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Posted 1/25/2015 4:10 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you Rudy. So sorry of all the issues with yourself and other family members. Wow! I wish you and your entire family continued health!
IF did surgery, want robotic, but that's another issue, when called to check on insurance coverage's early on, they said do not cover robotics. But I am no where near making that decision.
Also, while I know that orgasms continue, more than one has said, they are not the same. Comments?
Thanks.
Posted 1/25/2015 4:47 AM (GMT 0)
VinceC....

Just floatin' along beside ya buddy.

You're sayin'...what I'm feelin'...

You gotta have some faith. And you've given that to me tonight. And for that...I thank you.

Crazy Dave
Posted 1/25/2015 11:00 AM (GMT 0)
Hello VinceC. Welcome to HW but sorry you have found the need to join our club. That said you have come to the right place for whatever help, advice and guidance you may require.

Our numbers are pretty much the same and at G7 you should certainly be thinking about treatment.

I felt pretty much the same as you are feeling now when i was diagnosed around the same time as you last year. My head was a mess as I walked back to my car, seeing all the random people laughing, joking and rushing about there everyday lives. WHY ME! I felt like shouting out and all the other screwed up thoughts that were flooding into my head at the time. Well that is a normal reaction when first finding out we have the PC beast chomping away inside of us. BUT. In general the PC beast is a lazy fellow and unlike other cancers is very slow growing. He likes the safety and security of our prostate and will only venture forth to make his playground bigger if left and ignored. You and I are a couple of the lucky ones and have found him early. Others here have not been so lucky as you will see. But with all treatment options open to you at this point you can be pretty sure of a cure.

Like you I have very little home support. I live alone and only have one son left now. So since last year I have made this my home and glad that I have. You will find that the guys and girls here can offer a wealth of information and advice, so please vent your feelings here and don't hold back. Remember, we have all been where you are right now. The PC journey wil take you down a rough and rocky road with many twists and turns along the way, but we will be there right along with you and help you up if you take a tumble, have no fear of that.

Also like you, last year I had almost decided not to go for treatment. I did not want a "new normal" I am a man and wanted to keep my erection and still be able to shoot some bullets. I also had no wish to wear a diaper in case I peed my pants.........

Well over the Christmas period I had a long talk with my son. He already knew my fears regarding what treatment COULD bring but had said nothing. But this time round he just looked me in the face and said "dad, you cant just leave it, you have to do something" Well that was the turning point for me and in a couple of days I go for my treatment. Am I still scared!......I am terrified! But I now feel committed to go through with it. Another reason for my final decision is that I lost a very close friend just a week before Christmas. He had liver cancer and knew his time was short. I remember what he said to me just before he went "You have a choice, I don't. So grab that choice and run with it. You may not get another shot if you don't"

Well I could go on, but I talk way to much. I spose it is my current state of mind and up and coming treatment that is making me ramble on right now. I will give space to others to have there say. But be assured that you are not alone.

All the very best as you journey forward.
Posted 1/25/2015 11:49 AM (GMT 0)
Vince, I was where you are and in some respects I still am. It is not a road I wanted to go down and I didn't want a new normal. I was told, "you have cancer" and even though I felt fine I was told you have these choices you need to make. I did not want to make any of the choices....but I did. From the time of my diagnosis in December to my surgery in February...those were some pretty depressing days. The day of surgery was such an emotional rollercoaster. Fortunately I had family but it was so difficult trying to hold them together when I was in a million pieces myself. And as you can read in my stats, surgery failed and then I had to continue down a path and did not want to go down it. All of it has changed me physically and emotionally. Fortunately for me, as you are now finding out, I made friends on this site who have been so very supportive. In my lowest points this community embraced me and provided me with emotional support my family couldn't provide. I was able to say things on this community that I dare not share with my wife because I didn't want her to know just how bad her rock was crumbling. Vince, I am not going to lie to you. None of it has been easy. I can only tell you I made the choices I made, even though I didn't want to make them, because I want to be around this old world a little longer. Did I make the right choices? I would have to say I did because it would drive me mad if I kept second guessing. I don't know if my words I have helped, hope at least I didn't make it worse. Just hope that by sharing you can see there are a lot of men who have been down the road already and know what you are dealing with. My prayers and thoughts are with you as you are faced with how to deal with your future.
Posted 1/25/2015 1:28 PM (GMT 0)
Vince,
I was a bit younger than you at dx, and maintaining my quality of life meant everything to me. I did AS as long as I could. I was fine with it mostly because there are zero side effects. Once I needed to be treated, I was very careful to choose a treatment that offered me a high chance of beating both the disease and the potential side effects. Five years later, I could not be happier with my choice. Point being that there can indeed be quality life after treatment.
God Bless.
Posted 1/25/2015 1:46 PM (GMT 0)
Hello, Vince and welcome to HW. Sorry you have to be here but you have found a great place full of helpful and supportive folks.

