Guest guest Posted July 23, 2010 Report Share Posted July 23, 2010 Hi Sandy, My husband has prostate cancer,,,or can I say had it. He was treated with IMRT treatments. First, my huband had a PSA of 7.9 and Gleason 9. He was put on hormones right away to stop the cancer from spreading and to shrink the prostate. We saw five different specialist, one at Mass. General. also. The only thing they all agreed on was that he needed radiation. Even if he had surgery. We wanted to have Proton Beam Radiation, but the doctor at Mass. General said that he wanted to radiate the lymph nodes as well and IMRT treatments would do that. All treatments come with there side effects. For me, the hardest was when he was on hormones. It kills the libido and he was very distant and cold. After they wore off he became his old self. It is nice to have him back. I went on-line and got the information on all the different treatments and I would relay it to my husband. First my husband told me he wanted surgery, he just wanted the cancer out of his body. We went as far as booking the surgery. Then we went to Mass General. We found information that said that Proton Beam has the least amount of side effects. Another reason my huband changed his mind on the surgery was he didn't want to wear a urine bag for a week, that turned him off the most. A friend of ours had Robitic surgery and the cancer came back and he had to go through 6 weeks of radiation, but he's fine now. My husband's last PSA done July 6th and it was 0.20. We are doing PSA every three months just to be on the safe side. My husband was please with his treatment and he didn't miss a day of work. Do your research and remember specialists try to sell you on there treatment. It's like going shopping, there are so many treatments to choose it gets very confussing. I wish you and your husband the best and I'll keep you in my thoughs and prayers. Best Wishes, Sheila Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 23, 2010 Report Share Posted July 23, 2010 Sheila,PlEase do not think that your husband has been cured. You can hope that he is cured, but none of us really ever know. The reality is that no matter what primary treatment we elect approximately 1/3 of us will experience a recurrence. A Gleason 9 is an aggressive cancer which can again rear it's ugly head. This is why your husband will need to stay vigilant about regular PSA tests and DREs. He needs to stay vigilant until the day he dies from someother cause. I do not wish to be hard or add to the tension in your life, but always remembering the possibility of a reoccurence, even ten or fifteen years from now will help him to stay safe and live a long and happy life. T NowakTypos by IPhone Hi Sandy, My husband has prostate cancer,,,or can I say had it. He was treated with IMRT treatments. First, my huband had a PSA of 7.9 and Gleason 9. He was put on hormones right away to stop the cancer from spreading and to shrink the prostate. We saw five different specialist, one at Mass. General. also. The only thing they all agreed on was that he needed radiation. Even if he had surgery. We wanted to have Proton Beam Radiation, but the doctor at Mass. General said that he wanted to radiate the lymph nodes as well and IMRT treatments would do that. All treatments come with there side effects. For me, the hardest was when he was on hormones. It kills the libido and he was very distant and cold. After they wore off he became his old self. It is nice to have him back. I went on-line and got the information on all the different treatments and I would relay it to my husband. First my husband told me he wanted surgery, he just wanted the cancer out of his body. We went as far as booking the surgery. Then we went to Mass General. We found information that said that Proton Beam has the least amount of side effects. Another reason my huband changed his mind on the surgery was he didn't want to wear a urine bag for a week, that turned him off the most. A friend of ours had Robitic surgery and the cancer came back and he had to go through 6 weeks of radiation, but he's fine now. My husband's last PSA done July 6th and it was 0.20.......... there are so many treatments to choose it gets very confussing. I wish you and your husband the best and I'll keep you in my thoughs and prayers. Best Wishes, Sheila Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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