Thought I'd check back in after having my first post-CK PSA test on 11/7/16. It was 1.58 which is down from the pre-treatment numbers (2.3-3.7). So that's good! Plus, I'm having zero side effects,...
Allen, before CK my volume was already diminished due to a vasectomy. It might be a bit less now, hard to say....
Quick update. I'm now 2.5 months out from my last CK treatment. The slightly diminished stream was back to normal within 3 weeks of the last treatment. Since then, there have been no adverse side...
I'm doing great. The minor fatigue was gone within a week of ending treatment. There was no urinary urgency, frequency or burning. My stream may be a tad reduced still, but hard to know. No bowel...
Jay, don't know if you are familiar with Focal Laser Ablation (FLA) which is a fairly new PCa treatment, meaning most insurers won't cover it, at least not yet. The benefit of FLA is that there are...
Jay, well, that sucks. But there is hope. Lots of it. There are lots of 8s living out there for 15 years, sometimes a whole lot longer. There is hope. Definitely. You asked about surgery. Since...
Thanks for the update! Glad you're doing well....
JohnNW, I just finished 5 SBRT sessions with Cyberknife on Monday. My SEs have been minimal. I have a somewhat reduced urine flow, maybe 30%, but not enough for Flo-Max, at least not yet. My RO said...
Jay, my urologist sounds identical to yours. He even gave me his cell phone number. I can't say enough about all the prostate docs I've consulted. All have been super friendly, patient and helpful. I...
Today, I graduated from my 5 session course in CK! And I may have graduated with honors in that, so far, knock on wood, I am having basically no side effects other than some fairly minor fatigue and...
Jay, I finished my 4th cyberknife treatment this morning, and so far, no urinary or bowel side effects; perhaps a slightly diminished stream but not enough to warrant FloMax (my RO said 80% of his...
JohnNW, you might want to search for recent posts (within last month) from 0311 and rainwest, as well as myself. All three of us have had or are having SBRT via CyberKnife. I finished Round 3 this...
Thanks for the update. Sounds like things are on schedule. I finished CK Round 2 yesterday and have round 3 tomorrow. So far, so good, but that's gonna change here pretty quick....
I meant to add that the CK machine is nuking my prostate with 190 rays and that, as others note, there is nothing to the procedure itself. Like getting an x-ray, you don't feel a thing. The hardest...
Got it! Thanks so much, Allen. Let's give it a try: For a terrific website on all aspects of PCa, please check out the one from our own Tall Allen: http://prostatecancerinfolink.net/ ...
If I want to cite a web address, do I click the URL button before or after I input the address, or do I click it before and after the address. I'm a moron........
Just checking back in with an update. Had Round 1 with CK this past Wed, 3/23, and all went smoothly. Protocol is to go on a low gas/low residue diet 2 days before treatment and maintain that...
Thanks, Allen! Now can you educate me on how to use the hyperlink URL button?...
0311, glad to hear things are going pretty much as expected. That's always good. Hope the inflammation clears up real soon. I go for CK Round 2 in the am. So far no issues, maybe a little fatigue,...
Jay, sounds like you are past the "shock stage" and have now settled nicely into the "what is my best option stage". That's terrific. Yep, you have the same issues and concerns as the rest of us. I...
0311, no Beano prescribed, just a low residue diet starting 2 days before treatment and then continuing for the duration of the treatment. And an enema each morning of treatment. Thanks for the red...
0311, I'm penciled in for 3/23 at St Louis Cyberknife, every other day for 5 treatments. I'm supposed to hear shortly whether that's in fact the start date....
OK, I'm the last of the CK trio here to get treatment; with 2 good outcomes in hand, I sure hope there isn't some kind of law of averages working against me, lol. Thanks for the update 0311! Enjoy...
Jay, Come here any time, we're open 24/7, lol! Back pain, and you're 54....... Heck, that's another club, lol. Seriously, I doubt it's PCa with your stats. Perhaps the best advice I can give you...
