Talk Cancer

Question:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –  Think of what you’re asking. A lifetime guarantee against one particular desease. I have no problem with that.  Personally I would rather have no heart attack or stroke,  if I was getting just one.  My guess is that you have a better chance of dying of lots of other things in the next 10 years. I forgot to mention that my uro then lapsed into some sophomoric philosophizing about death and taxes and all that.  Sure, we are all going to die sometime of something. That doesn’t mean we should be strangled at birth.

   Just to cheer you up, I’ll play devils advocate. Who’s to say that this life is any bargain anyway? If we all knew that the next one will be 1% better, they’d be diving off buildings by the thousands!  Bottom line is try to live for today and have a blast! — JK Sinrod NY Sinrod Stained Glass www.sinrodstudios.com Coney Island Memories www.sinrodstudios.com/coneymemories

Response:

Went to my uro the otrher day for my three-year check after RRP. So far, so good. I mentioned to him a man on this NG who had RRP 9-1/2 years ago with clean PSA reports for nine years by a PSA of 2 at 9-1/2. He just shrugged his shoulders and sadi "It happens." "So we are never out of the woods?" sez I. "Nope," sez he. Real encouraging. I forgot to ask what the chances are of a recurrence so many years later after no indications at all for so long.

  Think of what you’re asking. A lifetime guarantee against one particular desease.  Personally I would rather have no heart attack or stroke,  if I was getting just one.  My guess is that you have a better chance of dying of lots of other things in the next 10 years. — JK Sinrod Long Island NY Sinrod Stained Glass www.sinrodstudios.com Coney Island Memories www.sinrodstudios.com/coneymemories

Response:

Depending on the accuracy of the measurements and the machine doing the zapping, nothing gets zapped as much as the cancer.  However, anything contiguous to the prostate bed or fossa would get more zapping than other parts of the body that are further out.  Usually, the only things of consequence are the colon and urethra.  You may experience diarrhea and or burning in your urine.  I did to a very slight extent near the end of the treatments, but they were gone a week after. You may also find yourself getting tired more often. I made myself go to bed an hour early every night and sleep 9 hours to counteract the drowsiness.  I walked 3.2 to 5 miles 3 or 4 or 5 times a week to force my blood around and increase the healing process within the good tissue.  I drank gallons and gallons of water to keep things nice and wet down there and rebuff the rays in the good tissue and to lessen the effect on the urethra.  I attribute this regimen to my almost symptomless outcome. — Steve Kramer Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 PSA  .1  .1  .1  .3  .4  .8 PSA  .3  .2  .2  .2

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Gogarty, I stand to be corrected. My psa did not go from 0.0 to 2.0 at 9 1/2 yrs. just like that. It was probably 1 1/2 years after my rp that I started getting .01 and .03 psa readings. My GP was the only person I had to communicate to about my psa tests, and I did test every year. My GP said there was nothing to worry about if a digit wasn’t in front of the decimal. A 2.0 was noticed after I demanded to see my psa results about 4 months ago. I was shocked that my new GP wasn’t aware,or for that fact look at the result. I stopped seeing my urologist shortly after he removed the catheter. I hope this will clear up any misunderstanding. Tuesday I have consultation with the radiologist to proceed with frying the prostate bed. I am curious to know what else will get fried along with it? Does anyone in this ng know?Thanks…Lloyd Went to my uro the otrher day for my three-year check after RRP. So far, so good. I mentioned to him a man on this NG who had RRP 9-1/2 years ago with clean PSA reports for nine years by a PSA of 2 at 9-1/2. He just shrugged his shoulders and sadi "It happens." "So we are never out of the woods?" sez I. "Nope," sez he. Real encouraging. I forgot to ask what the chances are of a recurrence so many years later after no indications at all for so long.

Response:

Went to my uro the otrher day for my three-year check after RRP. So far, so good. I mentioned to him a man on this NG who had RRP 9-1/2 years ago with clean PSA reports for nine years by a PSA of 2 at 9-1/2. He just shrugged his shoulders and sadi "It happens." "So we are never out of the woods?" sez I. "Nope," sez he. Real encouraging. I forgot to ask what the chances are of a recurrence so many years later after no indications at all for so long.

