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Brother having RP this coming Monday

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Posted 12/10/2016 3:13 PM (GMT 0)
My brother will be having RP this Monday at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St Louis. There are four brothers in my family and now three of us have been diagnosed PCa. (Brother #4 is a bit nervous.) Interestingly, we all chose different treatment options--of course, we also had very different diagnoses.

This brother was diagnosed over a year ago with three positive G6 cores and while he spent quite some time making a decision he eventually chose to have it treated. Although I didn't go the surgery route, I've certainly picked up good tips here over the years and schoolpsych's recent surgery prep thread has lots of additional great advice.

Wish him well!
Posted 12/10/2016 3:19 PM (GMT 0)
well wishes and GOOD LUCK !!! David
Posted 12/10/2016 3:34 PM (GMT 0)
He'll do great.

I have two brothers, we all have PC, all choose different treatments and we're all doing just fine.

All the best,
Andrew
Posted 12/10/2016 6:41 PM (GMT 0)
Your brother is lucky to have had you to advise him along the way. There's no one in my immediate family with PC, but I've noticed a curious phenomenon: strangers will readily ask me what I think, but friends typically don't. I'm not sure why that is.
Posted 12/10/2016 7:52 PM (GMT 0)
Michael, good luck to your brother and I'm sure you will be a big help to him.

I'm just curious. Why do you think he chose the most aggressive/invasive treatment option for the least aggressive cancer diagnosis? I assume he had the slides re-read by Epstein or Bostwick?

Jim
Posted 12/10/2016 8:13 PM (GMT 0)

Michael_T said...

This brother was diagnosed over a year ago with three positive G6 cores and while he spent quite some time making a decision he eventually chose to have it treated.



Sorry to hear that.
Wishing him well!
Posted 12/10/2016 8:34 PM (GMT 0)
I had RP at Barnes last month and could not be happier with the outcome. Who is doing his surgery?
Posted 12/10/2016 9:44 PM (GMT 0)
Michael-

Wising your Brother well!

Bobby Mac
Posted 12/10/2016 10:44 PM (GMT 0)
I appreciate everyone's good wishes for my brother. As to some of the questions here, he's really kept his own counsel on this and I don't really have any insights into his decision making although I've certainly provided my input on both AS and treatment options. At this point, I'm just hoping he does really well on Monday. (And I'm sure he will!)

bdbbauden...his surgery is being done by Gerald Andriole. Glad to know you had a great outcome!
Posted 12/10/2016 11:16 PM (GMT 0)
Michael,

A big month for RPs I guess. Mine is the following Monday. Us December RP guys can all sing - "All I want for Christmas is my prostate out, my prostate out, my prostate out" (sung to the tune of the better known All I want for Christmas song).

I'm making jokes to help with my nerves. However, no joke, I genuinely wish your brother the same as I'm hoping for myself.

Bill
Posted 12/11/2016 2:41 AM (GMT 0)
Michael, wishing your brother a good outcome and an uneventful surgery and recover.
Schoolpsyche to you as well
Posted 12/13/2016 5:11 PM (GMT 0)
Michael,

How'd it go? Any updates?
Posted 12/13/2016 5:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Bill. My brother seems to be doing very well... he e-mailed me from his room about six hours after the surgery and today he's walking and passing gas like he should. He'll get this pathology next week, although with his diagnosis I would expect it to be good. I will be interested to see if his Gleason gets upgraded--I can certainly think of several G6s here that were upgraded to G7 following surgery.

So far so good. Thanks for checking in!
Posted 12/13/2016 10:15 PM (GMT 0)

Michael_T said...
I will be interested to see if his Gleason gets upgraded--I can certainly think of several G6s here that were upgraded to G7 following surgery.



It is incredibly common to go from 3+3 before surgery to 3+4 after, and virtually inconsequential...keeping in mind that many 3+4 guys are on Active Surveillance (depending on their other case characteristics)
Posted 12/13/2016 10:18 PM (GMT 0)
Agreed and I've let him know that in advance so he doesn't get spooked if it happens. Based on his diagnosis I think his pathology will be a non-event. Let's hope the SEs are a non-event as well...
Posted 12/13/2016 10:22 PM (GMT 0)
Well, there is absolutely no such thing as "non-event" side effects after radical prostatectomy. Let's just hope they don't put him on the slippery slope of more medications, more procedures, more misery...which happens totally randomly to some guys while other guys with seemingly identical case characteristics get off lighter.
Posted 12/13/2016 10:44 PM (GMT 0)
Good grief, Jack-Knows-Better:

The guy made his decision. For whatever reason(s), the decision was made.

You are accomplishing nothing -- besides blatant anti-support -- by spreading your stranglehold topic here.

Mel
Posted 12/14/2016 12:28 AM (GMT 0)
Glad to hear your brother is doing well.

Sounds like he'll be just fine.

Andrew
Posted 12/14/2016 1:33 AM (GMT 0)
Glad to hear that your brother did ok Michael. Hoping for a speedy recovery, with no consequential long term side effects.
Posted 12/14/2016 2:14 PM (GMT 0)
No, compiler, I won't promote false hope over support.

False hope is counterproductive, results in inappropriate goals and poor strategies based on illusions or falsehoods. Leave the false hopes to those friends who know absolutely nothing about prostate cancer and it's treatments. What Michael_T's brother wants from him (Michael_T, I'm projecting what my brother would want from me, and/or what I would want from my brother...so sorry if this doesn't apply to your situation, which I am not intimate with) is love. Unconditional love, and insight from someone who knows a few things about PC.

Michael_T, you want to show him love which helps him rather than false hope? Run to Walgreens before you visit him and bring him his first package of Depends. That's love that only a brother, or the very best of friends, can show.

I continue to wish him well.
Posted 12/14/2016 3:03 PM (GMT 0)
Jack:

The guy made his decision. His reasons may be valid or invalid from YOUR viewpoint. Regardless, the decision has been made and acted upon.

You have no idea what went into his decisions.

Again, it may be very emotional reasons that you cast aspersions on ("just get it out") and/or other reasons.

>>>>>>>
No, compiler, I won't promote false hope over support.
>>>>>>>>>>
You are promoting nothing here. In fact, I find your knee jerk potshots about his tx., after the fact and without knowledge of any derails, to be quite offensive.

>>>>>>>>>>
run to Walgreens before you visit him and bring him his first package of Depends.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Great quote! You've gone the extra mile.

Mel
Posted 12/14/2016 3:16 PM (GMT 0)

compiler said...

You have no idea what went into his decisions.




This is true.

And this is one of the reasons I have not made any comment about his decision. None.

Nor would I, since the decision is done and over-with.


You should re-read the entire thread and try to pull yourself back on-track...you've gone off the deep end. (I must profess, however, that watching your "road-rage" from a distance is a bit bemusing.)
Posted 12/14/2016 3:25 PM (GMT 0)
Jack:

Oh, thanks, glad you didn't comment about his decision.

I forgot that this thread was about overtreatment; not about Michael's brother.

Maybe Michael can give those Depends to someone else.

You can have the last word.

Mel

Post Edited (compiler) : 12/14/2016 8:29:22 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/14/2016 3:37 PM (GMT 0)
Well sure Jack, you have valid points...but not AFTER he has made his decision. Why comment on that in anything but a supportive way? That ship done sailed, pal whether you agree or not.
Posted 12/14/2016 4:15 PM (GMT 0)
His surgeon Gerry Andriole is highly regarded. I know him personally as well as professionally. Your brother should do just fine based on his skill sets and surgical team.
All the best to your brother during his recovery.
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