Indecision!

Hi everyone, I've read a few of the posts. It appearers that everyone shows their test results. Here are mine. Age 69 PSA at Dx 4.4 Gleason score 6?. Prinary 3.? Secondary 3. Volume 21.19 RB, Gleason 6(3+3) 50% of core RM, Gleason 6(3+3) 75% of core RLB, Gleason 6(3+3) 50% of core RLM, Gleason 6(3+3) Less than 5% of core LM, Gleason 6(3+3) 25% of core 21 g prostrate I had a biopsy done on February 2, 2012 and I haven't been the same since. Immediately after the biopsy I complained of stomach and rectal pain. They tried 3 weeks of antibiotics but I got no relief. I could not sit without extreme pain in my rectum. They finally did a colonoscopy and determined I had an anal fissure. Been treating that the last two months with a little relief but still extremely painful.   Been putting off a treatment procedure to see if the anal fissure would heal. It hasn't healed but I see my urologist tomorrow. Has anyone had a similar problem due to a biopsy?   I was kind of leaning toward surgery just for the time factor reason. I don't know if that is a legitimate reason to chose one treatment over another. I think I ask him about the seeds once before and if I remember correctly he told me I was too advanced for seeds. Any ideas on that?

Thanks for your suggestion on getting a second  opinion. When I see the surgeon he wants to operate. When I see the radiation guy he wants to do radiation. I don't know if this a money thing for them or not!

I will definitely find a brachytherapist for a second opinion. 

Not sure why you were told that you wouldn't be suitable for seeds. Your numbers alone make you a good candidate, being a Gleason 6 and having a fairly small prostate. I would imagine you would get a whole other opinion on that subject if you talk to a good radiation oncologist. In either event, I would want that anal issue healed well before you sought any primary treatment for the cancer itself.

Good luck.

david in sc

That is what one hopes for using surgery as a primary treatment. In my case, it's been assumed that some cancer had escaped perhaps long before I ever had the surgery. Then I went through SRT (Salvage Radiation) as a secondary treatment, and it too failed to stop the cancer. As of April, my PSA has gone up to 37, which is more than twice what it was prior to surgery. Despite my numbers/stats, its believed by my doctors that I am dealing with an agressive strand of cancer, regardless of the treatments I have had.

With your numbers, you should have a good shot at ridding the cancer. Don't let the surgeons or the radiation doctors intimidate or push you into a treatment, until you have had the chance to learn all you can, not only about prostate cancer, but the treatments themselves. They all come with risks and side effects.

We often reccomend someone new, to start reading Walsh's great primer on prostate cancer, "Surviving Prostate Cancer". I have an extra copy that I have been trying to give away for free, its a good book to get started with. If you e-mail me your mailing address, and would like the book, I would be happy to mail it to you for free, including postage.

As far as questions, no such thing as a stupid question here, and there are people well versed with just about every aspect of prostate cancer and its treatments as you can imagine.

Learn well, choose wisely - you don't get a second shot at your primary treatment. And as we like to tell everyone new here, despite whatever fears or apprehensions you may have at this point, never, ever, give up hope.

David in SC

GP_Joe

We ran into exactly the same thing when we were deciding on treatment - every doctor thought their treatment was the best option and were not necessarily supportive of any other option.

The only advice I can give you is go with your gut and don't look back.  My husband was diagnosed with a PSA of 3.74 and a Gleason 6 (3+3) and Brachytherapy was his choice because surgery actually was more risky due to the location of the tumour(s).

Do your research, ask away here and make the decision you are most comfortable with and then move forward and forget about looking back.

Let me know if you have any Brachy questions - as members here will tell you, I answer anything so no need for modesty here LOL ...

 

Thanks for your post.

I going to see a Dr. tomorrow that specializes in brachytherapy. My

fissure is healing OK but slowly. Last month I had a shot of botox. That really helped a lot. I have another appointment with my rectal guy in two weeks. Depending on my condition at that time I may get another shot of botox. You may want to talk to your rectal guy about the botox injections. I got really good results.

At this time they feel the cancer is contained to the prostrate. I guess what procedure I decide on is influenced by the condition of the fissure. Hopefully I'll know more tomorrow afternoon.

Joe

Unfortunately impartial opinions are hard to come by. All specialists have a bias for their particular skill set. Take your time and research hard. As David says you wont get a second chance at your primary treatment.

Jim

Just got back from the brachytherapy specialist. He thinks I am a good candidate. He has me scheduled for a MRI Wednesday so he will have a better idea of what he needs to do. Then back to him on 9/14/12 to discus options and treatment plan.

Just got back from the brachytherapy specialist. He had a MIR done and does not think the cancer has spread outside the prostrate. He proposed I do a seed implant, wait 3 or 4 weeks and then 5 weeks of radiation.

I was leaning toward the seeds to avoid the 8 weeks of daily radiation. If I'm going to have 5 weeks of radiation after the seed implants I may just go the eight weeks and forget about the seeds!

Just more confusion on what to do!

GP_Joe said...
David,

... I am really new at this but have been just browsing some of the other posts. It seems that a lot of the guys end up with a combination of treatments.

GP_Joe ... be careful about drawing conclusions about the whole population of men with PCa from those who post here. You'll find that many people who have a single, successful, treatment either do not return to HW or are not active posters. As a result, you are probably seing posts from a disproportionate number of men who have more complex situations than the average.