Prostate Cancer Survivors

 

YANA - YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT SITE

 

 

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follow up to joining the club

first off, want to give thanks for this site. posted in january of finding out i have PC, did not have the results of the fun time with the biopsy. my psa of 10.6 went along of a gleason score of 6+2 staged T3b. the doc said it was agressive, no option but removal asap. Feb. had the robotic removal with lymph nodes, surgery at 10am on a wed. released next afternoon with my new friend. i had my new friend for 8 days before my healing started back. it has now been about 6 weeks since surgery and have some light incontinence, plus the dreaded ED. went for my blood work and hoping for 0.0 but it came back 0.06, go back in 30 days for retest. almost forgot one lymph node came back with microscopic cancer. the biopsy to me was worse than robotic surgery. wish i had skipped the biopsy and just went straight to removal. my bone scan and ct scan came back negative before the surgery, so i quess i watch my level before starting up preventive care? does it take up to 3 months from surgery for PSA to come down or has the cancer spread and where? this seems like a bad dream, hoping to get back to normal, my doctor says give it some time you are going to be here along time. from where i started i feel good about where i am now.

Re: follow up to joining the club

Al,
My case seems very similar to yours. After my operation I met with an old radiation oncologist who told me that since I was T3b I would need the salvage follow up "so have it now or have it later just make sure you get it before your PSA goes above 0.2". I didn't like her defeatist attitude since my PSA was dropping from .05 and had gone down to .03.

Well, in my case she was right on. After about a year my PSA crept up to 0.18 and so I got the 6 month hormone treatment and 33 radiation sessions. Now over 5 years later my PSA is undetectable. I actually enjoyed the radiation sessions; it felt like a relaxation/meditation session. The hormone treatment requires the discipline to watch your diet and maintain a good exercise program. I joined a support/information group and the meetings always make me feel better.

Other than the monthly support meetings and semi-annual PSA tests I don't spend much time thinking about PC anymore; I have other health issues creeping up on me.

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