Hi Everyone! I have been a little remiss in not keeping my thread up to date. On my 2nd anniversary after proton radiation treatment my PSA had dropped to 0.7 (April '09). Six months later (October...
Hi Squirm I believe that Loma Linda, one of the first proton centers to treat principally prostate cancer patients has produced long-term stats among its patient group. I seem to recall that the...
Hi Everyone I am a little late in posting my last PSA test on 4/17/09, which was my 2nd anniversary after treatment. I was blessed with good news that my PSA had dropped from 1.0 to .07 in the past...
Hi Darkkmann1 I was not asked or advised to have hormone therapy in conjunction with my proton treatment in early 2007. You did not indicate in your message whether or not the proton treatment center...
Hey mwj4nyc I did not look into IMRT (x-ray radiation) beyond my research on the internet. IMRT/IMGT is much more sophisticated today than it was years ago when it produced some very negative side...
TC-LasVegas 11/22/09] Hi Dave, Great post, yet again. First it's just always nice to hear from you. But also your treatment modality and success is something that deserves more attention. Your...
Hi Everyone I have updated my thread above to refect my most recent PSA test 19 months after proton treatment. In the past 7 months my PSA dropped from 1.6 to 1.0. At this Thanksgiving time...
Dear Golf & Cycling! You were very fortunate to find this forum--it is one of the best resources to help you decide on your treatment of choice. The members here are "over the top" and much is to...
Dear Jim I have sort of disappeared from this forum for personal reasons, although I keep my thread on proton treatment updated quarterly when I have my PSA tests. I did some checking around the...
dear artu7 i am happy to hear that my postings about my proton therapy treatment may be helpful to you in making a decision on your next stage PCa treatment. my heart goes out to you and other men...
Best of luck on your proton treatments. I was fortunate to find my proton mentor on YANA who was so helpful to me. Please keep us informed of your progress! Dave...
Dear Lee (Bluebird) I am not as active on this forum as I once was because life moves on for all of us. I only discovered today that you are on another journey in your life now. Your contributions to...
It always breaks my heart to hear of anyone suffering after their treatment for PCa. I have never been one to promote any form of treatment for PCa, other than to tell of my personal experience with...
Dear Dale Fortunately I am not taking any form of HT. However, after I was diagnosed with PCa in September 2006, I started to have sleep problems. Prior to that time, I usually went to sleep...
Hi Jim Jim, I hope your latest surgery ends your long and challenging journey to achieve a healthy future. It is obvious from your numerous postings hear over a longer period of time that you have a...
While HIFU treatment has not yet been approved by the FDA for use in the U.S., they have approved trials for this treatment which are now underway. HIFU treatment, which is relatively new...
Hey Charley That's the way it always goes. Hopefully you can pass on the extra copy to another PCa patient in the future who has to make the tough decision of selecting a treatment. If the Florida...
Hey Charley I think you will find Bob Marckini's book helpful in cementing whatever treatment decision you have made or will make. True to form, most urologists recommend surgery (mine recommended...
Hi Charley (Corynski) There is a simple reason why prominent prostate cancer surgeons, such a Dr. Patrick Walsh of Johns Hopkins and Peter Scardino of Sloan-Kettering don't say much about Proton...
Hi Tony Nice to get your message. While I may be out of sight from time to time, I am not out of mind about the many wonderful members here, especially you! You have contributed so much to this forum...
Dear Jim (biker 90) Sorry to hear that you have to undergo more surgery to keep your lungs healthy. You are a real trooper, always with strong determination to conquer any and all of life's...
Hi Richard Just wanted to let you know that you are in my thoughts. Your postings are very helpful. You have raised my curiosity--what did you rub your arm against in the dressing room to cause such...
Hi everyone I was happy to discover that this thread is still alive! Best of luck to Richard and Charley as they pursue their radiation treatments (i.e., proton or a combination of IMRT x-ray and...
Hi Bill Your decision is a tough one which only you can make based on the best medical advice you can receive. Coincidentally, I just made a posting today relating to a study undertaken by Johns...
