Prostate cancer update....

...had my annual sit down with my radiation oncologist last Monday at Durham Cancer Center/Lakeridge, bloodwork done 2 weeks prior. All is good five years on. I`ve mentioned I was diagnosed in Aug. of `20, had brachytherapy and 15 external beam radiation treatments a few months following diagnosis, Dec.`20 to Jan.`21. My PSA #`s are running at 1.8 plus/minus for 5 years, I figure some of us here have dealt with cancer or have family or friends hit by this horrid F`n disease. Stay on top of your screening gentlemen, it`s easy to do. I had an aggressive level of cancer and had no indication anything was wrong, had I ignored it I`d have met a quite unpleasant demise by now. If you`re 50 plus,....take care of business.

I would be afraid my wiener would get over cooked by the radiation.

I was diagnosed about 5 years ago as well. At this point the doctor says it's something I'll die with rather than from. Get checked out, what's the worst that can happen ?

TK4 said:

I was diagnosed about 5 years ago as well. At this point the doctor says it's something I'll die with rather than from. Get checked out, what's the worst that can happen ?

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There`s lots of variables with prostate cancer. A percentage of men do die with it but not from it, mostly at a well advanced age. If it metastasizes, spreads to other parts of your body, as would have happened to me,....you`re in serious trouble. Get checked is right, like a .50 cal. machine gun, it`s nothing to be F`d with. It kills lots of men.

Dad diagnosed with prostate cancer about 15 years ago, mom diagnosed with breast cancer about 30 years ago. Both survivors, but I know I'm high-risk so I get the finger up the bum regularly. Also, I get my prostate checked by my doctor every year.

Lightcycle said:

Dad diagnosed with prostate cancer about 15 years ago, mom diagnosed with breast cancer about 30 years ago. Both survivors, but I know I'm high-risk so I get the finger up the bum regularly. Also, I get my prostate checked by my doctor every year.

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Well played. Prostate cancer is nothing to die of embarrassment about, lots of men just don`t want to do it. Ya gotta` wonder...we have x-rays, CT scans, MRI`s and Ultrasound yet the DRE is king.

ToSlow said:

I would be afraid my wiener would get over cooked by the radiation.

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That explains my puzzled look when they handed me the squeeze mustard. I got 4 blue dot tattoos, positioning markers, to ensure accuracy with the external beam radiation circular ray gun. One above my navel, another mid groin and one on each hip, line `em up and zap away. The treatment took about 20 minutes, daily M-F for 3 weeks. The bad part was my daily 2.5 hr. round trip. The initial brachytherapy was more involved, I was knocked out for 4ish hours, had gold seeds implanted in my prostate and zapped with high intensity radiation. In at 6am, out noon-ish. During the whole process the only bit of slight discomfort was the prostate biopsy, sounds worse by far than it was. The team at the DRCC was superb, I`m forever grateful, they saved my life. That whole journey, as corny as it sounds, changed me for all time. I see everything from a new perspective. I hope my account can help anyone here facing a fight with that SOB cancer.

A lot of people want to think they're invincible. They aren't and being pro-active is the way to go.

nobbie48 said:

A lot of people want to think they're invincible. They aren't and being pro-active is the way to go.

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It`s the only way to go. I actually cancelled my first appointment for my prostate biopsy. I`d built up big anxiety and trepidation and bailed out. The thought of getting a needle/freezing up the hoop, followed by some little pickle grabber thing taking tiny bites out of my prostate in a number of locations identified by a CT scan got to me. As I mentioned, all for nothing, a zero event. I talked with the OR Nurse during the whole procedure...about birds, while the Doc. did his thing, over in no time. All I actually felt was a vague kind of pressure, no pain. That was at Peterborough, PRHC, again a tremendous team helped me there too. If any men here are looking at this in their future, I hope this puts their mind at ease, you`ll be in competent and caring hands...no worries. I`d like to add that from diagnosis to prep for the procedures and the day of, you are given a ton of information to deal with...rather overwhelming compounded by the worry and stress I had. Again,...I was guided one step at a time, the teams were super empathetic, calm and caring.