New member of the club....

Hello folks,

New member here, not by choice but by circumstance.  I've just been diagnosed with PCa.

I'm 49, married, non-smoker, in decent health with no family history of PCa.  I first learned about PSA levels back in 2007 when a test was done in conjunction with an annual physical.  At that time, my PSA was 3.7 and my doctor said we'll have to keep an eye on it.  Since he seemed not too concerned with it, I didn't pay attention to it assuming he was the doctor and knew better than me.  Well, my doctor moved out of town and I let the annual physicals slip. This past January, I finally went to another doctor.  I was pretty sick with the flu and I knew a physical was in order anyway.  At that time, another PSA test was done and the results came back at 5.0 with a free PSA of 17%. The doctor put me on a 10-day regimen of Levaquin, 750 mg daily.  After the Levaquin regimen was finished (in early February), I went back for another blood test, which subsequently came back at 4.5.  That's when I was referred to a urologist.

The biopsy was performed on 4/13 and I received the results two days ago (4/19).  My prostate was measured via ultrasound to be 25cc in size, which the doctor put at "small to average."  He performed a 12-core biopsy and I did get a copy of the results, though the report only shows 6 line entries as listed below: 

A. Core needle biopsy of prostate, right apex: Adenocarcinoma, Gleason score 3+3=6, involving approximately 20% of the prostate tissue.
B. Core needle biopsy of prostate, right mid: Adenocarcinoma, Gleason score 3+4=7, involving approximately 50% of the prostate tissue.
C. Core needle biopsy of prostate, right base: Adenocarcinoma, Gleason score 3+3=6, involving approximately 20% of the prostate tissue.
D. Core needle biopsy of prostate, left apex: Adenocarcinoma, Gleason score 3+3=6, involving less than 5% of the prostate tissue.
E. Core needle biopsy of prostate, left mid: Benign prostate tissue, no tumor seen.
F. Core needle biopsy of prostate, left base: Atypical small acinar proliferation.

I have been researching all I can on the internet and the biospy results at least suggest I have a treatable desease.  It's just selecting a treatment that's the hard part.  I have my follow-up with the urologist next week and I fully expect him to recommend surgery.  I plan to meet with my family practitioner after my follow-up with the urologist in hopes she can refer me to a medical and / or a radiation oncologist so that I can learn more about other treatment options.  But at this point, I'm not sure options other than surgery would apply to my specific case.  I'm scared to death of incontinence but understand this may be a necessary evil that I'll have to learn to live with.

I hope to learn a lot more in the coming days and weeks from this forum and other sources.  I've already got the "primer" book on order and awaiting its arrival.  Until then, the stress and worry are exacting a heavy toll on me.

Thanks everyone for any words of encouragement.  I certainly need them.

I found out I had PC not quite a month ago. My mind would not stop racing and I could not stop thinking about it. I said to my wife, "I always thought we would grow old together". With the support I received here, and reading, I realized that I was not going to die today or tomorrow. You have treatment options and as you will find out here, take your time and explore all the options that are available to you. You are going to be okay.

At least you caught it before it REALLY got out of hand...But you are correct, your life is about to change..I hope you have good medical insurance in place because this event is going to test it..Also get a copy of Dr. Walsh's book, 'guide to surviving prostate cancer" as it's far more detailed than "primer"...

Be SURE to look into Brachytherapy plus IGRT radiation treatment as this treatment path offers the highest overall success rate. Your small prostate makes you an ideal candidate. Be aware the doctors all push what they are selling and will cherry-pick statistics and charts to support their sales pitch. You may have to seek out doctors who perform the seeds and beam radiation treatment as they are in the minority..And get pre-approval from your insurance company so there are no surprises..

The most important thing to remember is these treatments are only as good as the doctors who perform them. Seek out the BEST doctors you can and you can beat this....

Hello fellow new guy. I have very similar results to yours and am also recently diagnosed. I'm reviewing my CT and bone scan results w/my Uro tonight. Fun, fun!

