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Hi Mike,
thank you so much for your very useful comments - I appreciate all your support and expertise. I think I will just stay away from the risk areas ....
Andy
Dear Andy:
I dion't think anyone can give you an answer to this question yet since (a) we don't really know the risk level for the H1N1 virus and (b) we don't really know how well the new vaccines will work against this virus.
I suppose the best p…
not sure if this topic belongs in this section, so please forgive me if I have chosen the wrong 'home'.
I am 4 months post surgery and feeling very well - but I guess my immune system is still trying to clean out my body ... potentially making me m…
Cancer survivors are people who have been diagnosed with cancer and those affected by the diagnosis, such as family, friends, and caregivers.
This is a place to talk about the wide variety of issues that are part of the survivorship experience.
Hi Greg,
Sounds like you are in the very similar situation as I was in in February this year. 41!!! years old, diagnosed with Gleason 3+3 (3+4 after the post RP pathology). Did a bone scan that was negative but skipped the CAT scan, as the surgeon a…
Individual risk, early detection, coexisting illness, suspicious biopsy, just diagnosed. What is my risk? How should I be treated?
Bryan, I wish you the best of luck for your surgery and that it goes as well as it went for me.
And yes, I agree with Ron the catether sucks big time but its only a few days and will be memory very quickly.
Oh, and don't try to be a hero like me and…
Just stumbled across this social network site on medical tourism ... thought somebody might be interested:
http://www.medicaltourismcity.com
I did an endorectal MRI about 1 week before DaVinic RP. It was not specifically requested by the surgeon but in earlier discussions he mentioned that it was a 'nice to have' and will help a lot to get an exact situation of the gland and the position…
I belong in the second category, 41 years old, Gleason 6, prostate volume 27gr. I tooke quite a while to decide the right treatment option for myself. AS was one of the options but I was scared that the cancer would evolve and spread and a later tre…
Hi Eileen,
I am 11 days post-op and could not pass stool after the surgery for 7 days (day of surgery included). This was very painful and I complained with my doctor a lot - he gave me a very mild laxative called Ducolac (in Europe) but this did n…
Profile Information
- Have you been diagnosed with prostate cancer?
- yes
- What brings you to the New Prostate Cancer InfoLink social network?
- Better information about PC as Spain is a little bit underdeveloped in this respect (and I am not fluent in Spanish)
- Would you help us grow the network? Would you tell others about it?
- Yes
- About Me:
- I am 41 years old and have been diagnosed with PC 2 weeks ago.
PSA 4.5(oct'08), PSA 4.5 (dec '08), PSA 3.5 (Jan'09 after 1 month of antibiotics) , GV 27g, no symptoms whatsoever and TRUS was did not show anything either.
Biopsy (20stances) were all clear on the right lobe but 80% of the stances on the left lobe show cancer cells. Gleason Score was defined 3+3.
Bonescan results due in the next days but no further tests done yet.
My MD in Madrid proposed an additional PET-TAC (?) scan and a high definition transrectural ultrasound to detect any metastasis.
I am in the phase of research and fearful waiting of the rest of the results ... and of course checking all my options regarding the best medical choice. Eventhough I seem to be lucky and have the best urologist in Madrid, I am still not convinced about the Spanish medical system.
But my fiancee (yes, getting married on 11. march!) and I are looking positive towards the future.
Andy
Update: Just got the results from the bone scan - thank god this was negative
Update, 14. April'09:
I have decided for Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy with DaVinci and I have chosen to get the surgery done by Dr. Richard Gaston from Bordeaux, France.
The surgery is scheduled for 22. April ... will keep you up to date
Update, 24. May'09:
I underwent DaVinci RP on 22. April by Dr. Richard Gaston in Bordeaux France. Had the Catheter removed 10 days after surgery (prolonged due to a public holiday in Spain...). Besides wetting the bed 2 times after that (3 glasses of wine before) I feel about 99% continent now.
1 month after surgery I almost feel 100% recovered and I have ALL my functions back to normal!
Still waiting for the pathology report and the first PSA test ... and will update as soon as I get the results.
Update, 02. June'09:
Finally got the pathology report today. Final result is (slightly worse than the Biopsy):
Prostatic adenocarcinoma moderately differentiated of a Gleason score 7 (3+4), on both sides.
Absence of vascular blood clot.