It's easy for me to say but...take a deep breath. The chances are VERY high that you will be cured and you have lots of options. If "getting it out" is important or you have a high need to know your exact post-treatment pathology then surgery will most likely be a good choice for you and -- will likely cure you. If you have the patience to watch your results get better over the years, still being cured, then one of the radiation treatments could also be a good choice, e.g. SBRT, HDR Brachy or LDR Brachy. Those options give a higher chance of having the "new normal" be the same as the "old normal" in most respects.

In any case, stay with us..we are here to answer your questions and help in any way we can.

Jim
Posted 1/25/2015 2:08 PM (GMT 0)
Hi VinceC,
One of the most difficult things to hear is that "C" word. I don't care what kind it is, any of us who have heard anything about it has a clear understanding what it means. When I received my diagnosis, my knees caved in on me and I felt like the floor dropped away from me. Good thing there was a chair nearby that I could fall into. I could not believe the Doctor was talking to me! There must be some mistake. Maybe there is someone else in the room. This was approximately one week after I had been to emergency with a complete urinary blockage and still had my cathetar in. That was a real scary time for me and it took me a long time to come to terms with it. To make matters worse, I had recently lost a job and did not plan to go on COBRA. It was a matter a being able to continue to afford our place or not. I spent a lot of time alone in my home trying not to think too much about my diagnosis but sometimes the water works would open up. All I could think about were all the time I didn't have left. How much I missed the fact that I did not have all this time left in the world. My kids. What about my kids. They are adults but still, what about my kids. My wife. I thought we would have all this time together. My mom. At 83 years old, surviving three cancers. She was going to outlive me. So many other things that I just don't even remember now and months of this. I wish I could press the rewind button and examine my life to figure out what I could have done better. It' just plain hard to take and I felt cheated.

Since those days, I have come to terms with my disease. I've had treatment as you will see from my signature, but still need more. I just live life day by day and try to live by two mantras. The first is "Every Day is a Gift" and the second "I Have Cancer, But Cancer Doesn't Have Me." Reminding myself of these things has helped me cope with this. This website has helped me. I feel a kinship to the guys on this site and feel like they are the only ones who understand what I am going through. So I come here often. I pose some but not all the time. Sometimes I just don't have the words to express. Some of the guys here have been here so long that some of the comments will seem harsh and insensitive. Don't take it personally. They have lived with this disease for a long time. Long enough that they can sit back and enjoy the satirical irony that comes along with this.

I too, have joined a support group and cannot agree with your more about some of the topics. Our forum moderator is an 82 year old survivor of prostate cancer. His was caught earlier than mine. I am envious of him. He made it to 82. Of course he was diagnosed when he was 62. A full eight years senior to the age that I was diagnosed. In fact, I am the youngest guy in my group and have the most aggressive disease. Go figure!

At any rate, what is the point of this rant! I guess it's just to let you know that we are here for you. We can't ever completely know how you feel but all of us here are going through it to. It's a good place to get things off your chest. Talk about things that you think no one else would get.

Last, I just want to say that yes, things will change. about the new normal. Yes it kind of sucks. You have options and one of those options is no treatment at all. This is not a recommendation from me, but it is an option. Just be aware that this option carries its own consequences and know one can tell you for certain what or when those consequences will occur. But you do have choices. Just make sure you fully understand the consequences of those choices.

