you located? In most places , unless you have been thru radiation or Hormorne therepy 0.47 would be considered a high reading for RRP results alone. Have you had radiation or HT? What does your doc say about it? Again, thanks and welcome.
James C, 64, A Better Man
4/07: PSA 7.6, 3/16 PCa, 5% inv, lf. lobe, GS6
9/07: open RP, Path: pT2c, 110 gms., Prob. micro.inv.-left apical margin -GS6
4 Yrs: .04 'til 4/10-.06, 12/10-.09, 5/11-.08, 9/11-.14, 2/12-.10 Injections? Read This
Where are you located? In most places , unless you have been thru radiation or Hormorne therepy 0.47 would be considered a high reading for RRP results alone. Have you had radiation or HT? What does your doc say about it? Again, thanks and welcome.
James C, 64, A Better Man
4/07: PSA 7.6, 3/16 PCa, 5% inv, lf. lobe, GS6
9/07: open RP, Path: pT2c, 110 gms., Prob. micro.inv.-left apical margin -GS6
4 Yrs: .04 'til 4/10-.06, 12/10-.09, 5/11-.08, 9/11-.14, 2/12-.10 Injections? Read This
Gerard..:
Thanks for your thoughts.
Every time I heard a victim describe "The doctor told me I would never walk again", and "The doctor said I would never.... again" I wondered who those crazy stupid doctors were. Now I know they have been allowed to migrate to Urology. The doctor has a version of the "truth" that is narrow and constrained. The patient discovers that the truth is broad and flexible, depending on much that the doctor knows not of. The confidence and standing of the doctor relies on his version of the "truth" (medical science) being unyielding and with minimum unknown factors. Reality and life makes farce of that.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Every time I heard a victim describe "The doctor told me I would never walk again", and "The doctor said I would never.... again" I wondered who those crazy stupid doctors were. Now I know they have been allowed to migrate to Urology. The doctor has a version of the "truth" that is narrow and constrained. The patient discovers that the truth is broad and flexible, depending on much that the doctor knows not of. The confidence and standing of the doctor relies on his version of the "truth" (medical science) being unyielding and with minimum unknown factors. Reality and life makes farce of that.
Gerard..:
Hi brother! I really do appreciate your thoughts.
There are a lot of treatments available and more coming down the pipeline.
My opinion is any Doctor who says you have X amount of time to live - Is a doctor you do not want to be paying. That person has already given up. Fire that person and go find a medical team that says they will fight this crap with you.
Never Ever Give Up!
Bud
65 as of April 2013
Gonna Make Myself A Better Man tinyurl.com/28e8qcg
12 Jul 11 - PSA 1447 (It's just a number! )
Scans showed active prostate cancer widespread in bones
Started HT treatments Casodex, Zoladex and Zometa for bone
Last Casodex - 29 Aug
31 Oct 11 - 46.6 Cheers!
25 Jan 12 - 75 - Crap
22 Feb 12 - 99 - Restarted Casodex
22 Mar 12 - 149 - Start Zytiga
25 Apr 12 - 113 -Yippee
Hi brother! I really do appreciate your thoughts.
There are a lot of treatments available and more coming down the pipeline.
My opinion is any Doctor who says you have X amount of time to live - Is a doctor you do not want to be paying. That person has already given up. Fire that person and go find a medical team that says they will fight this crap with you.
Never Ever Give Up!
Bud
65 as of April 2013
Gonna Make Myself A Better Man tinyurl.com/28e8qcg
12 Jul 11 - PSA 1447 (It's just a number! )
Scans showed active prostate cancer widespread in bones
Started HT treatments Casodex, Zoladex and Zometa for bone
Last Casodex - 29 Aug
31 Oct 11 - 46.6 Cheers!
25 Jan 12 - 75 - Crap
22 Feb 12 - 99 - Restarted Casodex
22 Mar 12 - 149 - Start Zytiga
25 Apr 12 - 113 -Yippee
Gerard,
Thank you for giving all PCa patients hope and encouragement. We often dwell on the disease and forget to live our lives and move on.
Age: 67 at Dx on 12/30/08 PSA 3.8
2 cores out of 12 were positive Gleason (4+4)
DaVinci surgery 2/9/09 Gleason 4+4 EPE,
Margins, SV, clear, nerve bundles removed
Prostate weighed 57 grams 10-20% involved
PSA tests every 3 months undetectable
PSA at 32 months: .005
Latest PSA on 1/25/12 .094 (ouch)
retested2/21/2012 <.01
retested on 4/3/12 <.01 (38 months)
Thank you for giving all PCa patients hope and encouragement. We often dwell on the disease and forget to live our lives and move on.
Age: 67 at Dx on 12/30/08 PSA 3.8
2 cores out of 12 were positive Gleason (4+4)
DaVinci surgery 2/9/09 Gleason 4+4 EPE,
Margins, SV, clear, nerve bundles removed
Prostate weighed 57 grams 10-20% involved
PSA tests every 3 months undetectable
PSA at 32 months: .005
Latest PSA on 1/25/12 .094 (ouch)
retested2/21/2012 <.01
retested on 4/3/12 <.01 (38 months)
Hi Gerard
It's good to hear such positive words. Dad was just diagnosed as a Gleason 9 but he hasn't had his scans yet to determine the extent of the cancer. I hope you continue to prove the doctors wrong by many years.
