A new member (not by choice of course) too the PC community

Greetings all and I hope all are well during these crazy times.  By accident I found you and I hope you can give me a tip or few.  Sometimes I talk too much so I'll try to be brief.  I was recently diagnosted with PC.  DRE revealed no lumps or bumps, although prostate felt rubbery and large.  However PSA level was high 23.9.   Biopsy showed cancer present with Gleason scores of 6's and 7's (3+3 and 3+4).  Tomorrow is my review of CT and Bone scans (also had a chest xray after the bone scan - did anyone else have the xray following their bone scan?), and I find out the news of what "Stage" I am.  I'll probably have more questions after tomorrow.  However, anyone here in the Chicago area?  Or are you familier with Little Company of Mary Hospitals?  Personal stats on me; age 53, no history of PC in family (however father died of lung cancer 25 years ago, and mom had breast lump removed @ 10 years ago).  Thank you for any help you can provide, and I wish you all Peace & Love.

Ken

Hi Ken, and welcome. Sorry to hear about your findings. Negative DRE is a plus. With a relatively low PSA scans will also likely be negative.

I am from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, and was treated here. We are "lucky" to have not one, but two, NCCN designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers here in town: Northwestern (downtown, a block east of Niketown) and Univ of Chicago. You will find some of the worlds experts at both of these facilities...and don't be intimidated...they take insurance just like everyone else.

I have experience with both...I had my PC treatment (surgery) at U of C, and my wife's kidney cancer was treated at Northwestern's urologic cancer facility. If you have interest, I could provide names of the key urologists at both facilities, or at Rush.

You will find consistent comments that you should seek treatment from highly experienced medical professionals, as there is a demonstrated "learning curve" for both surgeons and radiation oncologists.

Best wishes...

Welcome, Ken, and sorry to hear you've been diagnosed with PCa, but HealingWell is a great place. Not many everyday folks are very conversant about prostate cancer, so it's great to have community like this one.

I live in the far north surburbs, up here in Lake County, so I can't help you with the Chicago docs, but Casey has already given you some suggestions I see.

I also had a chest x-ray, and it worried me when the uro requested it after the bone scan, but he said there were a few areas that he wanted a better look at, and nothing came of it. The tech shot about twice as many views as she should have, because she had me positioned wrong at first, so I got more x-rays than I needed that day.

Getting a cancer diagnosis, especially at your age, is a real kick in the groin, so try to stay calm and don't make rash decisions about treatment.

A whole lot of us have no family history of prostate cancer; a whole lot of us have enjoyed terrific health all our lives....it just makes no sense. Stay in touch and let us know how things are going.

Ken,
You have come to the right place to ask questions and share your info. Most of us had MRI, CT scan and X-ray when diagnosed with PCa. You have a lot of options to choose from so be patient and ask a lot of questions. Make sure you get a second opinion an you see an oncologist that specializes in PC. Good luck.

Ken, I wish you well in finding the right course of treatment. With some G7, you are not a candidate of "watchful waiting", you will need to choose between several different treatment options. However, you don't have to feel rushed to make a decision. I promise you, though, that when you have done your research and consult with the docs and arrive at a treatment choice, you will feel much much better than you do now.
God bless you
Jeff

Ken, If you couldn't sleep last night, at least you were greeted with a beautiful sunrise and a fine Chicago Spring morning today.

I have one other suggestion for you. This would be a great time to start keeping a journal about your cancer "journey." That's what I did, and I've shared it with a few relatives and friends who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer after my own experience back in 2010. They have told me that reading what I went through was very helpful to them in dealing with their own experiences. I also shared it with my siblings and with my two adult children, and I occasionally look at it myself even now as memories of those unpleasant days fade from my memory.

Don't get caught up in the gloom. Dealing with prostate cancer is an ordeal, to be sure, but there's a lot of living on the other side. As someone else here on the site likes to say, every day is a blessing...even those that bring a lot of unpleasantness. I've met some wonderful people because of my cancer: dedicated health professionals who amazed me with their level of caring and empathy; other patients, in much more serious health situations, who somehow managed to maintain a positive outlook; and friends and acquaintances who surprised me with their level of caring and support. Like many others have said here on HW, I've come to appreciate life much more deeply than I did prior to the cancer.

You're obviously a religious person, and I think you'll find your faith deepened by all of this. Stay strong and keep in touch.

Ken,

Lived in Naperville for three years...we loved Chicagoland. Agree with clocknut above about keeping a journal....and starting a file. As you have already discovered, you are about to go through a period of "information overload" on this subject. You will find that you will want to refer back to notes, literature, reports, articles, etc. as you go through the process of making your treatment decision. Best wishes,

JoeFL

Greetings All, had doctors visit yesterday. CT Scan, bone scan and chest xray all show no spread of cancer evident (thank God). Urologist suggesting "da Vinci" method would be best for me, based on my age, says that he's performed about 100 of the procedures so far. Wife says I need a 2nd opinion. Is anyone familier with Rush, UIC, or Northwestern Hospitals, or can suggest a surgeon I could follow up with? Many thanks once again. Peace & Love, Ken

I would find a more experienced surgeon and would definitely get a second opinion. You have time. Explore all your options and don't rush into anything.

   Ken you have come to the right place the folks on this wonderful community saved my wife and I many sleepless nights .... made the big C much less formidible keep the faith and do what you are comfortable with ... everyone has to do what they think is best for themselves after they get the education and information they need .... many prayers from ohio ..

Hi again, Ken.

I had the robotic surgery at Univ of Chicago (although I live in the NW suburbs, so it was about a 40 mile drive for me...convenience was a secondary concern).  My surgeon was Dr Arieh Shalhav, who is head of Urology.  LINK  He and Dr Greg Zagaja have done, roughly equally, the vast majority of robotic RPs (radical prostatectomies) at U of C (about 2,000 each).  Dr Shalhav teaches the surgery, and had asked to do mine in a live broadcast, but that did not materialize.

Dr William Catalona at Northwestern was one of the early researchers of the PSA test, and has been doing RPs for a long time and is very trusted; however, he only does the open surgery technique.  Results--both in terms of cancer control and side effects--from the best open surgeons (like Catalona) and the best robotic surgeons (like Shalhav or Zagaja) will be about equal, and the only major difference is that the minimally invasive robotic surgery has a quicker surgical recovery.  Dr Kent Perry has, I believe, done most of the robotic RPs at Northwestern.  LINK

Another name that was given to me, and I have heard recommended repeatedly is Dr Robert Flanigan at Loyola University, although I don't know that much about him.  LINK

Hope this helps

 

Post Edited (Casey59) : 5/17/2012 9:09:41 PM (GMT-6)