YANA - YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT SITE

BRONZE

Chris Bitner and Jeri live in San Diego, California, USA. He was 56 when he was diagnosed in July, 2009. His initial PSA was 5.1 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 3+3=6 and he says he was staged T2a, although that may be his pathological staging - his clinical stage may well have been T1c. His choice of treatment was Da Vinci Surgery. Here is his story.

As with many here, my story starts with a routine physical exam and associated DRE (Digital Rectal Examination) and PSA test in April '09. PSA was 4.1 and another test was ordered in July, which came back 5.1. A urologist completed a biopsy which came back with 1 core (of ten) with 10% cancer.

That's when the fun began: consultations with a radiation oncologist, evaluation of seeds, focused radiation, and the dreaded trip to a respected Da Vinci surgeon (all choices, it seems, come back to the 800 pound gorilla in the room: surgery!) When all is evaluated, surgery is the one that is most likely to provide a cure. And with my wife's blessing and support, that's what I am scheduled to undertake on October 28, 2009.

I'm fully prepared for the short term catheter issues, and understand the future in the bedroom is iffy and will be different. So be it. I'll update this blog after the surgery.

 

UPDATED

November 2009

 

 

Thank you to all the members of this forum from around the world who sent me messages of support, queries, comfort and so on. Amazing!

I had a Da Vinci prostatectomy a week ago (October 28, 2009) and found the experience quite astounding. My wife was the rock she's always been for the last 21 years, and was the one I looked for in recovery to tell me the truth. All was good at that time, and the pathology report confirms: the Gleason score went from a 6 to a 7 (not unusual), the staging stayed at T2a, and who knows about the PSA number? (used to be 5.1) I meet this Friday with the surgeon, will have the catheter removed and onto the next hurdle, incontinence. I must say, even as a 56 year old, the relief with the notion that I'm in the 99% cured club far outweighs any thoughts I might have short term about ED. Just not important right now.

For those worried about a catheter: for me, and perhaps I'm lucky, but I really appreciate that for the first time in years don't have to get up two or three times a night to go pee. I know it's only been a week with the "bladder buddy" but I'll miss it when it's gone. That was a poor attempt at humor, but you catch my intent. There's good to find in all evils!

As for the surgery: I did not anticipate, nor did anyone really impress upon me, that the gas that is used to pump up the abdomen (nitrous something or other) can cause issues after surgery. In my case, 12 hours after surgery I developed a strong (make that severe!) pain in my abdomen from shoulders to groin. The nurse at the time said I only need to "pass gas." I told the nurse this isn't the pain from intestinal gas, this is far worse and getting worse by the minute. At the shift change, a nurse who did have experience with laparoscopic patients set me straight: I'm one of 10 patients or so that have an issue absorbing the surgical gas. She injected me with a bit of this and that, and within a few hours I was back within tolerable pain ranges. Just an FYI for those of you coming up post-surgery and wondering why it's hurting more than "the norm."

Now, the question becomes: was Active Surveillance (or watchful waiting) a good option vs. the surgery? For me, a person on the other side of the surgery, the answer is absolutely no! I read somewhere that for guys in my shoes, 56 years old and a localized set of tumor(s) and a great health care plan and surgeon, this surgery provides "..the only opportunity for a cure...all other options are just treatments.."

Chris in San Diego

 

UPDATED

December 2009

 

 

The last six weeks since the robotic DaVinci surgery have come and gone, with some goods news received today: my PSA reading came in at <0.1 (my surgeon doesn't use the more sensitive, two digit PSA test). That certainly is good news, but I realized on the drive to the surgeon's office to review the results that I was woefully unprepared for a poor post-surgery PSA score. I'm very glad it came out like it did, but I need to remember for the next test, and the test after that, that the PSA could still go up and I'm not out of the woods yet.

Incontinence is a daily issue: I'm dry at night (although I wear a pad) and reasonably OK during the morning (but, go through 1 or 2 pads) but by the afternoon I'm really out of control. The surgeon is hooking me up with a therapist to work on pelvic floor exercises (maybe I'm doing the Kegels wrong?).

As for ED, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being me as an 18 year old, and 7 being me at age 56 pre-surgery, I'm a one. Maybe with a popsicle stick and scotch tape I could replicate some sort of erection, but the wife isn't into that :-)

I've been prescribed Cialis and the surgeon wants to also discuss, in a month or so, injections that will produce a "guaranteed" erection. That set me off laughing in his office about this whole journey, since literally four months ago, I didn't even know what PSA (and elevated PSA) was. Now, we're discussing teaching me how to inject my penis with a needle. What an education these four months have been. But, I think I'm in the "cured" club and as I mentioned to another PCa surviver: no more DRE's at the annual physical!

In the back of my mind, I still question my choice of treatment, but there's no denying I had to pick something since the pathology report seems to support that the tumors were becoming more aggressive and had to be killed one way or another.

Chris' e-mail address is: cbitner@cox.net