Well, Best wishes to you. To me, it sounds like you have been diagnosed early enough to treat you successfully and to give you many many years of life ahead of you.
Posted 1/25/2015 3:54 PM (GMT 0)
about two weeks ago my wife and I sat down with our local urologist to hear the results from my biopsy - "well, it's cancer..." he began. Unless you've been there (like everybody here) you can't begin to imagine the effects of the phrase. You're angry, you're sad, you're melancholy, you ask why me, etc. It's difficult to focus on anything else and it can completely consume you (my experience anyway.)

Then I started the research phase for which I must thank my extended support family here on HW. Being busy with data gathering helped me quite a bit - as a guy, I look at problems with a focus on fixing so that helped me to move beyond my "pity party."

Once you move along and figure out what's the right thing for your situation, you should feel much better, that's my experience anyway. Like others have mentioned, sorry you're here but everybody is available for support.
Posted 1/25/2015 5:14 PM (GMT 0)
All,

Again, I just had no idea again of so many would read my post, so many take the time to respond and share so much. And care so much!! Just unreal. This forum is a beautiful thing! Thank you, thank you!

I would love to hear more from those that had external radiation. Why? What were the real side effects? How do you really feel when getting it? What issues have cropped up later? Some of my readings make it just sound more for someone older than me who can't do surgery. And about Brachytherapy also.

The highly regarded surgeon I went to for the second opinion said not to do the seeds. I guess I did not think to ask why? I will. My new main local urologist said if things do go wrong with radiation, they are hard or impossible to fix? Both seemed kinda of steering me away from radiation. But saying cure rates about same and was an option.

John,
Thank you and I wish you the best in your own journey.

Almost a 10,
Yours was certainly not a "rant". Thank you for sharing and best wishes. And to go through this while unemployed has to be extremely tough. My thoughts and prayers are with you!

Jim,
Thanks for both the reply and being a moderator. I would also love to hear much more about Brachytherapy. Sounds like many, including yourself chose it. Why? Results?

GOP,
So happy you are now healthy!

tdnjam,
Thank you! Wow, another issue, to consider this surgery that I do not want and than it may fail! I am so sorry, but glad you are making progress.

Casper555,
VERY sorry about your friend! But glad you have found a way to come to a decision on treatment. May I ask on what brought the PSA down to 6.4 without any treatment (unless I am missing it)?
Best wishes on your Brachytherapy in a few days. Please keep me up on your results and thoughts.

Island time / Crazy Dave,
Last and certainly NOT least:
First I LOVE the nickname. BIG Jamaica fan! Have had the pleasure of visiting a number of times. Hope we both get to a lot more island time :):)! Sure could use it right now!!
Hope you still have a pilot license active. When we both get through this, you can do some more flying for fun.
Can you tell me more about Oncotype?
Just WOWED, that my post somehow helped you. And gave you some faith. When I thought I was just ranting and feeling sorry for myself. Just so profound and has really floored me.
The last thing I thought my post would do is help someone else. Just not sure what to say, just speechless!
Best wishes on your journey and your decision. And then back to island time soon :). Please stay in touch.

Again, THANK YOU ALLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Look forward to many more conversations with what I already consider this HW family.
Posted 1/25/2015 5:27 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Vince,

Your Dx sucks, and I'm sorry you're here, and that you have to know what a Gleason score is.

On the other hand, there's actually some upsides to your diagnosis. As you probably know, you are classified as "favorable intermediate risk," which just means that every treatment out there gives a high probability of a cure. And with your low cancer volume and the typically indolent nature of PC, you have plenty of time to make a decision. Resist the very natural urge to rush to treatment. There is no rush, and you have plenty of time to learn stuff and make decisions. Our first instinct is to "just cut it out." That may be where you wind up eventually, but fear and panic is not a good place from which to decide. Give it time.

