Diagnosed on Monday......

ACL - Sorry you're dealing with this. It's a horrible moment, no doubt. What I can tell you, however, is that we all came out of it as fighters and that we all adapted to it and that life, in the vast majority of cases, does get back to normal.

this is a raw moment for you. I hope you have loved ones near you to talk with. My wife would catch my crying at your stage and we'd hug, it helped.

You'll beat this, this is typically the hardest part of the journey.

Awww crud. Sorry to hear this. I was diagnosed at age 51 as a Gleason 8, so I think I understand what you're feeling. In fact, your diagnosis sounds remarkably close to mine, other than my PSA was a bit higher.

First of all, I'd bet your scans come back fine. Mine did, but I sure sweated it. It's really unlikely with your PSA that this will be an issue.

Next, please get a second opinion on your biopsy slides from one of the best labs in the country: Bostwick or Epstein. The sticky at the top of the page about being "just diagnosed" explains how to do it. In my case, my Gleason 8 was reclassified as a Gleason 9 (bummer). But if it had gone the other way I would have been a Gleason 7 and that can make all the difference in the world with treatment. That might happen to you. (Fingers crossed!)

After that, start assembling your "team." This is not necessarily the urologist that did your biopsy. You have an aggressive cancer and you want to find professionals that will treat you accordingly. I have some ideas on this, but don'y want to overload you on this. Check out Casey's sticky for other excellent ideas.

Good luck and please keep us posted as to how we can help.

Michael

ACL
Our initial stats are very similar. It sucks that you have to deal with this, but you will get through it. The most important thing right now is to start doing your research. You must be your own advocate for care and don't feel that you have to go with the first treatment option presented. This is a great board and you will get a lot of valuable input. Good luck in your journey.

Regards,
Kris

ACL, for the first week about all you can do is keep breathing, hard as that seems to be sometimes. Life will forever be different, but you will get through this. It's a shocking situation, but you are absolutely not alone! Finding someone close that I could trust, and being able to talk through my fears were major factors in even beginning to cope with this. You've been knocked down; you'll get up and keep moving forward.

In emergencies, a healthy mindset is to work the problem. You can get some great suggestions here for what your options might be, and questions to ask the doctors.

Personally, the people on this forum are a great group. Stay with your initial thread here, and ask, ask, ask for people's experiences and advice along the way. My initial thread now has over 150 replies as I worked through my whole diagnosis and treatment, and today has over 10,000 views. This is an ACTIVE forum.

Oh, and I also suggest the 2nd opinion on the biopsy slides. They're so critical in determining your options. I had Epstein at Johns Hopkins do mine (your uro's office can make the arrangements). It cost me $250 that my insurance wouldn't cover, but it's worth twice that to me for confidence in my treatment plan.

All the best, brother.

ACL, So sorry to hear of your bad news. I was in your shoes just 5 months ago, so the emotions are still fresh for me. This site has tons of resouces and links to look at for your education. I also agree with David, make sure you have a spouse of family member to support you. Don't go at it alone. My wife was amazing and I couldn't have made it without her. We are all still in the journey so you should get lots of feedback here. Good luck to you!