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Post by 6l6 on Nov 7, 2023 10:41:35 GMT -5
I turn 78 next week and am the first known member of my large family to ever have cancer of any kind. Lucky me...
I get a thorough physical every year and my PSA showed me to still be in the safe zone, but near the edge. My conservative doc left it up to me but said he thought I should talk to a urologist.
I did that and he also "left it up to me" since I was still in the safe zone. But he also said I should consider an MRI to explore further. I did that and suspicious signs showed up.
That led to a biopsy and it turns out I'm a "7" on the Gleason Scale of "10" (10 being beyond hope for treatment). Not good, very concerning, but still treatable.
YIKES! SO... I start 5 weeks of radiation, 5days/wk, soon.
Thank the Lord my doctor suggested I look into the matter. If left to go longer, I would have become a member of the past generation much sooner than hoped for.
BE SURE you get that PSA test, my friends.
6
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Post by Seldom Seen on Nov 7, 2023 10:56:12 GMT -5
I’m pulling for you. Good luck with the treatments and keep posting on progress.
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Post by slacker 🐨 on Nov 7, 2023 10:57:38 GMT -5
Best of luck knocking this on it's butt.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Nov 7, 2023 11:00:23 GMT -5
Oh man, best of luck to you 6l6. I've had my psa checked multiple times and it always comes back ridiculously low (like 0.2). Despite that I've been told my prostate is "slightly enlarged" and treated for BPH. Tried a month's worth of antibiotics to rule out bacterial infection, no luck. Now on Tamsulosin with marginal improvement. My Uro doctor doesn't seem to think it's necessary to pursue further. "You're 64 years old" is his final diagnosis. I hope he's right.
Seems to be a lot of prostate discussions going on lately. A family member is likely heading for a biopsy soon.
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Post by Leftee on Nov 7, 2023 11:03:47 GMT -5
Prayers for a full recovery! May this just be a speed-bump.
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Post by Taildragger on Nov 7, 2023 11:09:10 GMT -5
I hear you, brother. I'm getting a transperineal biopsy done tomorrow.
Best of luck to the both of us.
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Post by markfromhawaii on Nov 7, 2023 11:28:56 GMT -5
Praying for a quick and thorough recovery 6. Hope the biopsy results are negative Taildragger.
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Post by Taildragger on Nov 7, 2023 11:34:15 GMT -5
Thanks, Mark.
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Vman
Wholenote
Posts: 194
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Post by Vman on Nov 7, 2023 12:08:02 GMT -5
Good luck guys.
My prostate MRI came back 3 on the Gleason scale. Unfortunately/fortunately, the MRI also showed a 2.2 cm bladder tumor. The polyoid filling defect (Tumor) was removed Thursday and we're awiting the report. Nerve-wracking!
Prayers sent to all. Try and stay positive!
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Post by rdr on Nov 7, 2023 12:08:36 GMT -5
Good luck to you. My PSA seems to run high,up to 7. I've had 2 biopsies which so far were negative.
If it is ever determined to be cancer, I think I would consider proton therapy. I'm 71.
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Post by rdr on Nov 7, 2023 12:12:37 GMT -5
Good luck to you all.
My PSA seems to vary and run high, up to 7+ as I recall. I've had 2 negative biopsies.
If it is ever determined to be cancer. I think I'd consider proton therapy vice surgery.
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Post by Mfitz804 on Nov 7, 2023 12:25:00 GMT -5
Wishing you the best in your treatment and hopes for a quick remission.
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Post by Ricketi on Nov 7, 2023 12:26:00 GMT -5
Best of luck to you all. Hope for the best outcome .
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Post by LTB on Nov 7, 2023 13:34:34 GMT -5
Prayers for both of you! My dad and brother both had prostate cancer. Dad passed away 2 weeks before his 95 birthday in June of 2021. My brother is fine now. I go in for my physical and to find out the results of blood tests this Thursday. No elevated PSA’s so far and hope this one is good also.
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Post by 6l6 on Nov 7, 2023 14:55:06 GMT -5
Thanks for all the positive wishes!
I'm very confident the radiation treatment will do its job. Fortunately, the cancer treatment center is just 5 minutes from my home.
Onward and upward!
6
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Post by Taildragger on Nov 7, 2023 15:10:05 GMT -5
When my older brother had a bout with prostate cancer several years ago, I learned this from his experience: if you opt for radiation treatment rather than surgery, surgery may no longer be as viable an option later due to scarring caused by the radiation. Not trying to tell you what you should do, 6l6, but you might want to discuss that issue with your doctor if you haven't already done so. Another strategy (though I don’t know how widely available it is):
I tend to be in favor of anything that involves "less cutting", all else being equal.
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Vman
Wholenote
Posts: 194
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Post by Vman on Nov 7, 2023 15:42:29 GMT -5
Thanks for all the positive wishes! I'm very confident the radiation treatment will do its job. Fortunately, the cancer treatment center is just 5 minutes from my home. Onward and upward! 6 You sir, have the right attitude and I keep hearing it's half the battle. May some of your positive vibes rub off on all of us. Thoughts and prayers!! |
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Post by gato on Nov 7, 2023 16:48:18 GMT -5
Sounds like you've got this whipped!
When they used radiation to kill my thyroid, I had to keep away from loved ones (several feet) and not use the same bathroom.