Active Surveillance (AS) is the first option to consider because of the complete lack of side effects. In the old days, your GS 3+4 core would rule you out, but because of a tool called multiparametric MRI (mpMRI), GS 3+4's can now safely be watched on AS. The Father of AS is a doctor named Laurence Klotz at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. After 20 years of tracking, 98.5% of the men on AS survive, and 55% remain untreated. The number of targeted biopsies depends on progression. If your PSA stays low, and the follow-up mpMRI shows indolence, repeat biopsies may safely be delayed for years.

The second least intrusive treatment is focal ablation. There are several types - focal laser, focal cryo, focal HIFU, focal PDT, focal IRE, etc. It's all still experimental. The upside is that if your single focus of GS7 is far from organs at risk, it can provide lower risk treatment. The downside is that re-treatment is often necessary and if it is close to say, the bladder neck, it can potentially be damaged by such treatment. Dr. Coleman at MSKCC in NYC has clinical trials of several kinds.

I chose SBRT because my first priority (after cure) was to preserve sexual function. It has about a 75% preservation of erectile function. It was only 5 short treatments. One of the leading practitioners is Dr. Alan Katz in NYC. He published his 7-year results which you can link to from my signature. I no longer produce ejaculate, but some guys do - a bonus if it happens.

Similar in erectile function preservation is high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy monotherapy. Radiobiologically, it is identical to SBRT. They stick tubes inside and highly radioactive pellets are put inside them and then taken out. Nothing is left inside. One of the top practitioners is Alvaro Martinez in Detroit.

Low dose rate brachytherapy (seeds) also has great results in the right hands. One of the best in the world is Dr. Zelefsky at MSKCC. Well worth the travel.

IMRT has no advantages over SBRT but takes longer and is more costly, so I don't recommend it. Protons has the same outcomes as IMRT and is more costly.

Surgery - open or robotic seems to matter less than you might imagine. I think that Dr Tewari is excellent. He has a "torsionless" technique where he monitors penile oxygenation throughout, and that may lead to better erectile function, and possibly less penile shrinkage too.

I met with 6 doctors over 7 months and did a lot of research before deciding. Take your time.
Posted 1/25/2015 7:08 PM (GMT 0)

VinceC said...
Casper555,
VERY sorry about your friend! But glad you have found a way to come to a decision on treatment. May I ask on what brought the PSA down to 6.4 without any treatment (unless I am missing it)?
Best wishes on your Brachytherapy in a few days. Please keep me up on your results and thoughts.


Vince. My uro guy put it down to a bad day at the lab. He said that before I even had my final PSA test. Thank the lord he was correct, because it gave me all treatment options.

Thanks for your good wishes and I will be posting an update after my treatment. Watch this space.

You are getting some very good advice here. I hope you find it all helpful in your journey.

Keep the faith and all the very best to you.
Posted 1/25/2015 8:01 PM (GMT 0)
Vince, No one has said it to you yet, I don't think, but here's a truthful statement:

Surgeons do surgery, they don't usually have terribly high regard for the radiation guys. Radiation guys do radiation, they usually have dim opinions of surgeons. So, take what each one says about the "other guys" with a questioning attitude. We've all see it, and it's not really a bad thing, but it's not always helpful either.

At the condition you're in, the research IS clear: brachytherapy and surgery statistically have similar success rates and similar levels of side effects. The key seems to be the experience and skill level of the practitioner. So, we pick the treatment that we feel best about (in my case, RALP), and then we do our research to find the best accessible location and practitioner we can find to get it done. We DO have only one chance at getting it right the first time...which IS the best chance of getting it cured.

Again, slow down and talk to all the experts you can find.
Posted 1/25/2015 8:16 PM (GMT 0)
I was quite impressed (maybe too impressed ) with Dr Lawrence Klotz's video presentation regarding AS for Low and Lower Risk PC. If I'm changing my(treatment) mind I better do it quickly.

MS
Posted 1/25/2015 9:06 PM (GMT 0)

BenSam said...
I was quite impressed (maybe too impressed ) with Dr Lawrence Klotz's video presentation regarding AS for Low and Lower Risk PC. If I'm changing my(treatment) mind I better do it quickly.

