I trust my doctors the same, which is highly. I have a whole team right now (PCP, Uro, lung surgeon and Onco). I believe all of them are competent and do care for my well-being. That being said, I...
Best of luck in your journey, Jay! Best advice I can give you is to take one day at a time. Looking ahead constantly only causes a lot of stress (although there may be times that you will need to)....
I would bet that a sunny day vs a dark overcast day also may release some hormones, substantiated by how one can almost immediately feel invigorated with the appearance of a bright sun following...
An annual physical can never reveal all. It is unlikely, as the Governor admitted, that the PCa diagnose was the reason. If he had just received the news a few minutes before, than it may have. He is...
Thank you Gear and Tall Allen!...
Hi Jay, you caught me on a day where I saw your question as I was posting an update to my present situation. I will be happy to share some of my thoughts about cryo. I had cryosurgery in April 2006,...
Hi Everyone, I posted the pasted message below on 1/2 (posted as "joefrompgh;" I guess I have two accounts here and will try to consolidate them in the near future): "Cryoablation 2006; pca slowly...
I am in Pittsburgh. There aren't any "prostate cancer" oncologists but both major health providers here (UPMC and Allegheny Health Network) seem to be somewhat up to snuff as both of them are...
Joined (pending)!...
My journey started in 2005 at age 54. Following cryosurgery in April 2006 (for which the subsequent nadir was a PSA of 0.2), it was basically watchful waiting until August of this year where my PSA...
Ok...I am going to debunk all of the studies to show a common sense reality. Many boys, before they attain pre-puberty sometimes find a surprising thing. Out of no where they have an erection. It...
Bob, the possible affect on PCa of metfomin is interesting and may even be compelling from what I have just read. I must say, your doc is on the ball! Wish you well in your treatment!...
Wow, your doc is throwing the works at it. Is the metformin to be proactive or did you already have pre-diabetes/diabetes? I am on the borderline of pre-diabetes and I will be talking to my PCP this...
"However, if a man chooses radiation over surgery first and then finds out the cancer has spread outside of the prostate gland, the chances or a man living longer than five years is less than 30%."...
Actually, the PSA has been slowly rising and this was expected to occur eventually. But you know how that goes. PCa when it wants to rear its ugly head, will not do so in drips and drabs but it will...
Hi Everyone, I'm not new here. I had full cryosurgery in 2006 and with a psa presently of 13.6, which has nearly doubled in the past year, I will be going on HT soon (sometime in October). Up to last...
I agree with Peter's post. The first thing is to see your hormone test results. It can be as simple as low testosterone and that can be fixed EASILY with T supplements. If your testosterone is at a...
I had complete cryosurgery in 2006, with minimal S/T SE's. PSA has been going up and down since (mostly at very single digit low levels but I am at the point where it has nearly doubled in the past...
Hmmmm...my history is gone: I'll need to update later......
I have a lot of catching up to do here; I've been away for sanity purposes (I'm ok). My cancer continues to be holdin. My latest PSA in February was 1.7, which followed readings of 1.4 in Aug 2010...
David, I can appreciate your thoughts about HT because I share those same feelings. I know that at some point I will need to go on HT and I, too am fearful of the side-effects. The one thing that I...
The usefulness of Keto is intensified because its cost is low (I imagine most insurers would consider it as "experimental"). I do believe that when one goes hormone resistant, one should consider all...
David, If this is any consolation, based on everything I would have done the same thing. I wish you total success---you most certainly deserve it!...
I just got the results from my six month psa----it actually fell from 1.5 to 1.4 after more than doubling in the previous six months. Yes, I am relieved as I NEVER expected the psa to remain stable....
For those currently without insurance..................... As a result of healthcare reform, each state has a designated insurance fund provided to those who cannot get health insurance because of...
David, I retired in early June and took a mental vacation from anything related to PCa. I am now back....Please try to put everything in perspective and don't shoot the horse before it falls. You...