It's good to hear such positive words. Dad was just diagnosed as a Gleason 9 but he hasn't had his scans yet to determine the extent of the cancer. I hope you continue to prove the doctors wrong by many years.
I agree Bud. People ask me all the time "Whats your prognosis". The answer is that there isn't a doctor on the face of the earth who is that smart, and if your doc thinks s/he is, find yourself a better one.
Rodney...
Rodney...
Gerald,
Thanks for your post and welcome to the HW forum. Your words are very true.
At 44 years old, I didn't expect the disease and it caught me off guard. At 47, the disease didn't expect my reaction and it will continue to be caught off guard.
Jerry L.
11/09 Dx at Age 44 -------------- 4.03
12/09 DaVinci Surgery
1/10 T3b, G9 --------------------- <.05
2/10 Adj. Radiation -------------- <.05
3/11 PSA Rise/Scans/Spot ------- .09
on Pelvic Bone
4/11 HT / XGEVA ------------------ .06
5/11 Spot Radiation -------------- <.05
12/11 - 4/12 No spots ------------ <.01
Thanks for your post and welcome to the HW forum. Your words are very true.
At 44 years old, I didn't expect the disease and it caught me off guard. At 47, the disease didn't expect my reaction and it will continue to be caught off guard.
Jerry L.
11/09 Dx at Age 44 -------------- 4.03
12/09 DaVinci Surgery
1/10 T3b, G9 --------------------- <.05
2/10 Adj. Radiation -------------- <.05
3/11 PSA Rise/Scans/Spot ------- .09
on Pelvic Bone
4/11 HT / XGEVA ------------------ .06
5/11 Spot Radiation -------------- <.05
12/11 - 4/12 No spots ------------ <.01
Here's a guy who was told he'd never walk again...
Thanks you all for the nice words. Everyone has his or her way of coping with this cancer. I have read up on it all and there comes a time when you just leave it at that and take it a day at a time. My doctor is the expert and that is his department.
For those who like figures, my first PSA diagnosis was 47.9. The following biopsy results were very bad, between 92 and 98% on all samples taken had cancer. A lot of test after that and then I started on some oral medication after a week or two I started on the injections which I am told I will be on for the remaining of my days. A few months after that I started on radiation therapy, which was thirty-seven long sessions spread over two months. That was very hard for me, as I lost my man hood and other things that followed. I wrote a lot about it at the time on my blog http://gerard5819.wordpress.com/ that help me get through it. I am well aware of what my future will be, the last two and a half years I have been waiting for the cancer to make it’s next move, however, so far it seem to have slowed down. There is no cure for advance prostate cancer; you learn to live with it. Again the best advice I can give you all out there, do not be afraid, just take it a day at a time and step back from taking in too much information. After all, who wants to know the day and the time? Take up a hobby to get your mind off it, and enjoy the time you have.
Gerard.
For those who like figures, my first PSA diagnosis was 47.9. The following biopsy results were very bad, between 92 and 98% on all samples taken had cancer. A lot of test after that and then I started on some oral medication after a week or two I started on the injections which I am told I will be on for the remaining of my days. A few months after that I started on radiation therapy, which was thirty-seven long sessions spread over two months. That was very hard for me, as I lost my man hood and other things that followed. I wrote a lot about it at the time on my blog http://gerard5819.wordpress.com/ that help me get through it. I am well aware of what my future will be, the last two and a half years I have been waiting for the cancer to make it’s next move, however, so far it seem to have slowed down. There is no cure for advance prostate cancer; you learn to live with it. Again the best advice I can give you all out there, do not be afraid, just take it a day at a time and step back from taking in too much information. After all, who wants to know the day and the time? Take up a hobby to get your mind off it, and enjoy the time you have.
Gerard.
Gerard:
many thanks for your sharing - it can get overwhelming at times and it helps those reading the postings on HW to hear stories of real people like you and how you are living your life -
-hugs,
Bronson
Age:56 -gay with spouse of 15 years, Steve -Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
PSA:10/06/09 3.86
Biopsy:10/16/09- 2 of 12 cancerous, 5% involvement -Gleason 7 (3+4)
Radical Prostatectomy:11/18/09
Pathology:pT3a -Gleason 7 -extraprostatic extension -perineural invasion -prostate weight -34.1 gm
PSA:
04/08/10-0.05 ..09/23/10-0.05 ..03/24/11-0.02 ..11/09/11-0.02 ..03/29/12-0.02 -Zero Club -
many thanks for your sharing - it can get overwhelming at times and it helps those reading the postings on HW to hear stories of real people like you and how you are living your life -
-hugs,
Bronson
Age:56 -gay with spouse of 15 years, Steve -Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
PSA:10/06/09 3.86
Biopsy:10/16/09- 2 of 12 cancerous, 5% involvement -Gleason 7 (3+4)
Radical Prostatectomy:11/18/09
Pathology:pT3a -Gleason 7 -extraprostatic extension -perineural invasion -prostate weight -34.1 gm
PSA:
04/08/10-0.05 ..09/23/10-0.05 ..03/24/11-0.02 ..11/09/11-0.02 ..03/29/12-0.02 -Zero Club -