MS


BenSam........ nono

By the way. You have mail.
Posted 1/25/2015 10:14 PM (GMT 0)
GOP,
So happy you are now healthy!

Thank you, Vince, and there is not a single reason that you won't be as well.
Best to you, Brother.
Posted 1/25/2015 10:37 PM (GMT 0)
Vince, I had external beam radiotherapy as my primary treatment. I can tell you about my experience, having IGRT by IMRT (Image Guided Radiotherapy by Intensity modulated Radio therapy).

It took 44 treatments for my very high risk case, to 79.2 Gy, about the upper limit for exposure that's possible through the 1.8 Gy/day plan they usually do. I had 3 metal markers implanted in my prostate (like a minimally uncomfortable biopsy but only 3 pokes). I was on hormone therapy about 2 months before the RT started. There was a CT planning scan about 2 weeks before my IGRT was to start.

All through the exposure series the machine daily checked the location of the markers, and the techs used that scan to align the machine to my prostate. All I had to do was lay there patiently. The actual exposure took about two minutes, as the machine traversed one way, paused, and then the other way. Total time in the "vault" was about 10 minutes. Pretty easy, really, though a bit of a mind game. You don't feel anything at all, just laying on a pretty hard table for 10 minutes.

I actually recorded one session for someone like you wondering what a session is like. It's not real visually dynamic, but it's a point of view video, in real time, of one treatment session. I labeled it so you know what's going on with the various sounds you hear. It's totally real! My treatment was on a Varian Trilogy with RapidArc, a quick and smooth machine. Here's a link to the video:
/www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMEEBZDQSNo&feature=youtu.be

Tall Allen mentioned SBRT, which has a shorter track record than IMRT but very encouraging results so far especially for intermediate risk disease. It delivers a much higher dose each session, but only 5 times. The prostate tissue especially is apparently more sensitive to high dosages so this technique has solid theoretical underpinnings too.

44 sessions is a real marathon, and just not even possible for some people. Critically one must keep a full bladder and an empty rectum at each treatment to protect the bladder and rectum, most at risk from RT. The SBRT method was too new to me for my very high risk case, but that's not the norm by any means.

I've had very little in the way of side effects from my RT, even retaining sexual function 18 months later, and an undetectable PSA (still on hormone therapy though). RT was easy, really. Hormone therapy is much harder to live with.

Good luck in your choices!
Posted 1/25/2015 11:15 PM (GMT 0)
Vincec
It's funny how you go to see a surgeon and the surgeon says do surgery and you go to see the radiation guy in the radiation guy says do radiation and the seed guys say do seeds. I don't know man. I do know this much I would've loved to of had your stats. I would've loved to have all the choices that you have. This disease is what you make of it. It's the whole lemons and lemonade thing. In truth it has the potential to give more than it takes. Regards Todd
Posted 1/25/2015 11:52 PM (GMT 0)
Active surveillance. Don't panic. You have minimal disease. I had a prostatectomy and I am continent and have reasonable sexual function with 20 mg Levitra. My PSA is <.1. I am considered a success and yet I still regret my decision. Sex is never spontaneous and I "fail" 25% of the time. I still have anxiety about my PSA. Wish I would have considered seeds or nothing. Not convinced this disease is predictable and would have killed me. Will never know. Urologists prey on the fear of cancer. Different game is you are G8/9.
Posted 1/25/2015 11:58 PM (GMT 0)

halbert said...
brachytherapy and surgery statistically have similar success rates and similar levels of side effects.

Well, while it is true that brachy and surgery have similar success rates re cure and it is true that surgery SE's may improve with time while brachy SE's may degrade with time, their results for long term side effects are - on average - NOT the same. One can read multiple studies on this subject but truly randomized work doesn't really exist. What do exist are multiple Health Related Quality of Life Studies (HRQOL) that can give us a good picture of how patients and their partners view quality of life after various treatment options. One of the best of these (IMHO) was the "Quality of Life and Satisfaction with Outcome among Prostate Cancer Survivors" that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine a few years back.

