Thanks for pointing this site out. Considering all the research I have done, I am surprised I hadn't come across it earlier. I also found protonbob, but it is geared more for those deciding on proton...
Akai, You have a valid point: I initially had a color Doppler ultrasound done followed with a biopsy - all by by Dr. Duke Bahn - once we saw there was some minor blood-flow. Only one of seven samples...
FoxRun, Thanks for your posting and feedback. I am completely in agreement that the medical community needs to enlighten patients not only about side effects, but also about treatment options - aside...
JohnT, Thanks for pointing out an ambiguity that I did not interpret correctly. In my discussions and while reading all these various research documents, they said that radiation could potentially...
I had an interesting call with a radiation oncologist at MD Anderson last week. He works with both photon and proton therapy and mentioned that based on what he knows about my case he would like to...
PC@52, Thanks for your feedback as that now made a lot of things fall into place for me, along with the feedback from all other posters. I am sure many others reading the postings/feedback can...
Ziggy, I had a brain freeze and had forgotten that you already had your PCa treatment some time ago. Thanks for the URL and I'll see what additional insights I can get from Dr. Al Barqawi on margins...
Hi Clocknut, I guess there is a bit of misunderstanding as I usually don't loose my cool. Nope, I didn't use the phone book to find a competent urologist, which I still have not found in my area,...
Hi PC@52, Thanks for your detailed posting. Sorry to read that you were only 52 years old when you were diagnosed. Supposedly younger men have less problems with side-effects and a better overall...
Hello, Anxious in Florida, Until I got the positive biopsy results, I was more of an outdoor person, healthy and fit. Since then, reading about PCa and learning about it has more or less become a...
Hi Susan, We all think and hope that we make the right decision in the treatment we choose. Everyone's body reacts different, plus the doctor's experience can make a big difference, too, especially...
Joe, I had thought the 'cold spots' were history with the advent of 3D mapping of the prostate, incl. software to calculate positioning of the seeds. In a 2009 video, Dr. Blasko said he had hoped...
Jerry, I appreciate your posting (your "PCa History" pic is great, btw) as you talk about something I don't have a good handle on: 1. Was the location of your tumor in the prostate identified? If so,...
GOP, You have an interesting observation about the clinical trial process. I have considered joining a clinical trial, but I would like to have some sense (control) of direction in my treatment. Once...
Ziggy, I knew Dr. Crawford was well known and a national authority on prostate cancer as he had also been interviewed in a book I had read. However, I wasn't aware of all the affiliations he has and...
JohnT, It has been a long road to get to where I am and this is only one third of the way, if that. If my PSA had stayed at 5.3, I would not have gone for a biopsy. However, at 6.9, I felt I had to...
Ziggy, My info on side effects for treatments comes from many, many clinical trial reports both from the US and Europe which I have read and not from any one institution. You are correct that some...
John T, JoeFl, Most of the literature I read did not mention multiple therapy treatments. Usually clinical trials are only for one treatment. I like your description, JohnT, that treatment renders...
Ziggy, Thanks for your posting. I have heard good things about Dr. Al Barqawi. Is he focused only on TFT, or does he also have radiation and brachytherapy experience? Did the Anschutz Center use a...
Tudpock, GOP, Ziggy, JohnT, JoeFL, et al, Thanks for your warm welcome. You are correct, this is a club nobody wants to join. But I feel better to learn from you than to have to learn your lessons...
Skeeter, Thanks for your feedback and for pointing out your recent postings during proton treatment, which I will review shortly - especially focused on the side-effects. I am glad that things have...
Boogee, I have attached my stats - needed to update them first. My PCa is intermediate risk, but I need to do something before the end of the year. 'Active surveillance' or waiting for six months is...
After trying to find out more about the side-effects of Proton, Photon, or Brachytherapy and not finding conclusive evidence that one is better or worse, I decided to see what the impact is on the...
In my opinion, the doc is playing it safe. I just googled "Rapaflo prostate" and it is used to treat BPH (enlarged prostate). A larger prostate will have a larger PSA output. To be safe, the doc...