Jerry L- See http://www.webmd.com/cancer/carcinoembryonic-antigen-cea for info re: CEA. I've been following Provenge's progress for quite some time. My insurance company refused to pay for it and...
142- "I think that the truth of what happens to those who are not in the "98%" is something most guys don't want to hear, but if they don't listen, well..." I guess "There are none so blind as those...
Thanks Tony. My docs here in NJ and at M.D.Anderson follow my CEA readings in place of PSA....
How about a first hand story? My mets are killing me and my PSA has been undetectable for several years. PSA at Dx was 33, underwent IMRT external beam, HDR brachy and then HT and PSA dropped to...
"If you think that their testosterone is checked periodically you must be dreaming...and dead WRONG! It happens all the time...and those that are checked are the exception...$%#&*" I'm wondering on...
I failed on Taxotere a while ago and have been most recently on Jevtana. I've had 5 cycles of the Jev and am just about to e-mail my med onc re: his ordering CT scans to see if I've gotten any...
James C and zufus - Thanks for the kind words....
David- I don't seem to do anything the easy way. I awoke at about 3 AM on Saturday, March 5 shaking uncontrollably. As I passed in and out of consciousness, I kept refusing to let my wife call 911....
I'm sorry to put a downer on all this, but, I've got mets to my right acetabulum and right hip, with increasing pain over the last two years and with PSAs of <.1 and <.2, no higher. I've been in bed...
From WebMD: "March 25, 2011 -- The FDA has approved Bristol-Myers' Yervoy for the treatment of late-stage, metastatic melanoma, a deadly skin cancer. Yervoy (ipilimumab) is the first drug ever shown...
cutie24- PSA (prostate specific antigen) is one of the components of blood. Your 2nd opinion doc will have to know this value so I suggest you look through your husband's paperwork from the first...
Skeeter- Dr. Timothy Chen practices at St. Clare's Hospital in Dover and Denville, NJ. I believe he taught the HDR brachytherapy procedure at one of the most prestgious teaching hospitals in New York...
Carlos- No need to apologize - I am younger than you. There's another malady which goes along with CRS, called CRAFT (can't remember a *****g thing)....
Young guy??? LOL Thanks, but at 67 and with no hope or expectation of cure, or even of remission, I feel as though I'm pretty close to the end of the line. So being chronologically younger than you...
Tony- Thanks for validating my current chemo regimen with Jevtana....
zufus- The OP on YANA whom you quoted responded to my suggestion of Claritin: "Gordy. I thank you again. I think that you answered my prayer. May the pain go away with Claratin. If this does not...
Steve's post notwithstanding and to the contrary, I'm sure the "shot for white blood cells" was Neulasta, which is pretty nasty stuff. My doc prescribed Claritin the day before, the day of and for 2...
I have to make an important decision about that item in May and not sure what to do. I've never been so conflicted in this situation. -Les...
Lemme think about that for a bit. It's been 6 years and I didn't start my diary until almost 3 years in....
It's supposed to work particularly well for guys who didn't do well on Taxotere. My problem is that my PSA is still almost undetectable while the cancer continues to grow....
Zufus- I started on Jevtana (Carbazitaxel) last week. Frequency-once every 3 weeks. CT scan after 3 cycles, which works well for me since insurance company approved me for 4 cycles. I'll keep you...
OMG Bill. I can't believe it. Sincerest condolences from Carol and me. Please e-mail me - I lost all your info in a dead computer. -Les...
Which did he do first DRE or blood draw? If he did DRE first, find another doctor....
Hey Tony- (Don't anyone else read this.) Remember the last time one of my posts generated this many responses?...
OK you win. I can't come close to being expelled from nursery school. But if you want to match seriousness of Pca..............
Sleepless- Thanks for noticing the landmark 500th and for the congrats. Due to a self-imposed ban several years ago (it's a long story) I wasn't supposed to accumulate that many posts. Oh well,...
Alf- I was thinking about U.S. cats.LOL You're correct, of course and I've fixed it....
Nah, I doubt it. They have 9 lives, you know....
E-mails are hard to find. At first office visit I take several of doc's business cards. If his e-maill addy isn't on it, the script goes: "Is there an e-mail address I can use to reach you? I promise...
"starting the letter to the doctor asking for his help /thanks" Dear Dr. Jones, My husband and I need your help. He has been diagnosed xxxxxxxxxx. We have decided that Da Vinci robotic surgery is his...
I switched med oncologists during chemo. New guy insisted on Neulasta after the first infusion with him. I knew my white blood count would be fine (from previous infusions), but I finally gave in....
Who's going to tell Strum?...
It doesn't matter what his stats are at this point - fire this quack and find a competent, caring medical oncologist....
Fairwind - "2) The biopsy procedure penetrates the urethra, perhaps multiple times, to get the samples the U-doc wants.." Really?...
Jerry L - CT caught the lung nodules and bone scan found the hip lesions....
Tony- I had a lung biopsy last Monday and have been (impatiently) waiting for results. After having been told definitely that my Pca is not small cell six years ago, now the thinking is that maybe it...
I do. And also to my lungs....
As someone who has followed Provenge's progress for several years I think that is a very accurate and informative article. Thanks for sharing it with us. There are just two minor points I'd like to...
Formypops- My total experience with MSK in Basking Ridge was a phone call to the oncologist who was suggested. After chatting, she asked me to fax her my previous reports, which I did. That was about...
DJ- Custom tailoring meds to the individual is exactly the idea behind Provenge and it's not-quite-ready-yet cousin, Neuvenge....
If you decide to interview a radiation oncologist, I strongly recommend Dr. Timothy Chen at St. Clare's in Dover and Denville....
You stand corrected on the survival time, too. 4.something months is the median time - some guys have survived for years. Getting chemo, for the most part consists of sitting in a recliner for a...
Is $40,000 for sitting in a recliner for an hour worth it? How much is your life worth to you?...
It's $31,000 for each of the three treatments, Medicare and most insurance companies will pay for it, although the same dirty politics which has/have plagued this treatment from the beginning still...
Are you aware that MSK has a facility in Basking Ridge?...
^^^^Casey59- A great book. I send copies to friends as they get diagnosed....
I'd like to play devil's advocate and ask a question. Since I have no idea what the post contained, my devil's advocate question might be ridiculous in this instance: would it have been alright for...
My PSA has been undetectable for 5 years. I have mets all over both lungs and on my right pelvis. A new one on my right hip is causing horrible pain. I'm on oxycontin and oxycodone and am to start...
Dr. Myers talks about a patient who'd been on a Provenge trial, then Taxotere and had a PSA of over 2700 with bone mets in December 2008. Myers put him on Estradial + Ketoconazol + Lukein and by...
Especially for those who've given up hope: http://askdrmyers.wordpress.com/2010/07/07/provenge-case-study/...