In discussion with my first uro after my first post-op PSA reading he said he wouldn't start hormone or radiation therapy until PSA went to 0.4. If I'd started with a lower PSA reading he would start...
Thank you Allen My doc has me on a three-month schedule for PSA readings. He thinks that is enough of a window to alert us in time to head off catastrophe. After the RP and a recent triple bypass I'm...
I've been to two urologists and am currently with the head of the local college. He asked if my first surgeon had ordered SRT, and when I told him no he agreed, seemed relieved that I had not been...
For the last 18 months since my RP or so I've been up and down under 0.2 and recently dipped a bit. My urologist tells me that given the pattern he suspects prostate remnants are producing PSA but...
If your palpitations are anxiety-related then the xanax will help. You're going through a stressful time. There is no shame in popping a tranquilizer. It may help you think more clearly. As someone...
How do you know that you're over-doing your walking? I have always been a brisk walker going at least 3 miles a day to work and back and so on -- until the angina started up. I had to moderate my...
To be clear, gentlemen, I don't care about the scar either, it is very small stuff not worth a drop of sweat. And I do recognize the issue of my PSA. However the issue I am raising here is the...
Dr K performed my RP but it did not go as he'd led me to expect. First, he told me that I'd have dissolving stitches so would not need them removed but then post-op, much to his nurse's surprise, I...
I am 64 with angina and GERD. Here are the indicators of angina: - upper body discomfort (shoulders, mid-chest cramping) that goes away with rest. GERD does not go away with rest but will be washed...
A few weeks ago I started with the chest pains on my usual walk to work -- usually brisk, wind in the hair etc. Stops on rest. Doc prescribed nitro spray that when used in a preventive way restores...
Thank you. Your responses are reassuring. Everything's a tumor these days. I'm on the way to certain that my heartburn is esophageal cancer. But now - this burning after orgasm didn't happen at...
It feels like a brief outburst of NSU. A flash of burning that fades quickly but is alarming nevertheless. Alarming enough that I don't give the shrivelled thing the exercise it theoretically needs....
I may understand. I have found support here, but I find that there is more to life than prostate cancer even though given my situation it will probably be the end of my life. Faithful attendance to...
I found Cialis and pot to be a good combination. I know I know pot is not supposed to work but it does. But here's the thing. How come my employer's medical insurance vehemently refuses to pay? Why...
Congrats Sgt P. Now get that thing up and throbbing....
John you first of all are going to have to enjoy what you've got and start from there. You just had your guts ripped out. Give yourself a break. Get some kink into it....
It was a week or so, jvm. It doubled over the month. But my cancer is aggressive I'm told. Even so it is a big spike. Maybe the MRI does spike the PSA but never mind. Have another PSA test. What the...
I had a spike after MRI. Quite a big one. My uro ignored it too. Just wheeled me into OR and had his way with me. Haven't been the same since....
I meant by ****? That wall that kept the sea out of Holland. Nod to censor software. All is well....
My uro wants to start hormones at .4 I have detectable PSA and I know my testosterone is high. The hormones just slow it down, the impact to quality of life is significant. I really like feeling...
Good point about the lymph nodes. I thought about that when my uro started talking about radiation. Like why oh why would we be using radiation if we don't know where the little gremlins are. I must...
I really don't have a medical staff. Or really I share them with hundreds, probably, of other men just like us....
Weight gain is a HUGE consideration. I'm thinking of getting an elliptical trainer. Starting out slow. Maybe a puff of pot. My understanding is that the weight gain can be reduced or even eliminated...
Hey LJ. It's interesting what you say about the hot flashes going away. I was talking with my doc today and he said that the worst part is the adjustment to the new hormone levels. He compared it to...
Oh my! Did the sun just come out?...
It's looking like I'm headed for a round of hormone therapy, but I do like my whisky. The thought of life without it is discouraging. So what's the story? Can I have a big glass of nectar while...
So the only good news about hormone therapy is that you get to live longer but that the living longer is not anywhere near as good as the life that brought you here. So it's a choice between quality...
All right then. It is possible. Thank you for your testimonials and I'm hoping hard that when it's my turn I can return in kind. Despite my cynicism I will take it on when it's time. thanks again....
My post-op PSA is non-zero and rising. My uro says that if/when I hit 0.4 he's going to initiate hormone therapy. My understanding is that HT wipes you out, makes you fat and stupid, and makes your...
I found a big glass of whisky in the company of a good friend to be a tremendous help. Most of us have the obligatory support of our family and friends, but there is nothing more reassuring than...
I want to think that I have the courage to live out my life to its end without fighting the inevitable, without exhausting myself and putting my people through the trauma and drama of watching my...
Thank you all for your encouragement. I won't make any decision now but will consider what you have said when it is time to decide. Thanks again. Stephen...
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From my reading I understand that such an early post-op 0.15 is almost certainly distant metastasis that was undetected by the pre-op scans. The previous measure a month ago (3 month post-op) was...
I don't like to think about it much. I think about it enough to make my decision about the next step and then I put my mind to other things. If I'm going around telling everyone about it, having...
He's 77. Given that he has no symptoms other than the test results, leave him alone. Treatment for prostate cancer is going to knock him down. Let him live out his life in peace. Even with real...
I work for a supportive company so I'm not worried about the fact that I explained to my managers the reason for my absence. The HR rep phoned me to tell me that I had their full support. "You're in...
We have prostate cancer and we think that every little pain is Death coming on next weekend. Pains you wouldn't notice otherwise. Sounds to me like you're over-sensitive to the usual little twitches...
Hi Grandpa, thanks for the link. You are a fighter for sure. Sounds like you have a lot of pain and fear to endure. I am hoping for you. You win, we all win. Hang in there. Grandpa of two....
When my biopsy came back positive I told my brother and my son and a few close male friends. I did not tell my girlfriend (D), did not tell my mother. D had suffered a lot of loss - a job she loved,...
Tarawa and Break, thanks! I've been preparing for the inevitable worst. You've put my reading into a more hopeful perspective....
3 days from the catheter? How long was it in? Your sphincter has been stretched by the catheter and your bladder has shrunk. So yeah get those kegels going and hold your pee long as you can. My...
Hi grandpaof4. How is your sense of well-being while you're taking these drugs? Sounds like you're in a heavy battle and there's a chance I'm heading that way. What's it like? If you have already...
The internal stitches need to heal. Until they are completely sealed, you could rip them open. It sounds like that's exactly what you did. Probably (just guessing - not a doc) it was not a big rip,...
And oh yeah. Good luck with the test compiler. Seems a long time to wait for results. I get mine the same day through the lab's web site. Where you calling from?...
I thought it was going to be all over with the operation. I got through that ok so I suppose I can get through the other stuff. I guess we all understand that once you've had cancer it will always be...
My apology gentlemen, please. I caused confusion by giving my PSA in the subject line and then not repeating it in the body of my note. And thanks to all of you who caught that and tried to...
@reltnie Yes I will wait for the next PSA before hitting the street for a lethal dose of heroin - my preference over the agony of bone cancer, and putting my people through the hopelessness of...
I second Peter's reply. I always have to do exactly what he says to get the dribbles out. A pad would work but I found them stinky. Why oh why do they perfume the pads? So in the early days I put a...