It should be overall health that rules RP in/out as a treatment option, not age

We always need to remember that the prime directive is that this is a support forum. I quote "It's a community where people come together, reach out, find support and understanding, and share with others."

halbert said...
Vince: I hear you. Anyone (in the US) who lives out in your part of the country has health care challenges--and life challenges--that are very real. Hang in there.

NJWarrior: I feel the same. One of the first, most important guidelines for this forum is to never criticize another man's treatment path. We exist to do several things--the most important to me is to attempt to advise the newcomer that it's not the end of the world, and there are choices about what to do. Second is to be mutual support both in the early days, and for the long-haulers. I, also, bristle at the absolutists--unless they are telling the newbie to get second opinions and consider the alternatives.

.

Halbert i agree with your comments 100% i would add, that one of the most important things we should be doing, is supporting new fellow PCa brothers 100% in their decision, once that decision has been made and expressed as final. Without that, this place would become a sh!tshow. There is no decision more personal than the decision whether to have a doctor cut you open and rip out a part of your sexual anatomy, or go to another doctor and let him nuke it 40 times in 8 weeks. So IMO any absolutist who denigrates a decision by a brother as to his treatment, is being plain disrespectful, at the least.
Rant over

Back to the original topic, I know, 'and play golf with a number of guys who are in their late 70's even mid 80's who you wouldn't beieve how old they were. One friend is 82,right now he is in Colorado exploring the Rockies and surrounding towns. 6 Weeks ago he returned from a trip to New Zealand. In 2 months he is going to Africa.
Everyone is different and there are many 80 year olds who would take on less risk in surgery than many 70 year olds

centralPAdude said...

Pratoman said...
… whether to have a doctor cut you open and rip out a part of your sexual anatomy, or go to another doctor and let him nuke it 40 times in 8 weeks.

Well heck, when you say it like that I kind of want to do both. 🙂

Well, as I'm sure you know, many of us here have done both. Might as well go all in. 😁

As far as treatments over age 70, just lie to your doctor and tell him you're 60. He might not even bother to check the chart. I lie to my doctors all the time. They ask a lot of questions about things they don't really need to know about.

Me too.

Little under 2 weeks I will be 74. Knowing what I know now and after getting a complete hip replacement middle of December, RALP for me would be just another medium sized pothole on the road of life. If you do not have any major medical issues which might be of concern to your surgeon, with the less invasive modern RALP procedures practiced today almost any age is fine.
My father had a quadruple bypass in 1990 at age of 80. Certainly a much more risky surgery than RALP. Being in excellent shape for his age helped the surgeon make the choice to operate giving my dad many more years of active living.

Dave

I am working on embracing the cognitive decline, myself.

My accountant wife went through the major lifestyle changes we would have to make if we won the lottery...so I quit buying lottery tickets. Like the Dread Pirate Roberts, I enjoy being a person of no particular significance.

In the past 10 years my brother-in-law and a very good friend were each diagnosed at age 76. Both were intermediate risk and needed to treat Each was a “young” 76 year old in excellent health and very physically and socially active. On my advice each sought assessments from two high volume surgeons and two radiation oncologists. My brother in law was in Florida and my friend in North Georgia.

All four surgeons suggested they use radiatiotherapy, but would operate if that was desired, mostly due to the inherent negative effects of surgery and recovery being more significant and difficult at older ages. My brother in law used permanent seed brachytherapy and my friend used IMRT. Both have done very well with no lasting treatment side effects and beat the cancer. Each had several friends and family members that had been treated for PCa, most by surgery, but were open minded about non-surgical treatments based on my experience.

Most importantly they were interested in doing the best job possible weighing the various treatment options by seeking multiple assessments from different specialists.