Freet, You may want to pressure your oncologist to give you something that will help your bone strength. Of course vitamin D and glucosomine wouldn't hurt but I am pretty sure there are more potent...
David, That is wonderful news. As to working full-time, is there any way you can operate at times from your home? Since this seems to be a start-up, it sounds like you will have at best, a small...
Fluids before bedtime can make even those with perfect genourital systems have an accident. Worst culprets are cola, beer and coffee. I guess dreaming of peeing could also make one's bladder empty...
LuvMyDad, I had a similar question just a few posts down, so you may want to read some of the responses. As to insurance, many insurers will reimburse at a lower contractual out of network...
De-bulking makes a lot of sense and especially for younger men, in my opinion, it is better to give a full attack than no attack at all. With de-bulking, the removal/killing of possibly androgen...
Thank you all for the feedback! One thing I can say is that this doctor is making a nice living. However, I guess quality has its price. BB-Fan, please let us know your expererience as I will likely...
I am considering setting up a consultation with AIDP (Dr Myers). He is less than 6 hours away. Has anyone been there and if so, any thoughts would be appreciated....
Mel, I'll be pretty much coming in as you are leaving. My wife's retirement gift to me is a trip to Las Vegas (6/6-6/11). And I'm not even a gambler! I hope you have a great time. Joey G...
That cost is more than excessive. It is this type of thing that really angers me because if you don't have insurance, you have to foot the entire bill. My insurance pays $24 for psa tests. The lab...
BB, I assume you did not have a scan prior to surgery. Nevertheless, as Sephie said, lesions are not always cancerous. Therefore, while I know its not going to be easy until you take the next test...
Hi Ray, I am sorry to hear that your Dad's cancer has metasized. Seems that many young men who have PCa have the most aggressive forms. The information that I've read on this thread is right on the...
Hi Georgeann, Your husband had one of the top cryosurgeons, trust me on that. Thinking back, yes he wants to see a nadir (first reading) of less than 1 but, as I said, the lower the better. A...
Statistics can be very very deceiving. I bet those who get treatments, other than radiation also have a 1 in 70 cancer of getting a second cancer. That's less than a 1.5% chance and I think that...
Zufus and I definetly agree on this; however Zufus has actually taken both types of drugs and I will soon be in the process. I would LOVE to take part in a clinical trial for estrogen (as long as the...
My Mother use to say "drugs may help one problem but they create other problems." Interestingly, it was a drug taking care of one problem that ultimately took her life. More research has to be done...
Sephie, Thank you for your thoughts! As to brachy, that would not work. The prostate gland is both very tiny and very dead. The only possibility would be to radiate the area. Ah,somehow I think, its...
akbush, I am in somewhat of the same boat. My psa was 1.5 in February (following cryo in 2006 and clean subsequent biopsies in 2006 and March 2010). My uro wants to wait until the psa reaches 10 to...
I am still looking to hook up with an oncologist; in the meantime something continues to go through my mind that I just don't quite understand: Many of you have have radiation following surgery. (1)...
Georgeann, I had cryo back in 2006. During the past year my psa has climbed, doubling to 1.5 in six months. However, I just had a follow-up biopsy that confirmed there was no prostate cancer in what...
darlin, Your husband's doctor sounds like a real idiot. You have every right to have all of your questions answered. Is he an oncologist? As Zufus said, there are treatments, other than Taxotere,...
This is the type of thing that begs for research money. 82% reduction in tumors in 3 weeks is SIGNIFICANT. Can this become the "gold" standard in treating PCa someday? Well, as the saying goes "money...
JohnK11, I would doubt the HMO would cover SRT unless the radiologist would ethically say on the insurance form (that he fills out) that the cancer is likely in or near the prostate bed. Otherwise,...
Roxy, There are all sorts of theories as to when is the best time to start HT (some theories suggest that HT is a waste of time, however I will not bet my life on that). My Uro suggests a psa of 10...
David, That news just brought a big smile to my face...WONDERFUL!...