Hello,
I am currently 56 yrs. old and live in a rural area of the northern Texas coast. I am a fisheries biologist by training and decided when I turned 50 yrs. old I would start having regular annual physicals. My first PSA at 49 was 2.9 the Dr. didn't say anything because the range for normal with the hospital group I use was 0-4ng/ml as normal range. My PSA oscillated each year between 2.9 and 3.5 or so and I always attributed it to cycling or sex the night before. About two years ago my PSA went from 3.9 to 4.2 and I was referred to a Urologist that took 12 core biopsies that were negative with some mid-grade PIN cells. My next PSA went back down to 3.9 6 months later and I went about my life. This past summer (2016) I had my annual physical and my PSA was up to 5.4 and again I was referred to my Urologist who put me on Finasteride to see if it might be BPH. Six months later my PSA was 5.6 so he ordered more biopsies and, thankfully, he did these while I was drugged and didn't have to endure the procedure. On Dec. 23rd he called me and said I had prostate cancer "intermediate grade" aggressive located in small areas on both sides of the prostate. My Gleason is 4+3 on one side and 3+4 on the other. I had bone scans and CT scans and both were negative but didn't really relieve my creeping anxiety and fear. After a consult with a Urological surgeon I have opted to have a robotic prostatectomy. It is scheduled for March 8 and I am having all kinds of phantom (I hope) pains in my pelvic region that make me wonder if it's caused by a rapidly growing tumor that will have spread far and wide by the time I get the procedure done in another month or so.
I have been having some constant burning when I pee and saw my PCP who did a digital and said it might be a prostatitis secondary to the biopsy or something. I don't know if the burning is psychosomatic or if it's real. Either way, I reckon not much can be done until March 8th when they do the surgery.
Well, that's about it for now, thanks for listening to me panic....thanks for the website and the info here!
Shortly after I wrote about my diagnosis and decision to have a prostatectomy, I decided to get a second opinion with a prostate cancer specialist at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. I went for my first visit and had all of my records sent from the pathology labs and from my other Dr.'s group. While we were waiting for the MDA pathologists to read my previous two biopsy slides, I was sent for an MRI with the endorectal coil - not pleasant but not the most horrible thing I have ever endured. The MRI showed a 5mm mass (highly suspicious as carcinoma) on the right side of my prostate. The MDA folks decided to have me scheduled for a MRI Fusion guided biposy. In the mean time, the pathologists at MDA called me with their interpretation of my previous biopsies - they did not agree with the other pathology lab and said they only found a small area of Gleason 6 (>2mm) in one sample. So now I am totally freaked out. I was angry and scared so I called my original urologist and told him what MDA had found. He was shocked as well and told me the pathology slides are read by an outside lab. He sent the slides to Baylor to another specialist to see what his opinion might be - the specialist at Baylor agreed with MDA and said he saw only one small spot of low grade cancer.
What the heck....so....a few weeks later MDA did the fusion biopsy (12 samples) and targeted the 5mm mass seen in the MRI and other areas. Their results were - the mass was scarified and atrophied tissue that was likely benign and a small area (about 1mm) that had a Gleason 6.
So for the past year I have been going back every 4 months or so to have PSA levels drawn...my PSA at one point was almost 13 but dropped to 7 then 6.8 at my last appointment. They are watching and will likely do some more imaging in a year or so.
I am more than happy to email or talk with anyone going through this mess if you think it will help. I still have more questions than answers but I know one thing for sure - the folks at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center are some of the kindest and most compassionate medical professionals I have ever met!
I wish all of you the best...peace
It's been a while since my last post. My PSA levels continued to rise until they reached somewhere in the 9-10. At that point my Dr at MD Anderson decided to collect 30 biopsies trans perineal rather than rectal, to see what was happening. Well, most of the samples came back as Gleason 7. So, he asked if i would be willing to participate in a clinical trial testing a new drug- Apalutamide in intermediate grade cancer as a pre-surgical treatment. The clinical trial involves taking this drug (blocks absorption of testosterone) for 6 months then having my prostate removed. The point of the clinical trial is to see how long after surgery it will take before I need follow-up radiation or other therapy. I have one more month of drug therapy then my surgery on May 20th.
I am a marine biologist and data collection and research have been part of my life forever. So, participating in the study was and is kind of exciting. I hope the results from this study help folks like us in the future.
Well, that's it for now. All of you take care! Email me if you ever have questions.
Bill
Hello,
I have my 1-year post surgery follow-up next month so we will see how things are progressing. I received a few emails from folks that were curious/worried about their situations and it made me happy to know I was able to share information. My PSA at diagnosis was 4+3 so it's not he most favorable and I had my share of sleepless nights and worrisome days - so if it helps to reach out and ask - I am here. Like I said, I am almost a year out from surgery and the one big issue I suffer is erectile dysfunction - I cannot get an erection. My physician prescribed Cialis and Viagra and then finally opted to prescribe an injectable. I havent tried the injectable yet. I dont have any urnary issues so thats good.
When they did the pathology on the lymph nodes they removed during my protatectomy they discovered I had Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia too. So, I am spending time at M.D. Anderson dealing with that as well.
But I think living through and with cancer for the past 3-4 years has helped me with my coping skills and also with accepting the situation.
So that's my story - and I like I said earlier, if anyone has questions or just wants to share their feelings or concerns - send me an email! Y'all take care.
Hello,
It's been a while since I last posted and my PSA is still undetectable.
If you read my past posts you can see what treatment protocols I chose. The only really negative aspect to my treatment is - I am still impotent. But given the alternative, I can deal with it.
I am happy I chose prostate removal. I have a very dear friend that is a bit older than I that also has prostate cancer. He told me that against his Dr.'s wishes, he chose a treatment route that would not affect sexual function. His cancer is back and has metastisized to his lower back. He is getting some amazing new treatments at MD Anderson that help extend his life, delay cancer spread, and keep him pain free. I guess the point is, it's what ever you choose to do.
On the other hand I have friends that do not have prostate cancer that try to convince me that prostate cancer is not a big deal and can be cures with mushrooms, pot, or other herbal concoctions.
The decision of how you want the situation treated is very personal. All i'd like to say is - study, believe the science, talk to your Dr., get a second opinion (I did), and then commit to your treatment.
I wish everyone the best of luck - and once again - please email me if you have questions or just wnat to talk.
Bill
Bill's e-mail address is: william.balboa AT att.net (replace "AT" with "@")
