Cialis and Heart

Another scenario which highlights the "slippery slope" one encounters with a diagnosis of low-risk PC...

Update on the Cardiac issue....

Follow up today with my PCP/Cardiologist. Did another EKG it was normal, no extra heartbeat. But i am still getting palpatations on occasion (unless its in my head, which is possible).

So now he has over a span of 10 days, a normal EKG and Echocardiogram, and an ABNORMAL EKG and Echo stress test. So he "needs a tiebreaker test"
So i am wearing a Holter Monitor now, till tomorrow at 4:30PM. And he wants me to schedule a CT Angiogram. Which he can produce false positive results but never produces false negatives. If it produces a positive, i would then need a regular angiogram. I asked why not just go straight to angiogram, he said he doesnt want to subject me to an invasive procedure unless its necessary.
So now more tests and waiting.
I asked about the Cialis, and the posibility of going back on it, he said lets get this Cardiac issue put to bed then we"ll discuss it.

On a side note, 10 days off Cialis, no problem last night, doing the deed.

Pratoman,

I hate to break it to you, but you are going to die one day, just like all of us here will and a heart attack or stroke is still the #1 killer of men....It's a reality we all have to face. Looking at your stats. I will tell you what my doctor told me at diagnosis when I was 42. "Chris, you have a much bigger chance of dying from a heart attack than PCa." After getting over the shock of a cancer diagnosis at 42, I soon realized that dying of a heart attack is a gift compared to suffering a long drawn out painful death from PCa.

Although, I fully understand that at no age is anyone fully ready to face their mortality, but your 64 years old. I amazed you are "letting this ruin" your vacation. None of us has any sort of a guarantee to health or longevity.

Honestly, you should feel lucky. At 42 thanks to PCa my sex life was completely destroyed. I wet myself periodically and when I do orgasm the feeling of satisfaction lasts for about 15 minutes then I am right back to feeling unsatisfied. If I live to your age I will have gone 20 years wetting myself, no sex life, and a constant feeling of tension without any way to release it. Not to mention I really believe this cost me my marriage. Regardless of what any woman posts here, sex does matter to them. Especially, at a younger age. And.....I suffer extreme ureathral pain every I do orgasm. The burning pain then lasts off and on for 3-4 hours and is so intense it can be excruciating. So, I've to that to look forward to the rest of my life...

Your going to face another serious health problem one day in your life unless you are killed by accident or have a heart attack and drop dead. But at 64 you have gotten a lot further then many other people in this world did. I would trade places with you just to get to 64 without having my sex life completely destroyed, which by the way has also ruined my ability to bond with women. And I will say it, for men we need the physical bond in the beginning to become attached. I no longer have that ability and have lost all interest in relationship thanks to PCa.

Sometimes, when I read older men on here complaining about their situation, yes like you, I think you have no idea how good you have it. Try having this crap ruin your life in your early 40's.

I don't understand why you are so upset...did you think you were going to have a "free ride" until you were 90....this is life....There are people who have it a lot worse than you and I don't mean me....

Post Edited (ChrisR) : 6/15/2015 8:17:41 PM (GMT-6)

Chris:

You are so far off base I don't know where to begin.

Let me just put it this way.

At 42, I would have had your exact same thoughts.

At my current age, 69, I realize how foolish those thoughts would have been.

Seriously, do you think that someone dx. in their 60's is just going to think, "fine, I made it this far so no problems?"

Well, sorry man, but I for one am greatly disheartened by these events. Sorry, I would like to live much longer, and without the PC and all that entails.

Mel

Prato, enjoy the beach. You're gonna be fine if you skip the coffee and go straight for the beer.
IT and Billy,
I have been so enjoying your informative posts. I think HT is a fabulous place to spend too much time. Where else would it be perfectly acceptable to worry about fractured erections while debating the semantics of drama vs overactive imagination. :)
Logos, you lost me on both, but it's late and time to radio out myself.

I think Halbert hit the nail on the head. For me, it's not so much complaining, but talking about what's going on for a few reasons...
1. To vent (very different than complaining)
2. In hopes that someone will come up with some knowledge that will be either useful, or make me feel a little less scared
3. Connected to #2 above, because I'm scared sh!tless.
So if anyone worse off than me takes offense to my posts, I apologize. One thing I've never said , or even thought, are the two words "why me" . I've been around long enough before cancer found me, to know that sometimes bad stuff happens to good people.

@logos, dude, you don't know me, so you don't know, I'm a lifelong learner. I love to learn, and I learn from everyone. It was a little hard to not take ChrisR's comments as a flame, but I get where he's coming from, and so it's fine, there is no conflict here. If I thought there was, I wouldn't have responded, I make it a point to stay away from conflict here, it's pointless. I only seek understanding.

@ChrisR , we are all brothers and sisters here, you and me included and we are each in a tough spot in our own way. My point of view is just that one mans really bad fortune doesn't make another mans bad fortune less bad. One of my daughters best friends, age 32, and a mom of a 2 year old, had to go through chemo last year for Lymphoma. I felt heartsick for her. But there was no way it made me feel better or less anxious about about having Prostate Cancer. And even though, relative to her, I've been really lucky, next to my 65 year old friends who've never been sick, I don't feel so lucky.

So it's all about perspective.

@Celebrate Life - yeah, the beach was awesome. And I drank my share of beer , not that I'm a big drinker. Came home much more relaxed, with a great tan, and for better or worse, gained 5 pounds. (I still blame it on the beta blocker LOL)

Post Edited (Pratoman) : 6/16/2015 4:57:41 AM (GMT-6)

Logo:

A VENT is fine.

I just resent folks saying, effectively, "your vent is unworthy. Look how bad I have it."

All of us realize that some have it worse and others have it better. This forum should not be a contest to see who is worthy of existing here.

That is how I'm reading Chris's post. That's how it came across.

It may just be the mood I'm in.

I'll start a June Tests post to do a very mini vent there

Mel

So an update.... I'm scheduled for the CT Angiogram tomorrow. If its positive, next step is a regular angiogram, if its negative I'm good, AND HOPEFULLY, Dr lets me get back on daily Cialis.

Thanks GOP, i really appreciate the input. I'm hopeful that it will be a benign situation. And seriously, after PC Surgery, i feel like whatever it is i can handle it.
I have to say, my PCP/Cardiologist, is SUPER cautious. I go there with a cold and he does a brain scan. (OBVIOUSLY i'm exaggerating, but you get the idea). When he sends me to a specialist, and they ask me why i am seeing them, i tell them, "because Dr XXX is crazy". And all of them smile a knowing smile, and nod. But then they all say pretty much the same thing. He IS very cautious, but its because he knows his limitations, and wants to be thorough. One Dr told me a story about a patient that my doc sent to him for a colonoscopy, who was in his late 20s. He called my doc and told him he really didnt think it was necessary. But my doc insisted. Turned out the kid had a rare colon cancer, and his life was saved.

So sometimes i think about fighting my doc on some tests. But then i think, the one time i fight and win, will be the one time he's right.
I've always been a better safe than sorry type when it comes to my health. Hopefully this will turn out just like your case.

Prato, keep us posted. The last time I was in the Uro office, this was part of the conversation:

NP: "How are your erections?"
Me: "They are working ok whenever I have the opportunity"
NP: "Then you don't need the drugs. Let us know if something changes"

I'm willing to bet you'll have a similar one.