I was 43 when diagnosed with 3+4=7. My PSA was higher. My surgeon said I wasn't the youngest guy he had seen but I was the youngest in several months. Dr. Menon was booked when I wanted surgery, but...
Politics and conspiracies aside, when I needed the meds I had good luck using overseas pharmacies outside of FDA jurisdiction. I've used one that is based in the North but gets the pills from India....
Not exactly rock solid, but seems to be worth attention: "They initially identified 857 relevant records, ultimately citing 69 studies in their paper. They point out that most studies were...
I have just the pain part. It's mild in my case. A urologist (not the surgeon) suggested it was from things gathering for the release that never happens. He didn't seem concerned about it and I got...
My surgery was with Dr. Stricker at Henry Ford. He came highly recommended by those who had worked with him. My outcomes were great. Zero incontinence and ED cleared up quickly. Two years out my PSA...
I originally wanted Dr. Menon as my surgeon and clearly he is one of the best. As I zeroed in on Henry Ford's Vattikuti Urology Institute I ended up going with Dr. Hans Stricker, who is also a part...
My surgeon, who is generally very knowledgeable about current research, told me in his experience cancer tends to be more aggressive in younger guys. He said the nomograms are less predictive of...
A social worker with oncology experience once told me that cancer survivors (and their families) were like people whose houses had been hit by lightning. They would naturally be nervous during...
Snowbound has a healthy attitude. Maybe I'll get there eventually. At 18 months I still worry too. I know the odds are strongly in my favor but I think the whole experience taught me I can still lose...
Right. Sure. Of course. I would NEVER drink that much green tea. And I can quit whenever I want . . ....
I just about spit out the green tea I was sipping as I read this one: "Heavy tea drinkers at greater risk of prostate cancer": http://pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=69671&sid=2 I'm still trying...
I was very open about the whole process as I went through the PSA scare, diagnosis, and surgery. I was surprised by the number of people who complimented me for being "brave enough" to talk about it....
It's one of those hypocrisies I recognize in myself: I chose an experienced surgeon at a center that prides itself on having pioneered robotic surgery. But if I had been there 10 years or so ago and...
Core percentages are only a rough indicator, of course, because they are so dependent on how directly the biopsy doc hit a tumor. I had one core at 100% but post-op pathology showed only 5%...
There's something about surgery (or any primary, potentially curative treatment, I imagine) that can calm a guy down quite a bit. My anxiety started high and increased right up until I went under. I...
Belated follow-up with the actual post-op pathology: The surgeon did multiple frozen sections during surgery of lymph nodes and "tissue" he saw on the urethra. All came back normal. Contrary to our...
Sorry for the late follow-up: All the doctors we saw (two surgeons and a radiation oncologist) were very patient in answering our questions. As I expected, most of our questions were answered in...
Yes, Stricker is at Henry Ford. I know people who work in oncology at Henry Ford, and they told me Dr. Menon will be traveling for a while. Hans Stricker came highly recommended by those who work...
Just what I needed, Susan. I'll go over that list and add some things to mine! (BTW cutting and pasting the link worked fine)...
Thanks for the insight Sonny! I may have more specific questions about Vattikuti. I'm currently a part of the U of Michigan health system, so the path of least resistance is just to let them schedule...
I'm getting ready to meet with the first of two surgeons in about 24 hours (2:00 on the 31st). I'll also be meeting with at least one radiation oncologist at the University of Michigan (maybe more)....
Oh, and I am in the Ann Arbor, MI area so my Dr. Stricker is Hans Stricker at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. He also came highly recommended. He works with and learned directly from Dr. Menon. If...
So the call on the PNI appears to range from neutral to moderately negative. I don't completely understand how PNI can be related to aggressive tumors but not to prognosis, but that does appear to be...
My doc gave me results by phone but I just got a look at the actual report and his summary. I didn't know I was supposed to be worried about "perineural invasion"! I asked the doc on the phone if...
Oh and Dr. Lee keeps coming up. I really should try to get an appointment with that guy. I'll be taking my slides to Dr. Stricker so I hope to get a second opinion on the interpretation there....
So I'm hearing 6-8-10 weeks. I have an appointment with Dr. Stricker at Henry Ford in Detroit on Monday. I'll be interested to hear what he says. I know I shouldn't rush into this. A couple of...
I just got my biopsy results this week. I'm going to do all the consultations but strongly suspect I'm going to have a robotic prostatectomy. One of the schedulers said they have to wait some number...
Thanks all! I will start a new thread with some new questions. I know I'm supposed to slow down and consider my options and I promise I'll do my best. At my age, though (43), with a rather steep...
Just got the call. It's cancer. Gleason 7 in 5 of 12 cores. I'm supposed to consult with radiation oncologists and surgeons to decide treatment, but if I could get the thing taken out today I would....
Dr. Lee in Rochester keeps coming up. We recently had a relative recommend him, too. If the biopsy turns out negative and if the PSA keeps going up we may schedule an appointment with him. The...
No news yet. Probably a few days of waiting left. April6th was right about the colors. Despite instructions to abstain for a week, with the clear urine we just had to see if everything would be that...
Thanks for the stories good and not as good. I figure the best result would be a negative biopsy followed by a PSA decrease that stays down. That seems like a longshot, though. My wife and I agree...
Thanks all for the support, information, and perspective everyone. I agree I want to catch any cancer early. I also agree survival to be a parent and husband is my main job. My supportive wife, who...
Okay, so compiler says I don't have PC! Thanks! Seriously, I do appreciate the perspective, and you know I must be eager to know for sure if I'm actually LOOKING FORWARD to the biopsy . . ....
Hi All - I've been following the discussions here off and on for the past couple of months since my first PSA spike in December. I can only handle little bits at a time before the anxiety gets too...