prostate cancer- it's my turn

[wdfifteen]

Well, that sucks. The good news is it is contained in your prostate.
A good friend just got the news that he has prostate cancer, but he had not kept up with his health and by the time he knew he had cancer it had metastasized. Now he has bone cancer too.
Great job on keeping an eye on your health. You are in a much better place than Bill. Prayers and best of luck for you.

[rfuerst911sc]

^^^ Thanks . Cancer runs in my family so no surprise . It could be much worse and I fully understand that . Good luck to your friend .

[gsxrken]

Sorry to hear it’s back but that’s why they monitor it. Good on you for getting it early (again).
Best wishes

[Mike Andrew]

Glad to see this thread has popped again and hope it creates awareness that, if caught early, this man killer can be stopped in its tracks. Sure, as with any treatment, there can be discomfort and also fear. However, as noted, there are several highly effective treatments with varying levels of invasiveness.

My update is good. I am still here and my PSA 3 weeks ago is .06. Offered a chance to do PSA yearly rather than every 6 months but have elected to stay on a 6 month schedule for now.

Unfortunately, my radiation oncologist, founder of the Chicago Prostate Cancer Center had to retire due to health issues. However, they referred me to another oncologist who had worked with him so I feel like there is some continuity.

Get those PSA tests done guys.

[rfuerst911sc]

Today I took my first Casodex-Bicalutamide tablet . It is a prostate cancer treatment that works by blocking the effect of testosterone and other hormones in the body . I will take this until the 15th . On the 15th they want to give me an injection of Lupron-Leuprolide . That injection lasts for 6 months and is another cancer suppressant . I start my first radiation session on Tuesday the 5th . There will be five rad treatments in total .

Finally they are suggesting taking Abiraterone acetate tablets for 2 years . I need to discuss that with the oncologist as the potential side affects are worrying . To be honest all of these drugs have the potential for some scary side affects . It is what it is , I will listen to the doctors and make some decisions .

I can't stress enough , get PSA tests done . It's simple blood work nothing to be scared of .

[techweenie]

Gleason 3+4 and holding steady. Biopsies seem to show a 1mm tumor that's not doing much if anything. Nevertheless, doing 6-month check-ins. Next PSA test later this week.

[Scott Douglas]

A really good friend is going thru he!! with his prostate surgery.
Was diagnosed @7 years after having non-smokers lung cancer and testing clean 5 years after surgery for that.
He ended up being sent home after an arthroscopic surgery.
Two days later he was back in the ER with a fever and sepsis from some abscesses that weren't draining properly.
Massive doses of antibiotics saved him, plus the addition of two drains for the abscesses.
He recently went back into the ER because of vomiting and fever, again. Sepsis is tough to get rid of, and the drains needed repositioning.
His recovery is going to take a lot longer than anticipated.

[rfuerst911sc]

I worked with a guy at Lockheed that had robotic prostate surgery . Not sure what happened but the doctor really botched the job . My friend has to wear a diaper for the rest of his life 😪 .

But at least he's alive . He is the last patient that doctor worked on as the doctor committed suicide soon after . True story . When making medical decisions or any decisions for that matter all you can do is get educated and make the decision .

It may be the right one or the wrong one , that's how life is . As we all know the only guarantee in life is death and taxes 😆 . I think I made the right decision in 2015 . I think I am making the right decisions now . Hopefully I am correct .

[911 Rod]

Best of luck!

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

Best of luck!

Thanks . Unfortunately my first rad treatment scheduled for tomorrow was canceled by the doctor . Waiting on a reschedule .

[Racerbvd]

Good Luck brother, we are pulling for you.

[astrochex]

Good luck, man. Hope all goes well.

