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Posted 11/18/2009 2:56 AM (GMT 0)
  Received pc diagnosis on Sept.19, 2009.  Urologist  believes cancer is confined to prostate only & recommends robotic prostatectomy.  Met with radiology oncologist today who thinks ebrt is the way to go. Pathology report says 2  cores involved on right side, tumor up to 9mm, involving 20% of tissue examined, gleason score of 3+3. I haven't seen much discussion here of ebrt as initial treatment. I am an otherwise healthy, active 51yr old with no symptoms or additional health issues & need to determine what treatment would be best fit for us.  Any advice, thoughts, experiences would be appreciated.  Thanks. 
Posted 11/18/2009 3:06 AM (GMT 0)
Whitey,

Welcome to the club that Nobody really wants to join. That being said you are most welcome here. Myself I am a da vinci guy, but there are plenty of radiation guys that will be along soon to address your questions.

In the meantime, it will make it a lot easier if you click on control panel at the top of the page, then click on edit profile and establish a signature to include you stats. Mine is at the bottom of this post.

This is an extremely knowledgeable and supportive bunch of folks and your signature line will provide them with the info that will help them in formulating answers to your questions.

So come on in, pull up a keyboard and join in on the discussions.

Good luck with your own personal search for answers and the right decision for you.

Sonny
Posted 11/18/2009 3:55 AM (GMT 0)
Whitey,

Welcome. You have come to the right place.

Take a deep breath and relax a little before you begin this journey. Educate yourself, and arrive at a treatment option that you agree with. Second or even third opinions are good things.

Based on the initial report in your post, you have some time here to make an informed decsion.

We have some guys who can help with Brachytherapy, and all the other aspects of radiation therapy. Also have many guys who have opted for surgery. Active Survelliance may also be an option for a time.

No dumb questions here. Ask away, and soak up all the answers that you can get here on HW.

Good luck !
Posted 11/18/2009 3:55 AM (GMT 0)
What I'd like to say: "Sorry, full up. No new members allowed."

What I will say: "Sorry to have you aboard, but, if you really must, this is a good, helpful place."

The treatment choice is a difficult one, particularly since no one stands out as a clear winner. Get all the facts you can. Search here can be your friend. There are links to many articles and other assistance.

Best of futures, friend.
Posted 11/18/2009 4:28 AM (GMT 0)
Whitey,

I posted a thread the other day that contained an extremely helpful and good starting place to learn about all things PCa.

I have copied it here for you.

http://www.prostate-cancer.org/education/education.html

Good luck and good hunting,

Sonny
Posted 11/18/2009 4:33 AM (GMT 0)
Welcome aboard Whitey, sorry you needed to find us, but will always make room for one more brother.

You should have the full range of options in your situation. Study well, ask a million questions.

David in SC
Posted 11/18/2009 8:07 AM (GMT 0)
Research everything about treatments and get many opinions from many different types of doctors. No need to rush into anything without ALL the facts.

Peace.
Posted 11/18/2009 1:58 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome Whitey,

You are in a good place here and I hope that you find all the support you need for the road ahead.

Regards,
Bill
Posted 11/18/2009 2:00 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome Whitey. Take your time to find out lots. Better to ask one question too many than one too few Alfred
Posted 11/18/2009 2:57 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome Whitey..

Yes it is too bad you had to join our merry little troupe, but it's a great place to ask questions and a good starting point in your research. Based so far on what you said, from a curative stand point any route you take should promise great success of being cured. Most men want to look at the side effects as a reason to go one way or another. Just note that any form of treatment will have side effects and will differ from men to men. So when you read of one's difficulties, there will be hundreds that don't experience the same problems that you probably won't read about. Just take everything in stride.

I chose surgery based on my uro's recommendation because of my age and health would make for a good outcome. The size of my prostate was getting close to the borderline size for radiation seeds and thus they indicated that the outcome would still be very good...but the statistics for a cure would be slightly lower. Of course that was the thinking at the time, which is the reason for the decision I made for surgery. But the truth be known, the success rates are a toss up between surgery and radiation...both are excellent.

Just chose what fits for you and you won't go wrong.

Again welcome here.
Posted 11/18/2009 5:05 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome Whitey,
You have already taken a wise step in seeking out this forum. You have time to take a deep breath and learn as much as you can about your options. Fortunately, it looks like you have many possible options, based on your age and information you have provided so far so now is the time to do some research. Having so many options can become a burden, but eventually you will know in your heart what is the best path for treatment. It takes awhile though to get to that point, at least it was for me.

Good luck and God bless!
Posted 11/18/2009 11:12 PM (GMT 0)

Hello Whitney,

       I am also a new member , unfortunatley I found the site after my Da vinci surgery.So you are way ahead of the situation .I found the worst time of the whole ordeal was reading all the info and trying to decide which treatment to go with.Once I decided to go with the robot I  was at peace.There are many stories here and  a great bunch so take it all in and good luck.

                                                      Charlie

Posted 11/19/2009 1:53 AM (GMT 0)
Hi White,I do not like to welcome any one to this club,but we are here to help you to fight this monster.research is the name of the game,and at the end you are the only one that will make the final choice. In may humble opinion,I dicided surgery and thanks God it worked for me it has been almost five years and my psa=0.04.
Posted 11/19/2009 1:56 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for comments and links provided. I already know way more than I ever expected to need to know about PC, but not enough to determine our direction. There is no better support than from those who have already been where I now find myself. Thanks again.
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