Will I live another 30 years?

Congrats on the anniversary. Only time will tell how many more you'll have.. Make the most of it in the mean time.

Alf- It certainly sounds like you have what it takes to go another 30+ years. I hope they are good years, too!

I fully intend to be a 50-year survivor of PCa. I was treated for PCa at age 41, and have excellent overall health and good genes (my grandmother is turning 97 this month), no reason why I can't reach 91 years old.

-Gedman

One of the great ironies of having PCa is that most of us become very much aware of our health situation in general if we weren't before, and as a direct result of the PCa Dx we start paying attention to so many other important health matters that we might have tended to ignore if we hadn't gotten the "wake up call" that the beast can serve as, and our overall health then improves.

Diet, exercise, better lifestyle, etc., all now become substantial issues in our lives, and we improve upon them because we have been "shaken" by the Dx. The result is our overall health does indeed get better.

That certainly was the case with me. As soon as I got the Dx I changed my diet for the better, started exercising more, lost weight in a healthy way, and in general got myself into a much better health mode than before. And I started feeling better too.

Contrast that with the ordinary guy who may not have PCa, but who eats poorly, doesn't exercise, maybe smokes and drinks too much, and follows a terrible lifestyle that's taking a toll on his heart, liver, etc. That's the kind of person who will eventually drop from a heart attack or such because of such a terrible health regimen.

Not us. Most of us now eat better, exercise more, and follow a lifestyle that may actually be prolonging our lives anyway, regardless of what happens with the PCa.

And need I add that improvement in one's health in general is a known positive indicator in the fight against PCa?

Ironic indeed.

Good luck, Alf, and congratulations on 30 years of marriage.

We have a commercial here in the states where a spritely woman looks into the camera and says something like, "I'm only in my 60's, so I have a lot of good years left to live."

Every time I see that commercial, I'm amazed at her confident (overconfident?) attitude.  I'm 68, will be 69 this summer, feel good, keep active, but also fully realize that we never know how many grains of sand are left in the hourglass and so should appreciate every day we're given here on earth.  I would like to think I might live another 15 or 20 years, but I'd never be so brash as to assume that I will.

As for you 60th,  I hope you get there, but I'm pretty sure I won't be around to send you a congratulatory note. 

Congratulations on your anniversary. We are celebrating our 25th. I have switched into "every day counts". I make choices based on today. I had a heart attack a year ago. I don't know how long I have, but I know today is precious and I want to live today for those around me. Blessings on your family and each day as it comes.

I just have to give a thumbs up to what PeterD just said. We're talking 30 years into the future. That is, what things will be like in the year 2044.

The advances in PCa research and treatment available by that time may well seem jaw-dropping to us, if we could know them today (and hopefully they will be).

For comparison, think about 30 years into the past, that is, the year 1984.

Think about how much we have today in the way of beating the beast that wasn't even on the radar back in 1984. By similar logic, what should become available within the next 30 years makes future progress against PCa look very, very bright indeed. In fact, maybe 30 years from now all of the major PCa issues will have been dealt with.

English Alf, wouldn't it be great if all of your concerns today will one by one become moot over the next 30 years, thanks to medical progress rolling on and on?

I'm celebrating 45 years of marriage this July at age 70. I have stage pt3b gl9 PCa . I hope to live to age 80. Starting SRT this week after 22.5 gm. lupron eight months after RP with PSA at .3. Wish me luck!
Bob