Yes, the first few weeks after diagnosis were the hardest (so far) for me to be sure. I couldn't sleep, I cried at anything and everything and couldn't even talk about it with some people without wondering if I'd ever have a conversation w/them again. In my case, talking about it has been very cathartic and worthwhile. The thing to remember is this IS a very treatable condition in most cases. The survival rates are very good comparative to other cancers.

I, like most, have done an incredible amount of research and have explored 1000 different variations on how and what are the best treatment options for my PCa. One thing that people keep telling me is "take your time" and "find the best treatment that works for you". So, I am! If your condition allows for it, then don't rush to a conclusion on treatments.

In my case I've just begun to setup consultations with DaVinci docs, radiation onc's and a Dr. that specializes in proton therapy as well. I'm exploring all the avenues and will make a decision once I've weighed all the options.

Chin up, stay positive and surround yourself with people who support and care about you, including the great group on this site.

in good health,

Brian

HD-Rider welcome to a very distinguished club that no one wants to be in.
I am just 11 weeks out of surgery and my incontinence is down to 1 pad a day. Basically stress incontinence, lifting stuff, sudden moves stuff like that.
I too am an HD rider,feel free to email me,if your close we can get together,ya know another kind of brotherhood!
There is tons of information and some times it's over whelming. I had my wife read the books cause she has a better memory than I do. She also goes to all the doctor visits because women ask more questions than men do.
The people here are great and gave give you lots of info and some times a laugh or too,when you really need one. Also feel free to vent here if needed.
Good Luck and keep us informed.


Dave A.K.A. Slink

hd,

i also welcome you aboard our hw community. glad you managed to find you. from reading your post, sounds like you are well on your way about your situation and any possible treatment choices ahead. that puts you a few steps ahead of many that are newly dx.

i wish you the best, and feel free to ask away anything that comes to mind. no such thing as a dumb question when it comes to cancer.

hope you keep us posted of your journey

david in sc

where are you living? No reason you should wait that long. I saw three guys within a week

Thanks, TC.  I've already established a pretty good dialog with Chuck.  In fact, he has been a great help in suggesting experienced urologists in my area.  I can only assume the second urologist must be pretty good if it's that hard to get in to see him.  Maybe it's just my positive thinking telling me that....

TC;is there an UsToo group in the Cincinnati area?

Thanks for the advice, Newporter (and Fairwind).  But without starting a debate, it's not really the short-term results that scare me as much as the long-term effects.  The long-term effects that can result from radiation scare me to death (no pun intended) and if I was a bit older, I'd have probably gone with that.  But I plan to be around a good long time and want to minimize any health issues that might pop-up as I reach my golden years.

DaSlink,
Check your Email...

Tony

John, I have a couple of thoughts on your situation:

1.  I understand that you don't want to debate the radiation vs. surgery issue and I respect that point as well as your choice of surgery.  However, early in this thread you indicated that you intended to consult with a radiation oncologist concerning your case.  If you did and have taken that into account re your decision, great and I apologize for interrupting your flow.  If you have not, you may want to do so since it looks like you have some time before a surgery is scheduled anyway.  I'm not sure what long term radiation effects concern you, but an experienced radiation oncologist should be able to answer any of your questions and then you can know you have made an educated choice.

2.  I applaud your decision to seek out a more experienced surgeon.  Studies show that 250 is the cut off point for better success in open surgery.  There are those on this forum who believe the number is significantly higher for da vinci.

3.  Re the questions in your last post...why don't you pick up the phone and call back the urologist?  If he/she is worth a dam* they certainly should be willing to answer your follow up questions.

Tudpock (Jim)

When a "Radical Prostatectomy" is performed, they remove the ENTIRE gland, "apex" and all, and that includes the part of the urethra contained in the gland. You lose that sphincter..Fortunately, males have two sphincters and hopefully the remaining one can do the job. It does about 80% of the time...