I've had annual PSA with unremarkable results for many years. DRE only occasionally. But I'm a cautionary case: February of this year my routine PSA spiked from 2.7 to 4.8, so I saw the Urologist to...
As a very recent (12 weeks out) surgery person, I've got to say that my procedure and SEs have been nowhere near the ordeal I feared: I had a vigorous spontaneous erection the morning after the...
Regarding that wandering PSA -- I just met with my surgeon @Mayo Rochester this week for my 12 week followup after sp-RALP. They pegged my PSA at <0.1 and called it "undetectable" (hooray.) I asked...
Yikes Djin, thanks for sharing. Seems like an essential data point for those trying to decide the RT vs RP dilemma. It's a reminder that PCa treatments are moving targets, with new studies /...
Congrats! Seems like Zero Bar is a perfectly reasonable choice for celebrating!...
halbert, Djin, Michael, thanks! My whole PCa adventure coincidentally kicked off just as I bought my first EV, in March. So the typical concern about "range anxiety" is actually not a thing for me,...
Hi everybody, I'm now almost 12 weeks out from my sp-RALP surgery and am happy to post that my PSA is <0.1, which they're calling "undetectable". The two small incision scars are barely visible, with...
Hi Hugo -- is there a PIRADS number indicated from your MRI? From biopsy, is there a Grade Group? Gleason score? I hope you've gotten some clarity from the Urologist, but without any of those...
You should do PT but also look into any gyrokinesis trainers in your area, and try a group class. You'll learn stuff you can then do at home on a stool. Great for strengthening core, mobilizing...
Sorry this happens to you John, but it is temporary and somewhat inevitable, as there are foreign objects in your body, and there are people who have unfortunately stashed explosives in their...
When you get the biopsy results, paste / post them here! There are a lot of guys who can chime in on reading those tea leaves, as they've read them before... So there can be at least some tentative...
1st person point of reference for anyone wondering about traditional Medicare: I had sp-RALP at Mayo Clinic Rochester on June 22. I had spiking PSA in February, re-tested more-spikingly in March. I...
Agree with Sr Sailor -- if possible definitely get the transperineal biopsy rather than the transrectal. I had the former in April at Mayo / Rochester. Aside from the initial tiny pin-prick of the...
Congratulations! But wait -- you forgot to describe the glass of Scotch? nels...
Hello Kindnesswinsoverall (btw - great screen moniker!) I was just treated last month at Mayo Rochester after my PSA spiked exponentially in February / March. You're in great hands there. Among the...
I'll join the chorus suggesting a professional navigator / agent. My PSA spiked crazily 2 months before my 65th birthday as I was flailing about on resolving my health insurance situation, so this,...
John, whatever treatment you decide, I wish you all the best for optimal cancer control, minimal side effects, and a speedy recovery! Everyone's specifics are different — age, general health,...
Lots for John to digest here for making a decision on his treatment. I'd only add, as a recent voice in this room, that there are a lot of continuous, rapid advances with the treatments available....
Hi John sorry we're both here but here we are. I just had sp-RALP ("single-port Robotic Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy") two weeks ago and have been surprised at how low-impact it has been on...
But seriously. Today I'm 2 weeks out from surgery & 9 days from catheter-out, and am having some good days / nights with just minor leakage. Other days with 2-3 "maximum absorbancy" pads per day, &...
halbert I only hope there never comes a day where I'm not able to have a detailed discussion of craft brew tastes! On the continence front I'd say I'm making headway but it's spotty. In a nutshell,...
Ha, halbert -- that Three Philosophers has enough kick to tilt my idle pondering into a flamboyant faceplant. I'm sure the subject of which ale is most salubrious for post-PCa-treatment recovery...
Yep centralPAdude I have been diligently trying to do everything right so I can bring my continental recovery down from 3 months to a mere 90 days. But if I slip & have a beer too many or fail to do...
patrickm -- thanks for the heads-up, don't think I'm gonna attempt any 6 miler walks for a while. Averaging about 2.5 mi / day this past week, generally with one longer excursion & one brisk &...
Mumbo - thanks for the input. (edit -- we cross-posted: I hadn't refreshed the page & seen your last comment when I wrote this!) The "Minor Tertiary Pattern 5 (less than 5%): Not applicable" might...