This study reported on pre- and post- operative satisfaction among around 1800 patients and their partners. Follow up was done at two, six, twelve and 24 months. Despite the fact that the surgical patients had a lower average age than the brachy patients at time of procedure (59 vs. 65), the brachy patients reported better sexual satisfaction scores. For example, after 24 months, the overall sexual satisfaction score for the surgery patients had declined by 46% while the overall sexual score for the brachy patients had declined by 23%. More specifically, the percent of surgical patients reporting "overall sexuality problem" went from 12% at time of procedure to 43% after two years. The percent of brachy patients reporting "overall sexuality problem" went from 18% at time of procedure to 30% after two years.

Other HRQOL studies have reported similar results. JohnT has reported on HW a number of times a rule of thumb that 50% of surgery patients suffer from ED vs. around 33% of brachytherapy patients -- results not unlike those of the HRQOL studies. I don't have handy the studies of SBRT and HDR Brachy but posts on HW have referenced studies that those protocols may have even better sexual SE results than LDR brachy.

There are reasons that one may choose surgery over radiation. One may have a strong desire to "get it out" or one may have a strong need to know the true pathology of the cancer or one may need the faster gratification of seeing the PSA drop so that he gets a quicker picture of the curative result of the procedure or one may have urinary issues that make LDR brachy unsuitable. However, if one is eligible for LDR brachy, the procedure is less invasive, the cure rate is equivalent to surgery and the sexual and urinary side effects are generally less onerous.

Of course, choosing an experienced doctor improves all odds...

Jim
Posted 1/26/2015 1:37 AM (GMT 0)
Put in the time, which you have, and see the best surgeon you can find and the best radiologist you can find and get all your questions answered. Although I check in here from time to time, I really don't think about having cancer most of the time, except for those PSA tests every 6 months. Life is pretty much as it was it was before I found out. Sex is about the same and urine function is about the same. Life can still be good after cancer. Choose wisely though as you only get one shot at your primary treatment. Be comfortable with you decision, which only you can make. You can read what I went through by clicking on the link in my signature.

Best of luck to you.
Posted 1/26/2015 2:26 AM (GMT 0)
Vince I concur with the others.

Besides the cancer, I'd recommend you start a more healthy lifestyle asap, and a lot of your issues might improve. The cancer low fat diet is what I've been following. I'm only 5-10 lbs overweight but a year ago I dropped 15 pounds and a lot of those same issues you mentioned cleared up for me. (arthritis, cholesterol, sleep apnea). And it's never to late to start an exercise program.

Yeah, cancer sucks. Many guys on here are/were very active and healthy when diagnosed. I am too. It came out of nowhere for me, but you have to move forward.
Posted 1/26/2015 3:05 AM (GMT 0)

Hello Vince,

I have been reading all your thread with interest as I can certainly sense from what you are writing, that you feel scared, unsure of what to do, and very concerned for future prospects in all aspects of your life.

I feel I have to chime in with my own two bob's worth!

Firstly regarding the female considerations:  Do I care whether my husband ejaculates or not? For myself - not even a tiny bit.  Miki and DYank mentioned that we women mostly far prefer lots of cuddles and hugs, and I could not agree more.  As for sex, you will work out a way that suits you both (I am assuming you have a partner). 

I have asked my husband many times whether sex is the same for him as before, and he tells me that it is NOT the same, but its not bad either.  Just different.  Still intense and still very enjoyable.  I cannot remember whether you said you had children, but at 59, you may not be considering this option regardless of cancer.  So, ejaculation is not necessary for good sex. 

Here is Australia, there used to be a slogan that the Cancer Council used in advertising:  Cancer is a word, not a sentence!  Think about it, it makes a lot of sense. 

Now I'm going to get a little tougher with you.  There are some things in your life that you just simply CANNOT control, no matter how much you would like to.  So, what I am suggesting is this (please read the following in the way I hope I am typing it.... kindly and with compassion).  There are also some things that you CAN control, and that's where you need to start.

Example:  You said you were overweight - only YOU can control that - losing weight will help your recovery no matter which course of action you take.  Also, some options for treatment are not viable or are more risky for those who are overweight.  Try to think of each gram you lose as another victory against cancer.  You will feel healthier and your body will be more able to handle your preferred treatment. And that has to be a big plus.

