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Pavel's Journey

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Posted 4/12/2008 10:42 PM (GMT 0)
:-)

I'm a new member as of today. My wife has been urging me to join this forum for awhile now, and I'm glad I finally did it. I'm scheduled for brachytherapy surgery on April 24. I'll share my story as it progresses in the hopes that it will be of some assistance to others who may be considering this treatment option. We had hoped to wait and watch longer, but the rising PSA was a cause of concern and led to the decision to move now.

I am a somewhat complicated case in that I learned during the volume study that I have potential pubic bone interference in reaching the anterior of the prostate with the needle gun. Normally this would not be a problem because my knees could be bent back to my chest to allow the angles needed. However, I had a hip replacement six months ago and have limited range of motion on the right side. So there will be an orthopedic surgeon in the operating room with the radiation oncologist to move me around and relocate the hip in the event it dislocates. My feeling is; if they have to dislocate the hip in order to get those seeds where they belong, then just do it! I'll be out anyway. Has anyone out there had this hip replacement/brachytherapy issue?

I've got my pre-op physical this coming Tuesday and start the first dose of Hytrin on Thursday.

Today has been an emotional day but still a good day. My wife has been very supportive but we are both scared. Writing helps.

Pavel

Diagnosed: 6/14/07 at age 55
Stage: T1C
Two Biopsies:
6/7/07; #1-1 core on right side, less than 5%, Gleason 3 + 4 = 7
1/23/08; #2-2 cores both on right side, both less than 5%, Gleason 3 + 3 = 6
PSA:
1/24/05: 4.60
3/16/07: 6.19
4/4/07: 7.64
12/3/07: 9.45
1/17/08: 9.51

Posted edited ~ Subject Line Added

Post Edited By Moderator (TC-LasVegas) : 4/12/2008 7:07:45 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 4/12/2008 11:03 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome, sorry you came..lol   Someone will be along that has had brady soon.  In the meantime, glad to meet you..

Posted 4/13/2008 12:21 AM (GMT 0)
:-)

Thanks James. I didn't put a subject line in by mistake. I'm learning. Reading through these posts is very moving.
Posted 4/13/2008 1:10 AM (GMT 0)
    Hi ~ Pavel & 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   click here     The information (link) listed above is to help you get around the forum!    v        This is a journey best traveled with friends.  Welcome ~ New Friend from all the members here... on HealingWell.com   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       bluebird ~   Moderator for Prostate Cancer Forum http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb179/mamabluebird1955/mamabluebirdWelcome.jpg
Posted 4/13/2008 1:14 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Pavel,
And welcome to the best site I could find for patient to patient interaction for prostate cancer. I am very glad you joined us. Your Brachytherapy journey will add much to our forum. We have been hoping to add yet more members undergoing this treatment. It is a great treatment option and you will find many members that will lend their experiences with it and you also find many that can benefit from your input. Please stay with us and again, welcome!

Tony
Posted 4/13/2008 1:27 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Pavel,
Welcome to this site. I'm sure you'll find a great deal of comfort here as it's a place to get your questions answered and talk to peers who have been where you're going and can help to shine a light.

I'm about five weeks in from brachy myself...and while the pubic passage was ok, doctors had difficulty with the anaethesia. They make do, though. It may all be new to us, but they're the pros.

There are three recent brachy threads in here that should be of interest to you, JustJulie, Mikeswife, and hopefully my thoughts on the process might be of assistance. Just put it in the search engine here. Meanwhile, share your story, please. It helps you to crystalize your thoughts and passes the word along.

