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Posted 9/20/2007 10:34 PM (GMT 0)
 how do we refer to ourselves and or when do we? 17months out waiting for result Post edited to correct font from:      Garmond 10   to Verdene 9     Post Edited By Moderator (bluebird) : 11/10/2007 8:26:50 PM (GMT-7)
Posted 9/20/2007 10:47 PM (GMT 0)
mjr,
My thought about is in their definitions. I pulled the definitions below from the web. You will not know you are cured until you have proof. Only time can tell. Therefore only remission can apply for now. I am in remission and that was declared by my oncologist. But I am still on HT and therefore I am still in pursuit of a cure. If after I remove the HT, and I hold an undetectable PSA, then my remission will be considered durable. As long as I have to have PSA tests, I am not cured. Another here at the site stated something that I think is very true. When you die of something else, you are cured of prostate cancer. A little tacky, but it's accurate.

Remission:
1. The state of absence of disease activity in patients with a chronic illness, with the possibility of return of disease activity.

cured, cur·ing, cures: v.tr.
1. To restore to health.
2. To effect a recovery from: cure a cold.

Tony
Posted 9/20/2007 11:59 PM (GMT 0)
I am the dolt, or one of the dolts who commented that I would know for sure that I was cured when I died of another cause. I said it because I believe it to be true and I am, in fact, a most refined person. I know what a banjo looks like. Also, a piano. I can play neither, but then I can't play anything else, either. But Tacky? I think not. I bathe occasionally and brush my teeth once in a while.

In fact mjr, I don't know the answer. My personal truth is that I'll know when something else gets me.

Regards,

Bill
Posted 9/21/2007 12:14 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry Bill,
Your personal hygiene is not the issue. Though I thought it was your doctor who told you that, thus you are off the tacky insinuation. That stated, I play a little banjo and piano (very little) and that duet would probably be tacky as well.

Tony
Posted 9/21/2007 12:24 AM (GMT 0)

Hey Tony, I thought I was being funny with the bathing comments and such.  I expect that you play the banjo a lot - and very well.  My wife is a good tavern piano player.  Can't read a note, but can play most anything.  I have no idea how she does it.  Have no idea how any of you do it, actually.  I have less talent than any human who lives.  I kid you not.  It doesn't bother me - I'm used to it.

My doc didn't say that to me.  It ocurred to me several months ago.  It's one of my truths, but may not be the same for others. 

I sent a note on your msg regarding your recent excellent test results and evidently messed it up, 'cause it ain't there.  Anyway, super congrats to you and your bride and I hope you have many, many more of the same. 

Regards,

Bill

Posted 9/21/2007 2:43 AM (GMT 0)
Hey MJR,

I wear a really ugly black T shirt to my PSA apointments. It says "I have cancer but cancer does not have me". I told my uro I would burn it when he said I was cured. He answered "five years of zero PSAs". I'm looking forward to it.

Jim
Posted 9/21/2007 3:39 AM (GMT 0)

MJR:

I have to agree with Jetguy - I think once you have cancer of any kind you must keep up the tests that will alert you to any reoccurence.  Maybe a better term is "survivor".  My brother had surgery with an excellent path report - 6yr later it reappeared - maybe not what we want to hear, but it's a fact of this disease.

Dutch

Posted 9/21/2007 4:44 AM (GMT 0)
Interestingly,
I was at an USTOO meeting tonight and it was at my cancer center. The guest speakers were all MY doctors. Almost the first thing out of my chief oncologists mouth was "cured is not part of their vocabulary." He went into a case where a T1C patient was surgically T1C and PSA was 4.1 pre-op Gleason 6. 14 Years later he is a new patient at the center Stage IV. I guess we all want to believe that the cure is there, and in many cases it is similar to a cure as it does not recur and we die of something else.

Tony
Posted 9/21/2007 6:24 PM (GMT 0)
Okay and thanx My Doctor won’t use the cured word either I guess its something we deal with once your labeled its stuck with you I just felt if it was removed its like it never was but that would be in denial I suppose oh well I get the PSA update Monday and so Be IT !


55 psa >0
54 psa 8+
53 psa 3.2
Posted 9/21/2007 8:41 PM (GMT 0)
I always thought that if there is no reoccurence after 5 years then you are consiered cured. My urologist told me that the technical benchmark is 10 years. My mother passed away about a year aog at the age of 92. She had breast cancer and a radical masectomy when she was 52. She died of the reoccurence of the breast cancer after 40 years. So I guess there is no safe benchmark.

Tamu
Posted 9/22/2007 12:58 AM (GMT 0)
I'm with Dutch on this one. I prefer "Survivor." The way my urologist explained it to me was that there was always a chance that the cancer could come back no matter what the post op pathology report stated. Cells missed can lay dormant for years. However, he did say that the chances decrease as the years go by. But then again, there's the example that Dutch stated about his brother and how it came back after six years despite a good pathology report. Live for the day and be thankful we survived, brothers, and don't think about recurrence. We'll all cross that bridge if and when we come to it.
Posted 9/25/2007 9:03 PM (GMT 0)
I suppose one will post the bad along with the good I have been given the news, that possibly the PSA has risen to .1 which may seem a small amount to some but makes a world of difference apparently to my surgeon so a second test to solidify the examples validity will commence in three weeks just so I get a chance to think on the next steps if any. I have an opened mind and a loving family. My Hart goes out to all on this and for that matter every forum associated with this sight.
Posted 9/26/2007 3:59 AM (GMT 0)

I like the term "Survior". I'm working on getting to that point. My Ocologies has only used the term "not-curable" in my case. We don't use the "T" word in our house. So I am a "Hard Fighting Soldier".

My radiation Oncologies did say that if I got hit by a bus, then PC didn't get me. A nice thought.

What ever we want to call ourselves is of no importance. We have all been in a fight for our lives. We should just say we are winners. We fight the good fight and then receive a award in Heaven. All this is at the Masters choosing.

So to all the WINNERS out there..............War Eagle.

Walt

Posted 9/26/2007 1:45 PM (GMT 0)
It is hard enough coming to terms with the diagnosis, treatment, and post surgery cancer issues, let alone living with the possibility (more for some, less for others) of recurrence. Sometimes the whole cancer thing seems surreal to me. Cancer was always something that affected someone else, not me. I don’t know if I’ll ever come to terms that it struck me, and it seems so strange now to check that “cancer box” when filling out medical and insurance forms. However, I firmly believe that the cancer experience has made us all stronger, wiser and given us a greater appreciation of life.

I agree with Walt, we're all WINNERS!
Posted 9/26/2007 2:08 PM (GMT 0)

Hey you Guys,

It was me (the real Dolt) or my Doc (the tacky one) who said Your only cured when you die of something else. Anyway, i just wanter the right person to get the brunt of the name calling! Sort of " give the tacky credit to the dult who deserves it!" But at least we are all still here discussing the matter, RIGHT?

Your buddy,

Pete 

Posted 9/26/2007 3:11 PM (GMT 0)
LOL,
Alright, Alright I retract the tacky part. But you are right, the post that I had read was Petes. Thus Bill, we are back to just the personal hygene issue. LOL. I am way out of line today, don't look at my post for Doting Daughter.

Tony
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