This study appears to be a significant finding for those who have to face recurrent prostate cancer after surgery. Radiation Therapy Prolongs Life in Men With Recurrent Prostate Cancer AScribe News...
Hi Jon My heart goes out to you--hopefully you will be able to find a solution to this horrible problem. You didn't mention if you have tried to seek an independent opinion for a top urologist or...
I was shocked to hear of your husband's biopsy experience which seems to have been performed in a very undignified manner. I would have considered writing a letter to the head of the hospital where...
Dear Richard I have not been as active in this forum in recent months, but just came across your posting here. I checked out your great website which should be very helpful to those who are trying to...
Hey Jim So nice to hear from you and get your comments from your personal experiences which are always of tremendous value to all of the members and readers here. I never dreamed of potential scar...
Hi Charley I am on Medicare and elected proton radiation therapy for my treatment (which unfortunately is probably the most expensive treatment for PCa because of the huge cost, $100-$150 million, to...
I read the following article which appeared in today's New York Times, which should be of interest to this forum. I was somewhat surprised by the article--this being the first time that I had ever...
I think this is useful information to this forum. While the FDA has not yet approved HI FU treatment in this country, they are permitting clinical trials. Inasmuch as I had proton radiation therapy,...
Ladies & Gentlemen: This is a wonderful forum with information that often cannot be found anywhere else (i.e., the practical experiences of all of us who have been treated in some form for...
Hi Everyone! Sorry I have been absent of late, but I have needed a break for awhile. I recently met a guy (early 50's) at a local PCa support group who had a radical prostectomy about five years ago...
Hi Tony Well said! I like your objectively. I am so happy to hear that your robotic surgery went well and that your side effects have been minimal. It is refreshing to hear this and hopefully we will...
Hi Tim I happened to read the article earlier today because I am on a list with the NY Times to get e-mail notification of any articles they publish on prostate cancer. It is interesting that they...
[color=#0000ff>Dave P.S. Thanks for the hug! Chirp! Chirp!...
Hi Dmid We are all here to help! You are most welcome! Here are the questions you asked me in a separate thread which Bluebird has posted above. 1. How does one go about getting their biopsy slides...
Hi Dmid I am responding to your questions in your original thread as Bluebird has suggested. Tim has done a great job above in explaining to you the procedure for getting a 2nd biopsy opinion from...
Hi Dan WOW! We have all read about surgical implements being left in the body after surgery and it sure is scary. Luckily your surgeon eventually resolved the problem, but unfortunately subjected you...
Hi Tim Great post and great question! Like Lifeguyd above, I too am retired, so perhaps it made my decision not to hide my PCa very easy. Nevertheless, I think I still would have been very open about...
Hi FairRider AUS gave a great explanation above which I can't really improve upon! I just want to say that before I made my treatment decision I consulted with a top prostate cancer medical...
Hi Dmid Your Dad's projected stage of PCa appears similar to mine was when I was diagnosed. He would be a prime candidate for some form of beam radiation treatment. Please read my thread referenced...
Hi Ken From my previous research, I have found cases where surgery for recurring PCa may be possible after beam radiation treatments (i.e., IMRT photon or x-ray radiation and proton radiation which I...
Hi FairRider Awhile ago I set up a separate thread to get members to indicate if they had certain scans taken after a positive prostate biopsy. I was amazed at the small percentage of those who...
Keep some of the light-hearted humor coming! There are too many heart breaking postings lately. I hope whatever fate becomes me in life, that my life-long lust for humor and laughter will never cease...
Dear Lifeline You story is heart breaking. I am not sure exactly where you live (it appears to be somewhere in Canada) or to what extent you have access to a top cancer treatment center (assuming...
Dear Tony I was so happy to hear the wonderful news about your recent PSA test. May God continue to bless you and keep your PSA in check for a long and healthy future. You are to be commended on your...
Hi Paul Please don't apologize for any PCa subject matter that you write about[b] it! The sky seems to be the limit in this forum--our members are "cool" and have probably covered every conceivable...