Florida Cancer Centers

The Postate Cancer Research Insitute's web site has a list of doctors and oncologists specializing in PCa and their locations. I would look at this list for doctors in FL.

If you are going to go through Hormone Therapy you shoud read Beating Prostate Cancer: Hormone Therapy and Diet, by Dr Charles Snuffy Meyrs.The PCRI web site also has a lot of info on side affects and methods to minimize them. Also Dr Leibowitz's web site, Compassionateoncology.com has a lot of info in the publication section.

Good luck.

JohnT

I had a robotic (da Vinci) prostatectomy on 1/22/2009 at Moffitt. My doctor was Dr. Pow-Sang. He's the Division Chief of the Genitourinary Oncology department. There are not enough words in any number of dictionaries to describe how happy I am with both the doctor and Moffitt staff. Everything about that operation is first class. They cover details I've never seen handled at any other facility. For example: free valet parking, at all times for everyone - not just the patient.

Moffitt is quickly earning a national reputation - I now understand why.

Best of luck.

Jerry, sorry you are in this postition, it is similar to mine.

There is concensus that early administration of ADT does not ultimately alter the disease course if in fact the disease has gone distant.  I dont see that you have had any to date and you need to be aware that there can be substantial quality of life issues while on it.

The same suggestion was made to me but I insisted on knowing as much as possible if the source of my PSA was still local, my case differs with yours to the extent that my surgeon left after half my prostate in the robotic surgery.  By doing full body scans blood tests and an additional biopsy I am reasonable convinced that the cancer is gone and that my remaining PSA is being expressed by normal prostate tissue which escaped both the surgery and salvage IMRT.  I also think you are too soon out of radiaiton for the PSA to be truely meaningful at this time.

I talked to people at Moffit concerning a clinical trial I was researching and was very impressed with the kind and through manner in which they treated me.

Best wishes.  Scott

Tony,

Yes, I had the nerve sparing robotic (da Vinci) procedure. He saved 100% of the "veil" and sphincter. I don't recall the exact number he's performed, but it's in the thousands. My procedure was just last week, so I'm still doing the catheter thing (ugghhh). Comes out Wednesday morning and I can't wait. I don't expect many incontinence issues since he was able to save the sphincter, and, I was doing my "keagals" for about two months prior to surgery. I won't know anything about ED issues for a while, but, there are already promising signs - 3 to 4 inch expand/collapse, even with that !@#$% catheter in place, so that's a good sign, right?

Pow-Sang wasn't the first doctor I met with, but he was the last. He's done a bunch of da Vinci LRP's, and the first thing he tells me (in a very kind manner) is that it's "not magic" and much of what I read about it is "hype". He went on to describe in detail, with hand drawings, all about this Veil of Aphrodite we're all so worried about. Any other doc I asked about it would simply reply "oh, yea, we'll try to save it". There was no aire of superiority at any time - he was very patient and kind through-out the consultation. I felt very "easy" in his presence and decided pretty much on the spot "this is the guy". I gave it the weekend, called Monday and scheduled the procedure.

The day of surgery (Thursday, Jan 22) we arrived at Moffitt 5am. I live about 30 mins from Moffitt so it wasn't that bad. I get banded and the wife does the paper-work thing. After about 30 mins they call back the first group, which I'm in, and we're off to get prepped. I get a stylish new garment to wear, they IV me and we wait a bit. Friends/family are allowed back at this time. The doc and one of his associates come by and chat for a few minutes (confirming what we're doing, etc). I don't remember much after that....

Surgery is scheduled for four hours (he's also doing a hernia repair). Throughout the procedure someone in the O/R kept my wife updated via phone at the various milestones. She wasn't just sitting out there worrying for four hours (actual time in O/R was 4 hours 15 mins).

I wake in recovery with no real pain in my abdomen, but it feels like there is an axe buried between my shoulder blades. They start pumping me full of morphine and I pass back out. This goes on for three hours. I'm moved to my room around 5pm. All rooms are private and there are sleeping arrangements in room for your spouse if needed. about 6pm I get an unreal pain in my right side. Morphine, oxycodone and dauladid didn't touch it. It was trapped gas and the only way to relieve that kind of pain is to get up, walk around and belch it out. That was 12 hours of very forgettable fun.

All those drugs they were pumping into me wiped out part of my memory. I don't recall big chunks of time the few days prior to surgery. I don't recall being told to count backwards, I don't recall leaving the pre-op area, etc. What I do recall is that no matter who it was, no matter what job they did, everyone I encountered at Moffitt was kind and patient with me. Everyone. Maybe because Cancer is all Moffitt does. If you're there, you have some form of cancer and the staff knows it.

best of luck,
Chris

Tony,

I'm in Brandon - just outside of Tampa. I venture down to Venice a few times a year to dive for shark teeth. Scuba is one sport where a little leaking isn't a big deal. Warms you up in fact. :)

Yes, lets do lunch sometime...

cheers, beers & luck,
Chris

jerryg:

Didn't mean to hijack your thread. I've heard good things about Moffitt but don't know anything about the therapy you cite. Good luck in your search and let us know how you do.

Tony