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Posted 12/30/2015 12:35 PM (GMT 0)
My last radiation session is this morning! Woot! Had my last weekly meeting with the RO yesterday and she was very pleased (me too!!) that I've not had any side effects other than a lot of fatigue when the machine was really putting out the Gy's. I've been feeling really well in the last week or so since the Gy's were tapering off.

So what's next... the usual quarterly PSA/T tests and a follow-up meeting with the RO early summer.

Looking into the future - I asked the RO what my chances are for a re-occurrence of cancer. She said if I just had ART, studies indicate at the five year mark there is a 50-50 chance of re-occurrence. Apparently there are no long term studies that fit my treatment protocol, i.e., ART+ADT but she thinks the ADT would improve my odds by 15-20%. Then I asked what happens if my PSA rises, does she use the 0.2 benchmark to start some other therapy? Yup, two consecutive 0.2 results and then I go back on ADT (ugh.)

This has been a long and difficult year.
Posted 12/30/2015 12:40 PM (GMT 0)
Congrats on reaching the finish line John. Let's hope for nothing but zero's from here forward, and that next year is way less difficult.

I have a feeling someone here will come up with a study on ART + ADT
Posted 12/30/2015 12:57 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Prat! Praying for ZEROS!
Posted 12/30/2015 2:51 PM (GMT 0)
I knew you'd make it. It takes a few weeks for the SEs of RT to fade.

and now it's the long slow road of watching PSA numbers.

Hang in there and go live life between tests.

Andrew
Posted 12/30/2015 3:23 PM (GMT 0)
Congrats!
Posted 12/30/2015 4:16 PM (GMT 0)
Congrats John! Hoping there's nothing but goose eggs in your future...
Posted 12/30/2015 4:57 PM (GMT 0)
Congrats! And toasting a bunch of big fat zeros in your future!
Posted 12/30/2015 6:02 PM (GMT 0)
Congratulations! It really is a wonderful feeling of relief to get RT treatments over with (I know). Now, as has been said, it's just a waiting game to see how the PSA tests go.

But after talking it over with your RO (as you indicated in your first post) you have a good feel for what the percentages are going to be in your case, and you have a right to feel some confidence.

Good luck!
Posted 12/30/2015 11:41 PM (GMT 0)
Congrats TX.

Here's to nothing but zeros...
Posted 12/30/2015 11:47 PM (GMT 0)
Hi John_TX....if I may ask, why did you have the radiation and hormone therapy if you had a RALP and your PSA's were 0?? Thanks!
Posted 12/31/2015 1:32 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks guys!

Guess what happens today? Nothing yeah ! No more drinking water until my bladder feels 'just so', undressing, putting on gowns, hanging around the dressing room waiting to get the bladder scanned, getting positioned on the 'slab', hearing the huge machine buzz, dressing, etc., etc. 33 sessions for a total of 66 Gy. Woot.

Allison101 said...
Hi John_TX....if I may ask, why did you have the radiation and hormone therapy if you had a RALP and your PSA's were 0?? Thanks!


Unfortunately one of the 44 lymph nodes excised had a 1mm area of carcinoma and my Decipher test had me at a high risk for re-occurrence within five years. With one positive node I was automatically staged as a four and needed adjuvant radiation and as an extra precaution, hormone therapy ADT.
Posted 12/31/2015 2:00 PM (GMT 0)
John,

Congratulations! I finished my 39 sessions of salvation radiation yesterday. The monograms show that I have about 80% chance of being remittance free for 7 years. Radiation oncologist said that typically one has 50% chance of being cured and 50% chance the cancer will reoccur years down the road. I figure the last option isn't too bad, and probably would be treatable with ADT. If and when everything fails years from now, my feet probably would already be close to the coffin anyways.
Posted 12/31/2015 3:18 PM (GMT 0)
Congratulations. Definitely an endurance test.
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