Response:

My uncle had an PRP about 20 years ago.  2 years ago his PSA started rising again and he’s now on hormone therapy.  PSA is back to undetectable. I only pray that I get 20 more years… — Dave H (from NH) Dx March 4, 03 PSA 11.0 LRP June 10, 03 Post Op Gleason 7(4+3)

Response:

hey dave – i know how you feel.  i always heard that the best way to go was like grandpa did —— in your sleep.     not like the rest of those in the car that were screaming.  :) boy, life is good ~ curtis knowledge is power – growing old is mandatory – growing wise is optional

Response:

I dunno.  I wish there were people on the NG that have gone 10 years and 15 years without, but then I doubt that most last on a support NG that long. First, it doesn’t effect them.  Then, they probably feel after awhile like they are bragging.  Lloyd and Ron and Senior2Senior are the longest, as best I can recall, and all three came to the NG after a recurrence. Then again, considering there wasnt’ even a WWW before 1993, I suppose there really was never a chance for us to get some really ‘tenured’ advice. — Steve Kramer Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 PSA  .1  .1  .1  .3  .4  .8 PSA  .3  .2  .2  .2

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Went to my uro the otrher day for my three-year check after RRP. So far, so good. I mentioned to him a man on this NG who had RRP 9-1/2 years ago with clean PSA reports for nine years by a PSA of 2 at 9-1/2. He just shrugged his shoulders and sadi "It happens." "So we are never out of the woods?" sez I. "Nope," sez he. Real encouraging. I forgot to ask what the chances are of a recurrence so many years later after no indications at all for so long.

Response:

Went to my uro the otrher day for my three-year check after RRP. So far, so good. I mentioned to him a man on this NG who had RRP 9-1/2 years ago with clean PSA reports for nine years by a PSA of 2 at 9-1/2. He just shrugged his shoulders and sadi "It happens." "So we are never out of the woods?" sez I. "Nope," sez he. Real encouraging. I forgot to ask what the chances are of a recurrence so many years later after no indications at all for so long.

As best I can tell, if you have gone nine years with undetectable PSA, then the chances of a recurrence after that are only a few percent at worst.   That means it can occur and there is a reasonable chance any one of us may encounter a few men to whom it occurred.   But there is no point in worrying about it happening to you. Remember also that if the PSA starts increasing after 9 years, it could easily take another 9 years before there were clinical symptoms of metastasis.  Many urologists don’t recommend treatment by hormones until   there are clinical symptoms like something showing up on a bone scan.    After that hormone therapy can keep you going for some number of years.  In my case, all of that would get me past any likely lifespan.   At 2 1/2 years past surgery my PSA was undetectable.   If I get to 9 years, I will certainly consider myself cured for all practical purposes.

Response:

Gogarty, I stand to be corrected. My psa did not go from 0.0 to 2.0 at 9 1/2 yrs. just like that. It was probably 1 1/2 years after my rp that I started getting .01 and .03 psa readings. My GP was the only person I had to communicate to about my psa tests, and I did test every year. My GP said there was nothing to worry about if a digit wasn’t in front of the decimal. A 2.0 was noticed after I demanded to see my psa results about 4 months ago. I was shocked that my new GP wasn’t aware,or for that fact look at the result. I stopped seeing my urologist shortly after he removed the catheter. I hope this will clear up any misunderstanding. Tuesday I have consultation with the radiologist to proceed with frying the prostate bed. I am curious to know what else will get fried along with it? Does anyone in this ng know?Thanks…Lloyd

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Went to my uro the otrher day for my three-year check after RRP. So far, so good. I mentioned to him a man on this NG who had RRP 9-1/2 years ago with clean PSA reports for nine years by a PSA of 2 at 9-1/2. He just shrugged his shoulders and sadi "It happens." "So we are never out of the woods?" sez I. "Nope," sez he. Real encouraging. I forgot to ask what the chances are of a recurrence so many years later after no indications at all for so long.

Response:

When I went in for EBRT of the prostate bed, I was told by the oncologist that A. the radiation would probably completely elminiate the PCa on the bed, and B. I have a 50/50 chance at living another 10 years (that was 1 year ago). — Steve Kramer Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 PSA  .1  .1  .1  .3  .4  .8 PSA  .3  .2  .2  .2

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My uncle had an PRP about 20 years ago.  2 years ago his PSA started rising again and he’s now on hormone therapy.  PSA is back to undetectable. I only pray that I get 20 more years… — Dave H (from NH) Dx March 4, 03 PSA 11.0 LRP June 10, 03 Post Op Gleason 7(4+3)

Response: