new gay member saying hello

-just posting a note to say hello -
-this seems like an interesting and supportive site
-I was diagnosed with PC in October 2009 and had a RP in November 2009.
-I am doing ok emotionally and occasionally frustrated with incontinence.
- ED is an issue but signs are hopeful.
-wishing you all the best for 2010.

tatt2man
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Hello and welcome, Tatt, Glad you found us, and looks like you are well on the recovery side of things. Hope you continue to post here, great place to be.

David in SC

David in SC:
Thanks for the welcome - it is gonna take some time to learn how to translate all the abbreviation and word-stats or is that stats-words?
Hugs.
BRONSON
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thanks geezer99 -
I had the front version of a radical prostatectomy - so lovely neat incision line with staple marks from belly button to pubic mound - thanks for the pharmacy site -
happy new year and hugs
BRONSON
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David in SC
(assuming South Carolina, U.S.A)
I am in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada - population 74,000 - just 1-1/2 hour east of Toronto ( our province's capital - and how far I have to travel to see my family doctor)
hugs
BRONSON
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Hey Bronson,

Welcome and hope your first PSA is zero. It's still a bit early to determine erectile function. I'm 8 months out from open RP and am just getting some good improvement with trimix. I was lucky on IC side...none within 48 hours of catheter removal. Everyone is a bit different with recovery.

Good luck

Larry- thank you for your posting - that is very re-assuring.
Peterborough is a small city-town of 74,000 and is viewed to be homophobic in nature with a good number of gay men very closeted (and / or married to women).
My partner, Steve, and I will be attending our first local Prostate Cancer Support group meeting in late January. We will go to it with an open mind and just go with the flow and see if we are comfortable there. I have been told by the moderator of the group that spouses are welcome - which includes Steve.
Will update you when I get the test results this week on the post-op meeting - having to make a list of what to ask and what pathology details to note -
happy new year and hugs
BRONSON
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Dale - thank you for your kindness
- one question I have been afraid to ask our American cousins ( especially with the heated health care reform debate on the USA news) but how much is all this costing you ( the "metaphorical you" )?
- my surgery - RP - and hospital stay (ward level -in nov 18 out nv 21) was covered by our Canadian universal healthcare plan - in the province of Ontario, it is OHIP. From what I have seen of the rising costs of health care in USA - let alone what I imagine the Da Vinci method and followups would cost the uninsured individual -
- dry humour time - whenever I see Da Vinci mentioned , I flash onto some historian finding old sepia toned drawings of Michelangelo's outlining his new surgical procedures - (sorry , that is the artist side of my brain working)
hugs
BRONSON
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Oh the cost you had to mention it. Well for me I had a high deductible $3400 and then the hospital I chose was out of network so it only paid 80% up to a point then it paid 100%. The first year I had out of pocket of over $30K and last year was about $10K out of pocket. Now that my PSA is rising again I hate to think what 2010 will bring. No matter what I have love joy and happiness in my heart and the situation will not be bigger than I can handle. It will however be much more than I can afford.

peace to you my friend
Dale

Realziggy, I thought that too reading this new friend's post. My surgeon wouldn't even consider the surgery with me, until a min. of 8 weeks from my last biopsy till first surgical date. They tend to like the old prostate healed up before removal.
Perhaps in Canada, schedules are different, don't know how much choice a person has under that system.


Bronson,
I have been fortunate with the cost part. I was dx. after being laid off from my job, my boss paid my premiums for 6 months so that i could be covered, that got me through the big surgery, then at open enrollment, my wife picked me up on her insurance and they had to accept prior conditions. Just forunate timing mostly. I have only had to pay $40 USD out of pocket so far, for my open surgery, 4 days in the hospital, 3 more corrective day surgeries, and 39 days of radiation treatments. I did have to pay $150 out of pocket for an ER visit with one of my many catheter emergencies, but then t he insurance company later refunded us the money..

David in western South Carolina (live in a small city of 20,000 just outside of Greenville by the mountains)

Purgatory said...
Realziggy, I thought that too reading this new friend's post. My surgeon wouldn't even consider the surgery with me, until a min. of 8 weeks from my last biopsy till first surgical date. They tend to like the old prostate healed up before removal.
Perhaps in Canada, schedules are different, don't know how much choice a person has under that system.


Haven't we kept hearing about all those long and lengthy waiting lists up north with their national healthcare?

hiya guys -
I am overwhelmed and relieved at such a positive response to my initial posting.

The turnaround time from initial consultation to surgery varies of course depending on the patient, the doctor and results of testings.
The alleged delay and wait time has been exaggerated in the media for the benefit of those who are against health care reform in the states - as we all know, surveys and opinion polls can be altered ( elimination of or inclusion of data) to show their own side of the story.

My family history - father's side - DAD- prostate cancer 12 years - died due to parkinsons - mother's side - Mother - sarcoma age 47- 1974- still around to bug the daylights out of me and my sister :) - Uncle - bladder cancer - age 57 - died of heart failure 20 years lated - grandpa - colon cancer - prostate cancer - died of heart failure - grandma - lung cancer - died age 60.

My family doctor in Toronto ( unable to find a GP in Peterborough) actually called me at home to make me find an Urologist here in Peterborough - when was the last time a family doctor called you at home?! - my last time was in the 1970's. I was refered to my Urologist/surgeon from Peterborough Hospital - he is well respected and does 2-3 prostatectomies a week .
NOTE: the majority of the population of Peterborough -74,000 is made up of College students and retired citizens -
-
When I got my results from the initial biopsies - the PSA had inscreased in 1 month from 3.64 to 3.86 - and 6 of the core samples taken were cancerous - on both sides- gleason level 7 (4+3) - I asked him if there were any options - and we both agreed it was an No-ifs-and-or-buts - radical surgery was the route to take.

I told him my main focus was "get it out of me!!" and do what you know what to do once you get inside - that included saying, if the nerve bundles looked suspect - don't spare them just for the chance of a boner ( is that acceptable? - the humourous side of me) -

I think I followed up on what was of interest - if not remind me - dementia runs in my family - both sides! - so it is so nice to run into new people every day...
happy new year and hugs
BRONSON
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When you see your doctor be sure to get a copy of the pathology report -- no matter how well you both listen, you won't remember everything. Waiting for the report is painful for most (the rest are liars) but the chances are in the 70%-80% range that the recommendation will be to wait and watch your PSA tests.

Some of the terminology may sound frightening, so be sure to ask questions -- for example "positive margins" sounds bad but is usually only a slight worry.

If your doctor doesn't do it for you, you can plug your path statistics into the slone-kettering nomograms (see the permanent links at the top) to get the probabilities that you are cured.