Lemme know if I can help, and I'll tell you...everybody is different but I'm glad brachy was the answer for me. In retrospect, I'd do it again.
Regards, JC
Posted 4/13/2008 4:20 PM (GMT 0)
    Hey ~ Pavel & Loved Ones,   You’ve found a very caring forum and I’m sure you’ll stay close.   We need you as much as you need us!!   So ~ please know we are here to walk with you and your wife along the path you find yourselves on.   This is an us/we journey and it is best traveled with friends.   You’ll find lots of information in the Welcome Message link.   Take time to go through them… it will truly help you to realize that you are not alone.   And the path is not as rocky as you maybe first thought.   Knowledge is Power and Power takes away the fear…   Your 1 st posting on your personal thread is exactly what we need… We are happy you chose to join and are willing to share your stepping-stones along the way. Keeping you close in thoughts and prayers as you move forward. In Friendship ~ Lee & Buddy   http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb179/mamabluebird1955/Stepping-StonestoHealingWell.jpg
Posted 4/13/2008 8:40 PM (GMT 0)
We were really scared beforehand as well, and were really relieved once the procedure was done. I hope your implantation goes as smoothly as my husband's and if there are issues with your hip that they are easily worked around. My husband is now four months out from the implantation; all is well and his PSA has begun downward.

I expect that my husband may not be typical, but in the last four months he not only missed no more than a few days of work at the very beginning, but also worked evenings restoring a 19 year old Corvette. In his case it seemed that the side effects from the drugs were the worst part. He couldn't tolerate Hytrin or Flomax at all, but thankfully did fine without them.
Posted 4/13/2008 9:22 PM (GMT 0)

Welcome to the forum, Pavel.  I wish you well on you seed implant procedure with the possible orthopedic complication.  I'm sure all will go well. Keep in touch and let us know how you're doing.  Take care and hang in there...Tim

Posted 4/13/2008 10:26 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks to everyone who responded and thanks to the moderator who added a subject line: "Pavel's Journey."

I'll add to this thread each day as I approach the surgery and hopefully will be able to help others and help myself at the same time. We had a count down system in the Navy as we approached something big. When you woke up the day before something big, all you had left was a "wake up" to go. So by this system, with surgery at 7:30 AM on Thursday, April 24, I have ten days and a wake up to go right now.

Today my wife and I discussed the stages of grief first defined by Kubler-Ross. I started thinking about this from a political article of all things I read this morning that talked about those stages. They are:

1) denial
2) anger
3) bargaining
4) depression
5) acceptance

I feel that I have been through the first four and, as of yesterday, am moving into the acceptance zone. This is fortunate, because I would rather not be depressed in ten days and a wake up when I go in for the procedure. In fact, I'd rather start now to get ready with great energy and enthusiasm and begin thinking about the future. The signal to me that I was moving into "acceptance" was when I joined this forum and committed to sharing my story with others (and possibly responding to others' questions if I think I can add something of value). I have a lot of things going for me, even though it goes without saying that PC stinks. I'm grateful for what I have, given the situation. First, I have a strong faith and a loving family and friends. Second, I have great medical care available to me and there is a cure available. Finally, I have good health insurance, which I haven't always had. If I didn't have any one of those three, I'd feel like I was up the creek without a paddle.

My wife feels she is simultaneously in all five stages right now, with fear as the common denominator. She feels highly stressed. This is not surprising since she quit smoking after 43 years last August, just after my diagnosis and just before my hip surgery. But she's hung in there, which is a miracle.
:-)

In the coming days before surgery, I'll backtrack and explain how we got from diagnosis last June to where we are today.
Posted 4/13/2008 11:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hi pavel,
The one thingg that can heavily reduce the burdon of all five steps you outlined is ~ KNOWLEDGE. Most don't want to know more about this at first, but almost all become students of the disease. You and your wife will benefit knowing more about it and that doesn't just apply to the newbies. I too keep learning from my "colleagues" here. And I draw from th eresearch others do regularly. Stay positive is my motto. Some might say I over use it in threads here, but it is required for the mental health, I believe. Keep posting, you will get many answers from some great people.

Tony
Posted 4/14/2008 12:07 AM (GMT 0)
As Tony says, knowledge does help. I feel like I went through all the stages in those first weeks after my husband's diagnosis, but reverted back into anger on the day of his surgery. Cancer just ain't fair, to any of us.

Acceptance does get easier afterward, as life gets back (hopefully quickly) to normal and healing begins.

Hang in there.

Ellen
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