[hughc]

I've seen videos on You tube where great results have been had using Ivermectin and or Fenbendazole for different cancers. I don't specifically recall any mention of prostrate cancer, but.....
I'm a great believer in Ivermectin, as are a LOT of others. It is a great product with absolutely NO
side effects. Maybe there's a valid reason why msm laughingly refured to it as "horse de-wormer and the powers that be made it impossible to buy during the covid scamdemic.
Spend a bit of time on the net, at this point you've nothing to lose.

[hughc]

This video is worth watching.

https://youtu.be/FYynTG_zp4Y?si=d3psrAlvnNRz2KnM

It's very encouraging.

[hughc]

Here's another Dr. Campbell video for those that might be interested.

https://youtu.be/zm3fD2zZLOs?si=DtT6zXyHIxcRChZh

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

A good friend just got the news that he has prostate cancer, but he had not kept up with his health and by the time he knew he had cancer it had metastasized. Now he has bone cancer too.

This might not be the place for it, but I'm so pissed out our system of healthcare it isn't funny. Even if a person does their regular annual checkup it can be missed.

My dad goes to see his family doc yearly. He was diagnosed with low grade B cell lymphoma about 2 years ago and is being monitored. We go to see a doc every 3 months for bloodwork and every 6 for imaging. He recently started experiencing back pain. Upon further investigation, he is found to have prostate cancer that metastasized to bone.

How does this happen? Oh that's right! They weren't monitoring the PSA of an 85 year old male while doing all the other bloodwork. I discovered by going through his My Chart that during a urologist visit last January it was noted that is PSA was 6.4. I'm told that's not way outside of the norm for a person his age. It was "suggested" he have a follow up test done in 4 months. I wasn't at that visit and didn't get that "suggestion". How does a urologist office not just schedule the follow up test? I asked the hematologist he was seeing why PSA wasn't included in bloodwork. The seemed aware of the elevated reading back in January and "thought" he had followed up locally.

We simply do not have a proactive system of healthcare and it's killing people as a result (Don't get me wrong, my dad is 85. With or without prostate cancer, I know his days are numbered) We're told we need to be our own healthcare advocate and that's 100% accurate since it seems clear the system doesn't look for potential health issues but rather it reacts once one comes up.

What I'm getting at here is, We all need to be proactive. We can't take "you're getting older" as part of an explanation for a health issue. I'll be far more forceful with docs relating to my dad's care as well as my own, I think we all have to be. I could write a book on the things I've experienced with both my mom's care and now my dad's. Sorry for the rant but I had to get that off my chest somewhere.

[rfuerst911sc]

^^^ Cab I have no problem with you or anyone commenting/ranting on here . That was the intent of my original post in 2015 . And yes as men we have to get smarter on issues that affect us . And really engage with our doctors . If a doctor asks " how you doing " and we always say " just fine " when we aren't that doesn't help .

My primary care doctor in 2015 initially caught my cancer . His referral to a specialist put me on my path to healing . From then on my PSA gets checked every 6 months along with other blood work . I am grateful that all my doctors seem to be on the same page for my well being .

I start radiation treatments this afternoon. My doctors recommended a path forward , I did some research and made the decision to follow their path . As a consumer that's about all I can do . Because this is my 2nd go round they will treat the entire pelvis . Their version of " while I'm in there " 😁 .

I am pretty sure we will beat this based on the doctors confidence . But there are no guarantees . That's life in a nutshell .

[cabmandone]

Good luck with the radiation treatment. My dad had a single session focused on a tumor in his spine that cause a compression fracture. The radiation treatment really seemed to help with the back pain he was experiencing.

I wish you well in your fight.

[hughc]

Here is another of Dr John's videos, for those of you that might be doubtful.

https://youtu.be/V5shGPTTTR8?si=j_XE6D5Fg3JHfiL4

[syncroid]

rfuerst911sc,

Prostate cancer, thankfully grows slow. My former boss had it and had his prostate removed. It has been over 10 years and he is still in the clear. I hope you have the same success. Good thoughts for you and family.
I have been tested every year since former boss was diagnosed. So far so good.