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Prostate Cancer
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Posted 2/23/2023 12:28 PM (GMT 0)
Well about 2 months ago i came here as my psa was about 26.9 my urologist had me take another blood test and 2 days later got a call saying it was 37.8. Said i best get in. Had a biopsi done and it was very aggresive cancer. According to the doctor it seems to have spread they just dont know where or how far. Which is why he wants me to have a scan. I have already decided that i am not going to do anything. I am 68 is it worth degrading my body just to get a few extra months maybe a year. I dont think so. In my opinion i would rather live it up. I have been dog tired for well over a year. Cant take another day of it. I knew something was wrong but not enough to see a doctor. Thanks to all and good luck.
Posted 2/23/2023 2:11 PM (GMT 0)
Jcrhdd, you should see the doc, but tell him you only want palliative care (although hear him out on the options). Palliative care is about making your final journey as comfortable as possible, and will result in a much more enjoyable time than just gritting it out.

But you should hear the options…

Best of luck, shipmate.
Posted 2/23/2023 3:28 PM (GMT 0)
Thoughts and prayers for you. I would echo what centralPAdude said. Hear your doctor out, consider options and possible outcomes before you make a decision. Sixty eight is far from old. Whatever you decide, remember that you have friends here.

Jim
Posted 2/23/2023 3:42 PM (GMT 0)
Please reconsider. My husband has been treated for Stage 3B prostate cancer. He is age 62 and his starting PSA was 47. He had a robotic prostatectomy with nerve sparing, and three weeks later was traveling and hiking with full continence and mild ED that is helped with Trimix (not bad at all!). His three month PSA was undetectable. Prior to surgery, he had three months of hormone therapy before surgery to help shrink his tumor burden and kill any micro-mets. He has an excellent prognosis of making it another 15 years or more with curative treatment. If his PSA rises, he can have salvage radiation therapy and hormone therapy. This can still be curative for him. I have read about thousands who have even more advanced cancer even in their bones and live well on different on and off therapies for years and years. Please find an excellent urological oncologist. Please review my husband's history in the signature, and I wish you all the best. Don't give up!!
Posted 2/23/2023 7:27 PM (GMT 0)
Treatment may give you a lot more than a year or a few months. Some of the guys here were diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and are still around and having fun ten years later. What the doctor says may surprise you.
Posted 2/24/2023 12:42 AM (GMT 0)
Wow! I am not sure where you get your information but you need to change your mind set. Most prostate cancer treatment is very well tolerated with mild side effects that can be minimized by a little exercise. I was diagnosed almost 17 years ago. My PSAwas over 3200. The cancer had spread to my bones and my lungs and my lymph nodes. Dude. I am still here and really thriving.
Posted 2/24/2023 2:01 AM (GMT 0)
I suggest hearing the doctors out with their treatment plan(s)--start a plan and see how you feel and how your PSA goes. You can then decide if you want to continue or stop treatment--nothing to lose over not treating at all, but perhaps much to gain.

Djin
Posted 2/24/2023 2:29 AM (GMT 0)
JCRHDD - Just curious....if you prefer not to answer, thats fine. Do you have a family? What do they think of your decision?

I am so glad Todd responded. Read his post, and really take in his situation. Then think about the possibilities for you, if you open your mind and hear out what a good oncologist has to say about how he would treat you and what his expectations might be.
Good luck, i hope you reconsider. Unless there is more than meets the eye, and this is something you really want to do (not treat and let the disease take its course).
Posted 2/24/2023 3:08 AM (GMT 0)
You heard some seemingly bad news for sure.

Now listen to some hopeful news
1) you may still be curable if it is confined to your prostate and nearby lymph nodes.

2) Prostate cancer is not like lung cancer or pancreatic cancer. Treatments can give you (many) years of a rich life even if not curable

Your life is now different but you still have life. Many many guys die WITH prostate cancer, not OF prostate cancer.

Take deep breaths. You can do this.
Posted 2/24/2023 11:58 AM (GMT 0)
Dear Jcrhdd:

Sorry for the bad news and you ultimately have to make your own decisions. But, like several others on this thread, I would encourage you to hear your doctors out so you have a clear view of your alternatives. Maybe it's not as bad as it seems. And...look at Todd's case. His PSA trumps yours 10X and he is still with us 17 years later.

Good luck and please stay in touch.

Jim
Posted 2/27/2023 5:50 PM (GMT 0)
My guess is that you will stay around for more years that you may think now even if you do not do anything. But, as others advice, please do something.
Posted 2/28/2023 3:48 PM (GMT 0)
I am glad Todd answered. Stage 4 here, 5 years later & living the dream. Jimmy V said it best. Don't give up.
Posted 2/28/2023 5:35 PM (GMT 0)
Fatigue is often a symptom of active cancer. Left untreated, the cancer will grow and probably cause even more fatigue. Cancers consume a lot of the body energy. Many treatments do not degrade the body. If the cancer has already left the prostate and spread you are generally not a candidate for surgery. In that event various drugs and sometimes specifically directed radiation can be used. These often come with minimal side effects and can be used to lengthen life span and provide better quality of life than letting untreated prostate cancer ravage the body.

Prostate cancer most commonly spreads to the bones and cancer in the bones is often the most painful and debilitating spread. Like others, I would encourage you to at least listen to the doctor and consider the treatments available. Thirteen years ago my PSA was 59 and I had significant cancer. Using radiation and drugs I was successfully treated and today am free of cancer. I have no negative side effects and have never had surgery or anything that degraded my body. You are a young man and deserve to make informed decisions.
Posted 4/16/2023 5:27 PM (GMT 0)
Hoping you got a treatment plan going ...

I was diagnosed in my 40s, with a PSA that skyrocketed over 100 with every re-test.

After scans and biopsy, it was determined that the cancer had already infiltrated both my lungs. That was a sobering day, beyond all words ...

I had just started a new school year, with a new group of students in my classroom. I quietly hoped I could finish that school year ...

Treatments brought me newfound H-O-P-E.

This website brought newfound support, when I needed it most ...

It's 10 years later now ~ I remain active and have continued teaching full-time through it all. I just got back from a trail walk. My treatments saved me, and my doctors are a GODSEND.

If you need a little hope or encouragement, you'll find it here.

My next birthday is later this month. There will be 10 more candles on my birthday cake than there were when I was first diagnosed.

My life lesson learned? Never underestimate the power of the newfound treatments that exist for for prostate cancer.

Better yet? There's even MORE treatments available now than there were when I was first diagnosed ten years ago.

We're here to stand alongside you, and support you, going forward. I needed someone to throw me a lifeline and offer me a seat in the lifeboat, and this website did that for me, just when I needed it most.

With my best to you, going forward ~

CYCLONE ~ # Iowa State University
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