Re: Prostate cancer treatment

[Guest guest]

Hi ph:My fist advice would be -- DON'T RUSH IT !!! Take some time to learn more about prostate cancer. As far as Radiation treatment I expect the "ebrt" you refer to would be one of the newer IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy) pieces of equipment. It has been a problem with a number of people that they rush into a treatment with the "Get the damn thing out of there !! " attitude just to find out the side effects later. See if there are some "Man to Man" type groups in your area and attend some meetings so you can learn and talk to men that have been were you are now. I started going four years before I was diagnosed, so when I was diagnosed it wasn't a shock or a surprise. I wasn't happy but here I am ten years later with everything under control. You didn't say how old you are so there is a limit to what cautions or suggestions might be appropriate. If you were a 95 year old priest I might suggest doing nothing. If you are in your 50's and have a sexy partner I might suggest caution since some treatments side effects may cause impotency and even worse a loss of libido. The former can be overcome the latter not so much. Good luck on your adventure. Try as best you can to get in good physical condition and stay there. I became a runner long before I was diagnosed and never stopped. At 78 I have slowed down a lot but so far ALL systems are working.Henry/////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Hello all

My journey is I have a psa of 8.2 had a biopsy and found 2 of 12 prostate samples positive, one was 25 and the other was 5 percent cancerous. Non aggressive with Gleason score of 6.

Doc said to have ebrt radiation for 9 weeks.

What a unpleasant time, am scared. But maybe lucky too.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated

[Guest guest]

My husband had surgery. Did not get all the cancer....so he then had to undergo radiation also. Although it would tire him out (exhaust him at times), he walked an hour a day every day during radiation. Now he was blessed enough to be able to work from home during that time period. But keep yourself healthy. Eat well and get in some exercise. You will get very tired, but it is well worth going through. Try to go to the very best hospital you can. Apparently, setting up the areas where the radiation will be aimed at your body is VERY important. Need to get the correct area. You will do well! Sending prayers your way.

Hello all

My journey is I have a psa of 8.2 had a biopsy and found 2 of 12 prostate samples positive, one was 25 and the other was 5 percent cancerous. Non aggressive with Gleason score of 6.

Doc said to have ebrt radiation for 9 weeks.

What a unpleasant time, am scared. But maybe lucky too.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated

[Guest guest]

ph, As Chuck said, don't rush. Read everything you can, first by checking out the papers on the Prostate Cancer Research Institute website, and on the Memorial Sloan Kettering Institute prostate cancer section. The latter has on it a calculator into which you enter your scores and it gives the probabilities of a recurrence within 5 years for each treatment method. There are excellent books on PCA -- read at least one of them, and check out Yananow.org. Mike To: ProstateCancerSupport Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2012 6:22 PM Subject: Prostate cancer treatment

Hello allMy journey is I have a psa of 8.2 had a biopsy and found 2 of 12 prostate samples positive, one was 25 and the other was 5 percent cancerous. Non aggressive with Gleason score of 6. Doc said to have ebrt radiation for 9 weeks.What a unpleasant time, am scared. But maybe lucky too.Any comments would be greatly appreciated------------------------------------There are just two rules for this group 1 No Spam 2 Be kind to othersPlease recognise that Prostate Cancerhas different guises and needs different levels of treatment and in some cases no treatment at all. Some men even with all options offered chose radical options that you would not choose. We only ask that people be informed before choice is made, we cannot and should not tell other members what to do, other than look at other options. Try to delete old material that is no longer applying when clicking replyTry to

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[Guest guest]

ph:

The folks on the list have given you excellent advice.  I would emphasize that there is no need to be in a hurry to select a method of treatment.  Take your time. Learn more about the disease and your treatment options.  Get a second opinion.  Don't lose sight of the fact that YOU have the final say about choice of treatment.  Write down your questions. Ask the Doc's lots of questions.  Take someone with you to help listen to the answers. Take notes.  If things aren't making sense or the Doc won't explain things to you, fire him and get another Doc. There can be a lot of guesswork in treating any cancer of any type.  Everyone's situation is unique. Again, take your time, do your homework, ask God for guidance, trust yourself and your judgment,  and have faith that you will make a good decision with which you can be at peace.

Coy

 

ph,           As Chuck said, don't rush. Read everything you can, first by checking out the papers on the Prostate Cancer Research Institute website, and on the Memorial Sloan Kettering Institute prostate cancer section. The latter has on it a calculator into which you enter your scores and it gives the probabilities of a recurrence within 5 years for each treatment method. There are excellent books on PCA -- read at least one of them, and check out Yananow.org.

