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I recently decided to join this group as a part of my healing process. In fact,

I'm through the worst of it and am decidedly on the " downhill " side.

But where did it all start? Unfortunately I'll never know, as I just turned

fifty in 2009 and never had my PSA taken. So when I went in for a general

check-up last year, they included my PSA along with my other exams. And when it

came up as a 51 (yeah, Five-One), they were sufficiently shocked. I went ahead

and had my first rectal sonogram, which initially diagnosed two masses, then I

went to a urologist for a second sonogram which confirmed the original

diagnosis.

I had other exams (MRI, bone scan, CAT scan) all of which confirmed the original

diagnosis but fortunately nothing else. The biopsy originally came back with a

Gleason score of 7 (3 + 4), and the urologist put me on Casodex.

Then I had a stroke of good luck, as I managed to get introduced the Head of

Oncology at the Policlinico here in Rome (Italy) where we live. He basically

took me under his wing and gave me top-notch personal treatment. I had all my

initial testing, blood banking, etc. done as an out-patient, and I was only

brought into the hospital the day before my operation, which they had already

decided was going to be a retropubic radical prostatectomy.

The operation was quite extensive (~5 hours), as the full removal of the

prostate required more time then they initially expected. The reason: they

wanted to check all the lymph nodes (all clean, all salvageable, fortunately),

save the right side nerves, and most importantly make sure they removed all

cancerous tissue. Luckily they were able to do all of the above.

I was in the I.C.U. by around 8pm, and was back in the ward by 9am the morning

afterwards. I had all kinds of tubes (catheter, blood drainage, tube in my neck,

and 2 I.V.s). The first few days were a pain, as I was weak, couldn't move and

couldn't sleep.

I was on my feet on the 5th day, and was semi-walking by the 7th day. By that

time I only had the catheter and the blood drainage tube. They started me on

the catheter " exercise " , i.e., where you put a kink in the hose and actually

urinate into the bag, and that was the hardest part of all: utter pain (passing

the blood clots, etc.) for about a week.

This part of the process seemed to take forever, but the doctor said that the

goal was to have me walk out of the hospital on my own two feet, without any

tubes, and basically autonomous. So I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

Suffice to say, three weeks after my operation, they approved my general health

and allowed me to leave the hospital. My values the day I left the hospital:

Gleason: 8 (4+4)

Classification: UICC 2002 pT3a pNx pMx - G3 R0, Stage III

PSA: 0.51

That was already a month ago, and I'm happy to say it's been baby steps of

progress ever since. My incontinence is fairly under control, as I'm using my

wife's minimal absorbent pads and don't leak much save for the odd sneeze or

cough. No erections to speak of, but I'm hoping that resolves itself in the

next 2-3 months. Also because I can manage some slight penile movement, so I'm

thinking it's just a question of time.

Anyways, that's it. As the song goes, I'm a Survivor. And every day I see a

little progress, so I'm a happy man.

My Big Question now: I'm slated for radiation therapy in April for 2 solid

months. I'm not overly worried about it but I'd love to hear what others have

to say about it. It's not the preventative proton therapy, just the banal,

post-operation, let's-just-be-sure radiotherapy. So if anyone out there who has

some words of wisdom, I'd love to hear what you have to say.

Thanks, I look forward to hearing from you.

- J.