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67 year old
GLEASON SCORE 6, 3+3, no 5's
PSA 4
SECOND biopsy of 30 samples came back less than5%
one lobe only
MINUTE FOCUS of ADENOCARCINOMA on pathology report
Overwhelmed by information search on internet. My gut level feeling is to try ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE and use PROTON therapy as PLAN B. Have a consult with my urologist this week and worry i'm not going to ask the right questions. Planning on attending a support group meeting to learn more of the human side of this equation. So far I have only used my partner of 30
years for a sounding board, and I am flooded with feelings of guilt when I do.
I feel out of balance but know that I'll regain that balance with the passage of time. While time may not bring me all the answers I seek, it will bring me close enough to make the answers clearer. This wild and crazy trip I've started on doesn't make any stops at the "guaranty" station.
Any suggestions from YOUR own history for a newbie?
G'day and welcome to the Club you never wished to join.
The details of your diagnosis, combined with your age point to your being an ideal candidate for AS (Active Surveillance).
You've taken a significant step towards this by your actions so far. Of course you feel 'off balance' - the Australian experssion is that you'd be like a stunned mullet when you hear the news that YOU have cancer. OMG....[expletive deleted] is a pretty common initial reaction. Some men then say to themselves
"Well, we are all dying from the time we were born, so does this change the odds of an early death or not; and if so what should I do to change that."
Of course that is easier said than done - there are no rules, no guarantees with prostate cancer. But then there are no guarantees with any other aspect of life. About the same number of men die in auto accidents as die from prostate cancer in the US. Very few men try to calcultae the odds of surviving a trip in a car every time they put the key in the ignition.
You say you want to know what other newbies did? Well my full story is here ; there's a link to my personal decision making process at WHY I DID NOT CHOOSE SURGERY OR ANY OTHER TREATMENT and of course there are more than 1,000 stories from men, some of whom took a similar decision to mine, but most of whom did not - they are indexed here
It may be too early to be exposed to prostate cancer humour, but this quote from the TROOPC page may be appropriate:
A man with prostate cancer doesn't need a hobby." - you have a lot of reading to do.
Good luck and remember there are no dumb questions - keep asking until you get answers - some suggested questions are here
KAPM;
The more research you can cram in prior to your consult the better prepared you will be to ask good questions. If willing and available ask your partner to join you for the consult. Consultations can take unexpected twists and turns; a second pair of eyes and ears can be helpful.
My decision-making process and personal experience with proton therapy is fully documented in my journal; see http://protondon.blogspot.com/
Best wishes Don O.
Let me add my greetings to our Club. I was struck by the similar "stats" you gave to my history: I was diagnosed on my 67th birthday a little over two years ago: GS6, 3+3, PSA 4.6, 1 of 26 cores 5%. My choice has been Active Surveillance, my PSA has fallen since, and I could not be happier with my choice. My story: http://www.yananow.org/Mentors/RogerC.htm
kapm,
If I was in your situation I would strongly recomend AS. With a year or so of AS you can get a better idea of how aggressive your cancer is. It probably is a very "mild" case. If it is a mild case you probably wouldn't feel any problems from it for 10 years and may not die for 15 years without any treatment at all. The other thing to remember is that huge strides are being made in understanding prostate cancer and better drugs and treatments are coming out all the time. In ten years there might be treatments with none of the nasty side effects of today's treatments.
