Jean's Page

I was a cancer widow and married a 2nd time. Now married 7 years and my husband has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. I am looking for wives who either have husbands undergoing treatment for prostate cancer or whose husbands have been treated for prostate cancer.
My husband is turning 55 this year and his PSA level went from 5.51 in Nov/08 to 6.17 in Dec./08. We received the pathology report in early Feb./09 and his Gleason is 7(3,4). We had the cores sent to Bostwick(sp) for a second evaluation and the second pathology report was Gleason 7(4,3). A bone scan showed nothing. His urologist believes that his tumour is either a t1c or a t2a. He has a tumour on the bottom half of the right side and the volume is 50%. He is currently favouring having a non-robotic surgery.
Apr. 29/09 - Surgery was on Apr. 20th. The surgeon told us that he would probably take one of the nerves but he managed to save both. He believed that he got it all and "scraped" out a little more flesh around the capsule. He was smiling so I was too.
On Apr. 27th back to the surgeon's partner to get the staples removed and the pathology report. Our surgeon had left for a vacation. The partner would not go over the pathology report because "he hadn't been in the room at time of surgery". I was handed a copy of the report. From the little that I know, it appears that it is a Gleason 8(3,5) and that it was at least 35% total tissue volume. The Gleason pattern 5 occupied less than 10% of the volume. The lymph nodes were clear but the tumour extended beyond the prostatic capsule into periprostatic tissues and periprostatic ganglia. I am very concerned.
May 26/09 - It looks like 8 weeks of radiation and 2 years of hormone therapy.
May 29/09 - Started Lupron. Told that it may be 3 years of hormone therapy now. Will start radiation in 1 month. We are waiting for incontinence to be as good as possible prior to radiation. He is at 1 pad per day.
June 4 - Saw the radiation oncologist. Wendell is to start 8 weeks of radiation in 1 months time. This doctor said that he would not have Wendell on hormone treatment at all! We are now madly trying to find an independant doctor to say whether it should be 3 years of ADT or none. The first shot has already been given.
July 2 - Just returned from a consultation at the University of Washington. The doctor had another pathology report done and now Wendell is a Gleason 7(4,3). That sounded good until we were told that the pathologist found a lymph node with a microscopic amount of cancer. We are completely stunned with this news. Suggested treatment is 2 years ADT and radiation. The doctor said that there is no way to know if we can cure it or not and he suggests living the best life we can. This is an echo from 10 years ago when my first husband was diagnosed with lung cancer.
Juy 16 - Marker seed implanted in preparation for radiation. Radiologist had not been notified about new findings. *sigh*
July 27 - Eight weeks of radiation started.
Sept. 17/09- 8 weeks of radiation completed. Hardly any side effects.
Sept. 30 - 2nd shot of Lupron. Too many hot flashes. PSA negligable.