Prostate Cancer Survivors

 

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Re: PSA History - MRI results back

GW,

With your numbers it is likely that you will be staged 8 or 9, maybe even 10. It won't matter greatly whether the thing has escaped the prostate capsule. The treatment is likely to be the same ADT, RT and chemo, if you're lucky but not RP. If it turns out to be Gleason 9, like mine (your PSA is a bit higher than mine was) you will find that you have many years of active life ahead of you, but will have to learn to live with a chronic but not disabling condition, for which there are many treatments, more each year.

My oncologist said to me eight and a half years ago, "live for today and enjoy yourself". I have and do. I recommend tackling life with the same positive attitude. Forget the past and forget regrets - they won't help. Most likely something other than PCa will get you in the end. If you keep yourself fit and well apart from the PCa, you'll maximise the chance of that. Go for that GT, fella!

OC in England

Re: PSA History - MRI results back

Thank you guys; Yes, I am quite upset with my first urologist. But I accepted his suggestion to ignore it. Other urologists I saw strongly recommended I take action; I chose the wait-and-see attitude. So I share some of the responsibility for my current state.

I'm trying to rush the next biopsy along - a 20 or 24 needle saturation - and based on some fair MRI data and a couple radiologists who have offered opinions, now at least my doc knows where in the gland biopsies need to be focused, even oversampled.

I was just told the place where my 'benign looking' nodules are is often overlooked in typical prostate biopsies or more likely where risk of nerve injury is greatest. So this biopsy has some chance of getting a good indicative core, as well as real side-effects.

The troubling part is that a few of the lymph nodes look suspiciously larger than others, approaching what is typical of tumorous nodes. The outcome of metastaic PCa isn't very good regardless; but knowing if it's the really aggressive variety or the less aggressive variety is what I am hoping to find out.

If treated, the aggressive variety seems to have a 2 year median lifespan after diagnosis (typically a positive biopsy). So that I am alive today says I'm probably not in that ultra aggressive category (the fact I feel pretty crappy and fatigued all the time counters that optimism). And anything less than aggressive has such a wide range of outcomes.

But my personality. me, I need something to plan around. I can't just 'live for today' as most people seem so easily able to do. All the uncertainties are simply overwhelming. And if treatment makes me feel any crappier - I'm already at the point I've given up all of the activities that I enjoyed and QoL isn't really worth waking up to - working on any of the options I have for moving forward will probably be impossible for me.

But knowing - I guess the "stage" - will be comforting in that then I may have the ability to make some educated decisions.

Re: PSA History - MRI results back

On Mar 29 PSA was up to 76; on Apr 28 it was up 7 points to 83. Saturation biopsy in 4 days.

Fun times ... not!

Re: PSA History

PSA 83
MRI shows a few benign looking anterior BPH nodules
TRUS Saturation Biopsy performed
Prostate Volume > 100ml
22 cores removed
- all cores negative for malignancy
- most cores show chronic prostatitis
- many cores show acute prostatitis
Recovery from biopsy is a serious pain - daytime frequency of urination/bowel necessity around 5 to 10 minutes for day 3 through day 8 (every hour on the hour at night). Day 9 daytime symptoms relaxing, but fever symptoms setting in (sore throat, headache, malaise).

Good news it isn't yet detectable cancer.
Bad news, it isn't yet detectable cancer.

I am in that unique group of men with exceptionally high PSA scores and undetectable cancer. That 1 in a 1000 or more group. So the doubt and associated anxiety will continue.

Doc is resistant to treating the prostatitis. Worried more about antibiotic side effects than an inflamed prostate and its side effects. Trying to get in to see a Health Sciences University for a second read of biopsy tissues and treatment options for a huge prostate that is chronic and acutely inflamed.

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