Invasion of the capsula.
Stage pT2c Nx R0
Now waiting for the first PSA test ....
3 month post OP PSA = 0.1 (guess the lab could not go more precise) ... I am happy for now
Update, 14. April'09:
I have decided for Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy with DaVinci and I have chosen to get the surgery done by Dr. Richard Gaston from Bordeaux, France.
The surgery is scheduled for 22. April ... will keep you up to date
Update, 24. May'09:
I underwent DaVinci RP on 22. April by Dr. Richard Gaston in Bordeaux France. Had the Catheter removed 10 days after surgery (prolonged due to a public holiday in Spain...). Besides wetting the bed 2 times after that (3 glasses of wine before) I feel about 99% continent now.
1 month after surgery I almost feel 100% recovered and I have ALL my functions back to normal!
Still waiting for the pathology report and the first PSA test ... and will update as soon as I get the results.
Update, 02. June'09:
Finally got the pathology report today. Final result is (slightly worse than the Biopsy):
Prostatic adenocarcinoma moderately differentiated of a Gleason score 7 (3+4), on both sides.
Absence of vascular blood clot.
Invasion of the capsula.
Stage pT2c Nx R0
Now waiting for the first PSA test ....
3 month post OP PSA = 0.1 (guess the lab could not go more precise) ... I am happy for now
Comment Wall (4 comments)
- At 9:18am on June 2, 2009,
Jack H said…
- Andy,
I just replied to the MRI discussion and noticed that you to had replied to this also. Seems like you and I had a similar disease stage (T2C, Gleason 3+4). I bet you are glad to have made the decision to have the operation versus watchful waiting, etc. It seems quite a few people on this site have a biopsy result that is different than the ultimate pathology report post operation (usually post-op seems higher when this happens). Your biopsy result was 3+3. Based on this, you might have concluded that this was not too worrisome and decided to do something less invasive (maybe nothing for awhile). I am glad for you that you did otherwise!
Take Care,
Jack
- At 6:15am on February 19, 2009,
Guy75 said… - Hi Andy. Sorry to hear you are in same boat as the rest of us. My situation sounds very similar to you in terms of age (43), grade (3+3) and stage (T1c). I was diagnosed back in November and it took a while to see all the specialists and decide what course of action to take.
While I initially was tempted by the idea of going for active surveillance, knowing I tend to be a deadline focussed, I decided not to let things drift. That plus some research which seemed to indicate the chances of getting away without any treatment were less than the chances of having the unwanted side effects of impotence/incontinence.
If you want to know more, I would be happy to chat, or you can check out my blog (see profile for link) or links to resources on http://delicious.com/guy75/prostate+cancer.
- At 9:56am on February 16, 2009,
E. Michael D. ("Mike") Scott said…
- Andy:
I don't think you need to travel as far as the USA. There are excellent centers for treatment in England, France, and Germany (and I believe Spain too, although I have less information about Spain). Your financial situation and your health care insurance coverage may be a determining factor. HIFU is far more easily available in Europe than it is in the USA, for example.
Prostate Cancer International has a policy of not making recommendations to particular centers, but others on this web site are free to do as they see fit.
What I can tell you is that (a) Johns Hopkins is in Baltimore, not in Seattle, and (b) the single most important factor in getting the best outcome from any form of treatment is the skill, experience, and dedication of the surgeon or the treating team.
:O)
- At 7:40am on February 16, 2009,
E. Michael D. ("Mike") Scott said…
- Dear Andy:
I am sure that, with a wedding in the offing, there is more on your mind than just the diagnosis. So let's be clear about that first.
You appear to have relatively low risk disease at this stage, but given your age it would also seem very sensible to "do something about it." Assuming that your doctor couldn't actually feel anything significant on a physical examination (i.e., that you have clinical stage T1c disease), the Kattan nomograms suggest that you have an 89% likelihood of organ-confined disease and a 97% probability of 10-year disease-free survival if you have surgery.
You are eligible for almost any form of curative treatment: surgery, radiation, HIFU, you name it. You need to talk to your doctor about these options. If you want more input, you only have to ask. Whether you really need the additional scans is open to some question. If you are being charged a lot of money for the PET scan, you might want to think about skipping it. There are no good data to suggest that the results of a PET scan changes treatment decisions. The ultrasound might be worth having for "peace of mind."
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