Quick Update from Purgatory

I am back here at HW for the day and evening, miss the place, despite my own "demons" I am fighting.  Wish one and all well.

I get so aggervated at dr.'s in general.  Had a special CAT scan done a week ago on my lungs, when they did the CAT for the PC last October, they spotted a suspicous lump at the bottom of my left lung.  A week later, still no results from the latest CAT.  It might be nothing, or something benign, but my GP really wants to get to the bottom of it.  Or could it be PC in the lung, or worse to me, the dreaded Porocarcinoma that I had 3x in the past?  Not knowing is still the worse thing to me.  I keep leaving messages, but get no return calls.  Does that mean that something is wrong, or are they just slack?

On the PC front, next week they will draw the special 6 weeks PSA, and then 2 weeks from today, I will meet with my dr/urologist/surgeon to go over the results.  As a reminder, my 3 month post was .05, and my six month was .10.  If I were a betting man, and I am not, I am predicting somewhere between .13 and .15 on this one.  I hope and pray I am wrong.

The thought that there might be another cancer in my body at the same time that I am in the midst of this PC fight is beyond my comprehension and ability to digest.  I know there are some here that dealt with lung cancer and PC at the same time, I believe.

Still no job, been on a couple more interview, actually was made a very poor offer to a financially weak firm very far from where I live, as much as I needed work, it made no practical sense to take the job.

Been busy on the restoration of my wifes 1972 Shasta Compact travel trailer.  It's so pretty with everything in pink and white (gag), but that is what the girl wanted, and that is what she is getting.  You ought to try hunting down a pink stove, microwave and fridge for a camper sometime.

I will come out of my self-imposed exile soon, as soon as I sit down with my dr. in 2 weeks and hopefully have a better idea of what is going on with me, is there reaccurance with the PC or not, is there something bad going on in my lungs, etc.

My spies, lol, keep me informed of the highlights here, glad to hear of some of the sucessess and more zero reports coming in.

I leave for now with a question, and will check back and forth through the evening tonight.

If I have to go through radiation, how strong should they go, I dont have the geographic or financial options to go somewhere else for fancy treatments.  Will radiation mess up my good fortune of not having any ED currently, or mess up being dry 100%.  Already worrying about what I don't know.

My best wishes and greetings to all my PC brothers and sisters here, and a welcome to any new friends that have joined HW since I went away.

David aka Purgatory

here in hot and bright western South Carolina

P.S.  To David CPA - must we keep copying each other, same name, same profession, and now I read, you are from the Sooner State like me?  I was born in Tulsa, and all my father's people came from Ireland to Welch, OK on the Kansas border.

Thank you David, glad your situation is doing so well too.

DJ, thanks. Things aren't so advanced here in the deep South. No proton beam for me to think about around here.

Hi David,

Good to see you here again.

I know about the waiting. I waited 3 1/2 weeks to get my surgery pathology report. Doc said it was very unusual to take that long. I had a closer look at some fine print on that path report. There was a date that was 4 days after my surgery on all pages. I can only assume that this date was the date of record the pathologist used when tissue was accepted or report was started, and not the date it was completed...there was also a note that stated a second pathologist was consulted...maybe part of the delay also. Waiting that long was tough and even after phoning a couple times...had to wait. Hope it's good news for you!

I'm seeing a radiation oncologist in a couple days for a consultation. Don't know what to expect or what potential future RT may include. I'm new to this part and am interested to get her opinion, etc. I'll let you know what I find out.

Mike

nothard, hoping you will be rock hard one of these days, thanks for the kind thoughts and words from down under. wishing you the best.

mikey - keep me posted on you, we might be on the same path again soon. first open surgery, perhaps RT.

Bro. Tud, thanks for the kind words. Miss you and all the guys, so far, leaving HW hasn't helped or proven anything, been just as worried on my own!

Good to hear from you, and to see one of your fears has been eliminated. Now get out of here and get back to your exile like you promised yourself and the family...

Hey David..............thinking of you mate and sending best wishes for the upcoming PSA test. Much mojo that the lung scan will work out well for you too.
Pink trailer????
Bill

David,
Welcome back, we all missed you. As far as radiation goes it is a matter of dose and accurracy, most qualified institutions with good IMRT machines can do a very good job. The more experience with PC of course the better. Get the highest dose you can, with the new technology the side affects are minimal. If you do get ED it will show up in a few years.
Wishing you the best of luck on your psa and scans.
JT

Billy, for all my wife has done for me, if she wants a pink/white caravan, that is what she is getting!

Michael, I am glad you are doing well too, thanks.

John T, thanks, I will have my former oncologist from 9 years back, one of the best in SC and has a good national reputation.

Geebra, sorry about your T3 situation, but sounds like you have a good plan in place, be thinking of you ahead.

I shall be back soon enough. Getting the clear signal on the CT for my lungs after having that linger for 7 months over my head and done a lot to help me think clearer for what may be ahead.

What you guys need to understand, I fought even the idea of salvage RT, because for one, I didn't expect it to be a possibility six months after what was suppose to be a squeaky clean surgery and pathology report, and the fact that I had such a terrible time with RT 9 years ago, from which I still have SE, chronic fatique, bad memories, and it took one full year of physical therapy to get over even that.

I am hoping there have been some advances in RT since 2000, like anything else medical. Was hoping to avoid this step or treatment, at least for a few years after surgery. But on the other hand, not willing to refuse it and die sooner.

I honestly thought I would live to be 100, and get shot by a jealous husband, but hey, we never know what is going to get us in the end.

Good luck to one and all, keep up the good fight, help one another, knowledge overcomes fear and despair everytime.

David in SC

+Rich, to search for a subject or person, use the Search button on the bar to the upper right, between Chat and Members. This search will allow you to select posted by or posts containing a subject. The Google custom search further up won't get you anything specific. Hope this helps.