Great thread. I wish the criteria for AS was better defined and fairly universal. I researched the heck out of this a couple of weekends ago, and the results were a bit frustrating. Yes, for the very...
rainwest, sounds like the CK went as smoothly as can be expected. And only 4 treatments (I've got 5). Glad you celebrated with a fine dinner. You deserve it! Let us know how the post CK regimen goes....
Sounds great so far! Thanks for the updates....
Here's Epstein's webpage (copy and paste the link): http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/second_opinion/urology/index.html When I called his office, I was told to go through this website....
The good news is that they found it now, that you have good treatment options, that the cure rates are high, and that you don't have to make a decision about treatment today, or tomorrow or even the...
HFTB, I just threw out 4" of the 6" of journal articles and other information I gathered, and read, when deciding whether to treat and if so, with what. The remaining 2" pertains to the treatment I...
JNF, I agree..... 0311, sure hope the radiation went where it was supposed to! We will have nice weather here this weekend with above average temps, so enjoy yourself! I had an MRI (3T, short...
Hope it went well today! I must have missed the "benefits of exercise for CK" thread. I have almost a month so I'll get cracking, I hope....
Thanks, guys! Today the painful urination is much improved. The Cipro may be working. Hopefully tomorrow is better still....
As the third member of the trio here undergoing CK this month, my journey has begun. I am going through St Louis Cyberknife with Dr. David Morris as my radiation oncologist. I live in St Louis....
Thanks for posting HitchHiker. So far so good. Here's hoping you are well on your way to a successful outcome....
Thanks for the well wishes! 0311, the SBRT machine at Mercy is from Varian. The CK machine used at St Louis University is first generation from 2004 when it was initially used for other cancers. The...
0311, I did email with the StL SBRT guy on this forum. He did not opt for CK but had great results with a rival machine at Mercy Hospital as I recall. I will be going with the Dr. David Morris and...
The Rule of 3s seems to apply here, as I get my fiducials on 2/26, followed by the MRI/CT on 3/4, and 5 CK treatments every other day here in St Louis starting 3/23. Rainwest and 0311, I'm hoping all...
John, you're welcome. Can't tell you how much I've learned from the wonderful posters here and how much I appreciate their insights and wisdom. The many docs across the country with whom I have...
0311, I'm in St Louis and have also pretty exhaustively researched the treatment options. I, too, have opted for SBRT with HDR monotherapy a close second. If a person is a candidate for both SBRT and...
Thanks, Allen! I'm scheduled for Cyberknife in late March....
You most probably are. Who was it who said only the good..... I, too, am an identical twin and we were both diagnosed this year. Our dad was diagnosed at age 78. Damn genetics........
Not surprising, but reminds those of us with this condition to alert our sons of the need for screening: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/twins-genetics-family-cancer-risk/ ...
Thanks for the link. I'm not sure what to make of this info, which is hardly new to those of us closely monitoring this disease. Until such time as there's a test which can tell us which PCa is...
0311, each lesion/area of suspicion noted on the MRI gets a PI RADS score....
I'm surprised the radiologist didn't use the PI RADS scoring system to assess the areas of suspicion. Anyway, you are doing the sequence in the right order, ie, mpMRI first and biopsy second. Yes, it...
Had mine done at Washington University last month on a first generation 3T (about 10 years old). No endorectal coil. Easy peasy but the whole procedure took from 11:15am-2:30pm. I was in the MRI tube...
HH, that first link doesn't work. I'll try again..... https://www.inspire.com/groups/us-too-prostate-cancer/discussion/side-effects-hdr-monotherapy-seems-to-have-the-least/[url]...
HH, sounds like you have definitely done your homework. And that's critical. There's another terrific PCa forum (in case you haven't yet discovered it) and here's a link to a thread I started there...
Mike, I am also in St Louis and am seriously considering SBRT. Thanks for your detailed report. Very much appreciated. I was wondering where you had your treatment done and who the RO was. Thanks!...