I'm guessing prostate radiation therapy is a whole different thing.
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Post by roly on Nov 7, 2023 18:36:49 GMT -5
Best wishes.
I have two brothers, both have prostate cancer.
So far, I'm not on the menu.
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Post by Mfitz804 on Nov 7, 2023 18:47:23 GMT -5
Thanks for all the positive wishes! I'm very confident the radiation treatment will do its job. Fortunately, the cancer treatment center is just 5 minutes from my home. Onward and upward! 6 That was my father’s exact experience, never had any I’ll effects from it either. His story was an interesting one. He never used to go to the doctor. Went to CVS to buy vitamins, and they were not on the shelf. He asked and they had them in the back. While he was waiting, he slipped his arm in the blood pressure machine. Blood pressure was through the roof. Decided to go to the doctor. In addition to putting him on BP meds, the doctor asked when the last time he had lab work was. It was many years. So he ordered blood work including PSA. PSA came back at 4. Went to the urologist, had a biopsy, prostate cancer confirmed. It was the non-aggressive type, but high enough on the scale to require treatment. They recommended against removal and said radiation would do it. Radiation did it. PSA has not been above 1 since. Had the vitamins been in stock, he would never have taken his BP, would never have gone to the doctor, would never have had the PSA test, and would not hav been diagnosed when he was. |
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Post by 6l6 on Nov 7, 2023 19:33:29 GMT -5
Thanks for all the support!
6
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Post by RufusTeleStrat on Nov 7, 2023 22:22:06 GMT -5
Hope all goes well for both of you.
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Post by Ragtop on Nov 8, 2023 4:44:01 GMT -5
They say that if you are male and you live long enough, you will get prostate cancer.
Best of luck, 6, and keep us posted.
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Post by bluzcat on Nov 8, 2023 6:00:08 GMT -5
Wishing you a complete recovery 6!!
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Post by Rick Knight on Nov 8, 2023 8:37:31 GMT -5
Best of luck to all who are dealing with cancer. FWIW, I went through the same radiation schedule as 6l6 last year and, coincidentally, had a PSA test yesterday. The result was 0.010, so things appears to be going well. Hopefully, you will be saying the same next year.
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Post by Sharkie on Nov 8, 2023 9:08:53 GMT -5
Sending positive vibes out to everyone affected.
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Post by Taildragger on Nov 8, 2023 17:46:15 GMT -5
Back from my biopsy.
Should have results in a few days.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Nov 8, 2023 18:48:01 GMT -5
Back from my biopsy. Should have results in a few days. Fingers crossed. So...how was the biopsy procedure? |
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Tequila Rob
Wholenote
Posts: 683
Formerly Known As: Guitar Fool
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Post by Tequila Rob on Nov 8, 2023 19:24:18 GMT -5
I was diagnosed with prostate cancer exactly 1 year ago....the biopsy was no big deal, got the results back in about a week. Gleason score was 8...my Uro suggested due to my age (68) that I consider having it removed. Removal was done last February....one night in the hospital, catheter for 4 days...Started PT bout 6 weeks later. Had to wear a diaper for almost 5 months...ugh....
I stopped the exercises I was supposed to do about 2 months ago and started having had some periodic leakage. So I started doing the exercises again and occasionally wear those mini pad things. I've had 3 PSA tests since the surgery and all of them have been 0.008.
So far its Tequila Rob 1 Cancer 0...i feel lucky and blessed. It aint over...with cancer it never is, but so far so good....even though my sex life is basically done I'm still alive...but I feel like I got my money's worth :-)
A positive attitude goes a long way. Best of luck to my fellow Moe heads that are dealing with this
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Post by Taildragger on Nov 8, 2023 19:56:21 GMT -5
ingers crossed. So...how was the biopsy procedure? Not bad at all. I was kind of dreading it, given that I've never had one done before (not to mention the relative sensitivity of the area involved). Most people don't want people messin' with their junk. When the anaesthesiologist dropped by before they rolled me into the room where the procedure was done, I just told him to put me in a place where I'd be unaware of what was going on, which is exactly what he did: once I was in dreamland, they injected "the area" with a local and then did the procedure, which only took about 20 minutes. It was literally, "OK, we're going to give you something that will make you feel sleepy" and, next thing I knew, "All done." I felt nothing and don't remember anything that happened. I guess there can be some unpleasant after effects: burning sensation when you urinate, blood in your urine, difficulty urinating because the prostate swells and exerts pressure on the urethra, minimal (1%) chance of infection and so on, but I've had none of that (knock on wood) as of this evening. I even walked the dogs a couple of hours after. I'm just not supposed to do anything strenuous for 2 or 3 days. I have a low threshold of pain and don't like invasive procedures, but (at least so far) I found this to be less unpleasant than an annual check-up DRE (digital rectal exam). If my experience was typical, I would recommend it to anyone who has an elevated PSA and/or other indications that there could be a cancer. About 6 weeks or so ago, I had an MRI, and that looked OK, but the urologist had felt something during the DRE that preceded it which, along with a family history of prostate cancer, caused him to suggest the MRI and biopsy. Having this done is a small price to pay for knowing with greater certainty whether or not there's anything malignant in there. Hoping that the biopsy results are good. |
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