            Mike

To: ProstateCancerSupport Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2012 6:22 PM

Subject: Prostate cancer treatment Hello allMy journey is I have a psa of 8.2 had a biopsy and found 2 of 12 prostate samples positiv...

------------------------------------There are just two rules for this group 1 No Spam 2 Be kind to othersPlease recognise that Pro...Try to

change the title if the content requires it

[Guest guest]

Hi ph,

Above all, don't panic. With Gleason 6, you can take a little time for further study and consultations. The external radiation treatments can be tolerable.

In 2004, I was diagnosed with Gleason 9 prostate cancer, fortunately caught early. I was almost 75 yo at the time, so the recommendation was to avoid surgery and do ebrt (IMRT method). There will be fatigue developing with the treatments, though I did not find them debilitating. It helps to keep up a good exercise program to the extent you are able. In the final week of treatments, I did have some minor rectal bleeding. That cleared up within several weeks after the treatments ended and has not happened since. Feel free to get back to me with any questions if you do decide on radiation.

I also had hormonal therapy for 2.5 years; that ended in Oct. 2006. Since then my PSA has been in the 0.1 - 0.2 range consistently, with no sign of rising. I feel fine and am very optimistic that we beat it.

We'll keep healing thoughts in our heart for you. All the best!

Manny

Subject: Prostate cancer treatmentTo: ProstateCancerSupport Date: Thursday, April 12, 2012, 6:22 PM

Hello allMy journey is I have a psa of 8.2 had a biopsy and found 2 of 12 prostate samples positive, one was 25 and the other was 5 percent cancerous. Non aggressive with Gleason score of 6. Doc said to have ebrt radiation for 9 weeks.What a unpleasant time, am scared. But maybe lucky too.Any comments would be greatly appreciated

[Guest guest]

Hi ph,

Welcome to the club nobody wants to join. You've gotten excellent advice here,

but let me add my own two cents worth.

I was 70 and in otherwise excellent health when I was diagnosed with Gleason 6

PCa last year. Like you, I was alarmed and confused because I knew almost

nothing about the disease and my urologist was telling me I'd better have

surgery or I'd soon be a dead man. He put the fear of God into me and refused

to discuss options other than surgery. (I later fired him and got a wiser, more

considerate uro.)

Fortunately, I took some time to learn about the disease. I started on the

Internet but soon found I needed more perspective so I ordered the top five

most popular prostate cancer books from Amazon and devoured them. That allowed

me to understand the physiology involved, learn the vocabulary, and learn a lot

about the various treatment options--the pros and cons of each. And, very

important, the side effects.

I had a bone scan to determine whether the cancer had metastasized (spread), and

learned it had not. I was able to get an appointment at the Mayo Clinic for a

second opinion. By the time that rolled around a couple of months later, I had

read eight books, talked with dozens of men who had prostate cancer, and was

much wiser about the disease and how I fit into the picture, so I went prepared

with a long list of questions. The urologist (and also the resident) at Mayo

were terrific and together spent more than three hours examining me, reviewing

my options, and giving me a new 12-core biopsy. In the end they assured me that

all indications were my cancer was non-aggressive and completely contained

within the prostate. They said that any of the main options were available to

me.

One of the books I read was the You Can Beat Prostate Cancer: And You Don't Need

Surgery to Do It by Bob Marckini, who had undergone proton radiation therapy at

Loma University in California. Iit turned out that several of my friends

and acquaintances had also chosen that route and were all immensely happy with

their choices, mainly because the procedure was painless and side effects were

vrttually nil. In the end I chose proton radiation at Loma too,

completed my treatment last July, and it was a wonderful experience. I've had

two checkups since and all is well--my PSA has dropped from 4.4 when I started

treatment to 1.5, and my new urologist gave me a DRE and says there's no sign of

the cancer. I have had zero side effects. I'm a very happy guy!

I'm not saying to do what I did. I am saying take your time, get familiar with

the disease, get a second opinion and maybe a third, talk with men who have used

the options which make the most sense to you, then make a choice and get your

treatment. With Gleason 6 you can take the time to make a good and informed

decision on the best path to take.

Good luck,

--Milt Baker

>

> Hello all

> My journey is I have a psa of 8.2 had a biopsy and found 2 of 12 prostate

samples positive, one was 25 and the other was 5 percent cancerous. Non

aggressive with Gleason score of 6.

> Doc said to have ebrt radiation for 9 weeks.

> What a unpleasant time, am scared. But maybe lucky too.

> Any comments would be greatly appreciated

>