Active Surveillance Update and a Little Blue Pill

Greetings from the AS front!

Officially 23 months on AS and it was an interesting visit with the uro today. It was my normal 3 month PSA and DRE and all is normal and my PSA is a still very low .70!

It was also my 10th annual cystoscopy to follow up on the bladder cancer that led to the removal of my left kidney 10 years ago. More good news as I got the all clear and I will only have to endure 1 more annual cystoscopy next year assuming all goes well. The reason I have to go for an 11th year is one year after my surgery, they found a very small cancerous lesion (size of a pen point) which they removed using a little tweezer deal on the cystoscope. If it weren't for that, this would have been my last year of the dreaded cystscopy. They are no fun.

Finally, I mentioned to the doc that I've been experiencing a little ED problem lately and he gave me quite a few Viagra samples. I'm interested in giving those a test run and I wondered if anybody here has any experience with those that they would like to share? Dos and don'ts, warnings, etc? My inability to maintain a solid erection as of late has been a source of frustration, and since I still have my prostate, I've got nothing to blame except the inescapable fact that I'm getting old.

EDIT: Just noticing that my PSA today is exactly the same as it was 2 years ago. That's a good thing too!

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JackH said...
First and foremost, congratulation on the continuation of your program of actively monitoring your apparently chronic condition of indolent PC!

Funny you say that. I was reading the notes from my visit today on the clinic's patient portal and it pisses me off that it says I have "Chronic Prostate Cancer". I really feel that if you are a G6, with a finding in only one core of <5%, with a PSA <1, you should not be diagnosed with PCa. Maybe a pre-cancerous condition but c'mon, my PSA is .70. Sheesh.

Having said that, my PSA was 2.85 prior to the biopsy so there is that.

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I think it should be case by case. I am starting to think that with my stats, following up every 3 months is maybe too much. I would be comfortable going back to yearly checkups just like a "normal" person.

However, if I had a higher PSA, and maybe more "cancer" showing up in the biopsy, I would be more inclined to the more aggressive follow-ups.

I would almost lay odds that if they removed my prostate, they wouldn't find anything.

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I'll check it out!

An SE I experienced was intensive flushing in the face. Actually I stopped using them because of that.

Slightly flushed face at times.

I rotate types/brands. Can make things happen without the pills. They happen a lot better with the pills.

I have been using generics out of India for years. They are fine and much cheaper. Possibly 80/85% or so strength of US made.

Post Edited (Ken) : 3/2/2016 5:12:11 PM (GMT-7)

Take them on an empty stomach about an hour before banging. Make sure that you are mentally stimulated otherwise nothing is going to happen. Lots of guys swallow the pill and think that it is enough but the biggest sex organ is between the ears. Good luck.

Geetar,
Definitely give a shot...no pun intended. I don't always need the 'v chip', but I always take it....It's sort of like turning the clock back 20 or 30 years...

Been using them for ten years now. Cut a 100mg pill into quarters or thirds and save a lot of money as there was little price differences for higher dosages.

I have always had that blue vision thing, but it is rare, and apparently harmless.

It works great. Be 19 again! Zero side effects over 10 years.

The US patent will not expire until December 11, 2017. Right now it is VERY expensive in the USA. Find a reputable Canadian pharmacy and buy the Teva generic sildenafil for a fraction of the Pfizer price.