I'm a rather indolent person, so it suits me! It's a type of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, affecting the B cells of the immune system. It used to have a pretty dismal outlook--10-year survival was around...
Hi all-- Just thought I'd pop in and give an update. I used to be very active on here--a moderator at one point as I recall. I was diagnosed with Gleason 7 (3+4) in 2006 and immediately had a Da...
Hey Mal! Wow, blast from the past! Good to see you here....
great article! This should be a link that will work for non-subscribers....
Thanks all! Stephen, thanks for the caution. I'll remember that. I have to be careful at the dentist--even a routine cleaning entails prophylactic antibiotics beforehand. I'm done with tattoos as...
I meant to include my signature but obviously did not. Here it is: Dx Feb 2006, PSA 9 @age 43 RRP Apr 2006 - Gleason 3+4, T2c, NX MX, pos margins PSA 5/06 <0.1, 8/06 0.2, 12/06 0.6, 1/07 0.7. Salvage...
I had SRT, but it was a long, long time ago. (I just posted a summary of how things have gone recently). I had IMRT. It went very well. I didn't even take time off work. I just took a break each day...
Hi all! I thought I'd drop in with an update. I used to post quite a bit on here a long time ago. I had Gleason 3+4=7 cancer diagnosed in 2006 at the age of 43 and underwent a Da Vinci prostatectomy....
After I saw my radiation oncologist for 5 years (I think), he released me from his care. This was following SRT, and undetectable PSAs and normal DREs. I now get a PSA once a year from my GP, or...
Congratulations! I kind of missed the staff at the hospital for a while after I finished my treatments. And seeing the look in my co-workers eyes when I'd say "heading out for radiation. back in an...
Good news! I am also an alumnus of Da Vinci and SRT. Nearly 14 years ago, and my PSA is still undetectable. Best wishes!...
I don't know anything about the scan (wasn't available or I wasn't aware) but it sounds reasonable to try it. As far as SRT goes, I had it. My experience was very easy. I don't trace any side effects...
I used to be into amateur astronomy....
Congratulations Cary! I hope your outcome is as successful as mine. Now 11 years out from SRT, undetectable PSA....
I'm watching the video right now. By coincidence, the day before, I had just started listening to Fry's narration of the complete Sherlock Holmes. That audiobook is a total delight....
Very good news....
Sorry to hear that, Bronson. Keep us posted. I'll be watching your blog....
That is *very* good news for the American male! If only the Baconator came as a triple ;)...
zzarth, thanks! Towards the end of my salvage radiation I developed a side effect--acute radiation proctitis. Basically bowel movements became painful due to inflammation. I researched things and...
..poking right along at less than 0.1. I saw BillyMac's 10 year post (congrats, btw!) and couldn't resist my own. I had a prostatectomy in 2006. My PSA initially fell to less than 0.1, but soon...
I was diagnosed at 43, but it probably would have been picked up a year or two earlier, if the biopsy needle had hit the right spot. When I was in my late 30's, I noticed an uptick in nighttime...
Good to hear! I was also 3+4=7. I'm now 11 years out from prostatectomy and 10 years out from SRT, with PSA still less than 0.1. My employer offers a free PSA test as part of a mini-health screening,...
Movies: The Hangover ("Mr Tyson would like to know what is his tiger doing in your bathroom?"), Monty Python's Meaning of Life ("It was the salmon mousse!"), Vacation, Christmas Vacation ("Eddie, if...
My side effects were some minor bowel issues that went away within a matter of weeks after SRT ended. The treatments didn't affect me at home or work, and we took a big vacation the week after I...
good to hear!...
When the doctor put me on Bystolic, he did say he wanted to go with as low a dose as possible, to keep my heart rate from getting too low....
I'm on a low dose of Bystolic, a beta blocker, and I am seeing some pretty low heart rates. Often in conjunction with PVCs. I get down to Usain Bolt levels (32 bpm). I bounce back up into the low...
I think this post will outlive me! My plan for immortality worked!...
I had IMRT as a salvage treatment. Like Andrew wrote, it was a little boring. I got some mild bowel issues that resolved on their own (and with the help of a steroidal foam) within a few weeks of...
I'm just 54, and two weeks ago an old friend passed away suddenly from a massive brain bleed. A few months earlier another friend from high school died of a stroke. Both just a few months away from...
Thanks guys! I'm on a baby dose of Bystolic (2.5 mg) and it helps but does not eliminate the preventricular contractions, the cause of my palpitations. My heart was hammering out of my chest at lunch...
Thanks Lanie! No official plan, but I ride a bike quite a bit and get to the gym a couple of days a week for light weight lifting. I also like to do pull ups--kind of a hobby. This is a quiet...
Thought I'd say hello. I beat prostate cancer (knock on wood) a decade ago, and now it's time for heart issues. About 3 years ago I went to the hospital with minor chest pains. They came up with an...
Congratulations Tony--so glad to hear you're doing well!...
I haven't used it, but in Tucson there is an NCI-designated cancer center, the University of Arizona Cancer Center, and they have a couple of oncologists there who specialize in prostate cancer, the...
It looks like it's rising steadily, now, not bouncing around. I would explore options with a highly qualified doctor. If I were him I would try to find a medical oncologist at an NCI (National Cancer...
My PSA was less than 0.1 at one month after prostatectomy. At the next check, 90 days later, it was 0.2. The day before I started SRT it was 0.7. I did not have ADT. My PSA never went back up after...
Paxton, well said....
Ak123, I intended my first response for the original poster in the thread, Howard3569. I apologize for any confusion. If you're looking for success stories where the salvage radiation apparently...
Howard, my unprofessional opinion echoes Bohemond and others above. While it might be okay to wait, unless there's a compelling reason to do that, I would move forward more quickly. The way I see it,...
"Normal" PSA depends on age. How old are you? http://www.medicinenet.com/prostate_specific_antigen/page3.htm You had a negative biopsy, and you're apparently not trending upwards. If your PSA is high...
I was diagnosed at 43 after years of suspecting it. It is unusual to be diagnosed at that age, for sure. Less than 1% of diagnoses are made in the 35-44 age bracket (...
Good luck! SRT did the trick for me....
I would only say that if you are going to have salvage radiation, the sooner the better. Numerous studies, especially the large scale, 10 and 15 year ones by Andrew Stephenson of Cleveland Clinic,...
SRT done in 2007. Just the little tattoos. I think it was a Varian. I don't know the model, but it had an 8-track and ashtrays. (jk) Worked out fine. Had a minor side effect that went away on its own....
very good news!...
I don't regret it. It has given me a long, long remission and hopefully a cure, with no side effects that I can discern (from the SRT, that is. I do have some ED from the prostatectomy). I think I...
I had a colonoscopy 6 years after SRT. No sign of radiation damage. Some diverticulosis, no polyps, nothing else of note. I think I'll suggest to my primary care doc that I have one at the 5 year...
Great to hear from David and Mag! I'm also doing well with my PSA. Approaching 9 years since my PSA became undetectable after SRT....
Getting up at night to urinate more than before, odd sensation in lower abdomen. Neither were likely related to prostate cancer (the former was from drinking beer and having a little BPH). But those...