Got my pathology report and a voicemail from Dr. Frank, indicating he thought it "looks fantastic." Only part that is a bit worrisome for my knowledge-level is the "Extraprostatic Extension" but I...
Michael - yep I have a "convertible" hand-truck which will be handy for moving the safe across the garage, but I may just opt to tip it over & slide it on a clean furniture blanket inside. Our house...
Thanks halbert. I'll pass on competing in this year's Caber Toss championship & hope for a Post-RALP trifecta. I'm feeling pretty good but I'll take it as it comes. Still trying to reconnect with the...
Mumbo - noted on the hernia risk. I'll make sure to refrain from casual log tossing etc. as per Michael's misfortune. I've got a new gun safe sitting in my garage that will need to continue sitting...
Yeesh Michael sorry to hear it was that easy to herniate-- and at 18 months! I enjoy doing yard work so hmm I'll have to back off on casually chucking logs around. Was the hernia at an incision site?...
Ya Halbert the catheter I agree is about the opposite of fun, and I'm actually treating it with a sort of constant vigilant dread that I could trip over it etc. -- definitely don't want to find out...
Thanks Mumbo -- yep my leakage was just a bit at night & when I sat on the toilet for (attempts / or) BMs. So far I've not had the shoulder pains I've heard about from the CO2 inflation. I keep...
halbert I'd wager the surgical techniques have evolved substantially since your RALP 8 yrs ago -- I'm amazed at the progress I'm making compared to what I expected. Anybody else contemplating the...
Carried on plumjammish with me for over 2 months. I diligently expelled as frequently as possible; thankfully my wife is an artist with a punky sense of humor, and she thought it was fun to...
Woohoo three wondrous BMs this morning, after feeling like a bloated cow all night! Thank you Senokot! I've done a fast taper on the oxycodone, hope to stay 100% away from that sh*t going forward....
I had my sp-RALP yesterday with Dr. Frank. He says the single-port machine enables him to do a less invasive retzius-sparing "Hood Technique" and my impression is that it is he's very good at it. I...
I had transperineal at Mayo Rochester in April and other than the mild indignity of 4 people staring at my naked nethers it was almost painless. Healed very quickly -- the 2 small external wounds...
Hi Xmaslover -- What was his previous PSA number, and when was that tested? In my case the amount of elevation over time ("velocity") was an important factor in deciding how to proceed. nels...
Hey Larry / BBQdude -- newbie question: how do I send a PM? nels...
Mattam -- Thanks for the heads-up on the CO2. A new form of gassy discomfort. I'm glad you've made it through your PCa journey thus far and are sticking around to guide newbies like myself. I hear...
Thanks guys. I hope my attempts at humor don't diminish my appreciation for your advice. I'm increasing my standing, sitting & reclining kegels, plus various deep-knee squats, stretches, and cardio,...
Halbert & Mumbo thanks for your insights -- Mumbo I'm pretty sure you didn't mean you urinated & stopped mid-stream in the car while running errands, but just wanted to clarify & understand the...
I've scheduled myself for RARP, June 22, with Igor Frank MD @ Mayo Rochester. He's going to do single-port, pre-peritoneal, hood technique. Anybody here been down this surgical road, or similar?...
In the healthy-diet department -- my wife & I found "The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen" 12 yrs ago just after I was diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer. We thought it would guide us to tolerable meals that...
Hi Larry thanks for the message. Yes your numbers are similar to mine, and your story is helpful for keeping my perspective & managing expectations. I am trying to be realistic about the recovery...
Heya centralPAdude thanks for the support. I accidently posted that before I finished with my update -- and I was trying to figure out how the text shifted to microprint, with no luck... So I edited...
Hello again. I received my results from 2nd opinion @ Johns Hopkins; sorry the pasted text reads oddly / tiny: GU PATHOLOGY CONSULTATION SERVICE Jonathan .I Epstein, M.D., Director. Andres Matoso,...
Thanks for this thread! I look forward to more tips & also -- diet & supplements (Curcumin? Pomegranate?) My wife had un-diagnosed Lyme disease for a number of years and though she's good now, her...
Thanks to you both for distilling this. Another issue in searching for sensitive information: which *browser* should we use to keep these searches private? I've found the Firefox & DuckDuckGo...
I just jumped into Medicare last month. Turned 65 on April 22nd. (Earth Day is my birthday.) Timing was a big part of my process: got my scary PSA spike mid-February which, shall we say, focused my...