Next:  You said you have high Blood pressure.  Losing weight will help there, so will exercise (and of course, blood pressure medication).  You CAN to a certain extent control that too.

Next:  High Cholesterol:  Ditto all the above.

Next:  Little support - that IS a tough one.  So be your own best friend.  Treat yourself well, refuse to be anything but optimistic (which with your gleason score and small number of positive cores a cure or a long term manageable cancer is a truly realistic scenario).   Join a support group if you have one in your area - if not - this is a great support group right here. 

Enough of the lecturing now - out of nagging wife mode. 

We were fortunate with the Urology clinic we attended after diagnosis.  They had a  "team" approach which really helped - the radiation guys/surgeon and urologist sat down with us and explained ALL the options we had.  They outlined all the advantages and disadvantages of different treatments, but in the end, told us it was our decision.  As it turned out, we ended up needing all three at some stage - the surgeon for the TURP,  the Radiation people for external beam and brachytherapy, and the general urologist for things like HT, cystoscopies etc. 

Are we happy about it?  - NO, not about the scary numbers in the diagnosis, but YES, really happy with the path we took. Could we have chosen better?  Who cares - its a moot point anyway and no longer relevant.  As I mentioned in another thread, my husband has not felt so well, nor as active and optimistic as he is now. This may or may not last.  Does it matter?  No.  There are too many other things that are scarier.... accidents, strokes, heart attacks .....

So, take a deep breath.  Relax.  You have time to decide.  In the meantime, look after those things are ARE controllable and take control of them.  Soon, you will start to feel more able to handle things... you wont always feel this way - scared and apprehensive.  You WILL enjoy life again - trust me!

   

Posted 1/26/2015 3:09 AM (GMT 0)
Jim,
Thanks for all the info! I have to learn much more about brachytherapy and HDR Brachy. Like I said the surgeon I went to last week who is highly regarded said not to get the seeds. I have to find out why.

HCV,
Thanks. Yeh a big decision.

Todd,
Wow, such a severe problem at such a young age. I am sooo glad you have made progress over the years. Yes, it does put mine in perspective. I have to keep telling myself that.

Just found out both flights for a business trip to FL canceled for tomorrow due to the major storm. Going to start working on that.

I will watch the videos that several of you send and reread everything soon.

Thank You!!!!
Posted 1/26/2015 4:48 AM (GMT 0)
yamba, thanks for doing the heavy work. VinceC take it all in, and as St Augustine said, "Love God and do as you will."
Posted 1/26/2015 5:33 AM (GMT 0)
Vince....as many others have said...you have options. Only thing you can do is learn as much about each, pick one and run with it. I heard you mention Dr. Joseph on a post...in case you did surgery.

I was advised by my first Uro. to go to him...he stated hes got a good reputation for robotic surgery....one of the better ones in upstate NY. As a matter of fact my 2nd Uro also recommended him.....but I chose IMRT and was treated in Syracuse.

Id take the BP and other health issues seriously dude.....your gonna need a healthy heart to fight cancer. I too am a little overweight and have HBP....but mine is controlled to a normal range using Lisinopril and Hydrochlorothiazide.

Its important to get that under control. As far as exercise...I know...it can be very hard....I was going to the gym/YMCA 3-4 days a week during my first year on diagnosis....but tapered off after I had Bone mets and was having back pain...about the only thing I can comfortably do is walk...and that's exactly what my Medical Onc told me to do....just walk as much as I can. You'd be surprised at how just 2-3 miles a day can help....as long as you are eating right.

As far as diet....I was told by my RO and Med. Onc. that I could eat everything I wanted as long as it was in moderation...he suggested red meat just once a week (small portion)...and to eat as many veggies and fruits as I could which I do. I was a serious meat eater before diagnosis and still am but have added more chicken and fish instead of all red meat. Seems like you have a lot of good info to digest from other members here as far as treatments...I think you have a few options....good luck with which ever one you choose.
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