YANA - YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOW

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT SITE

BRONZE

Edgar Tullar and Wanda live in Louisiana, USA . He was 67 when he was diagnosed on February 8, 2008. His initial PSA was 4.2 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 6 (3+3) and he was staged T1c. His choice of treatment was Surgery. Here is his story.

I was diagnosed after having biopsy. The Pathology lab test results indicated I have Left apex 2 Frag., Adenocarcinoma, Gleason 6 (3+3), involved 1/3.

I am not sure what that means, but my urologist in Louisiana where I lived said it is in early stages and recommended that I do "Watchful Waiting" for a long length of time.
I work for FEMA and the following day I was called to go to Little Rock, Arkansas for a tornado disaster. After arriving and work settling down, I was having a slight problem with bleeding from the Penis so went to a local urologist.Showed him my lab results and got the exact same recommendation (Watchful Waiting).

By this time I had been on the internet and joined a support group plus had attended a "Man to Man" support group locally. I gathered from both sources that I should have a bone scan and a CT scan to ensure that the cancer had not spread out of the Prostate. I told the doctor that I was willing to do watchful waiting, but wanted to have a warm and fuzzy feeling about it not having spread first. He was very reluctant to have the test ran, but finally let me do it.

The bone scan was clear but the CT scan shows two possible cancerous lymph nodes. The urologist immediately sent me to get a biopsy done on the lymph nodes, but when I arrived at the hospital, they said they could not do them without going through an artery or bone and suggested "Watchful Waiting" till I decided what to do about my prostate cancer.

Soooo back to the urologist I went. We discussed it and came up with a plan where by he would operate, check the lymph nodes on the spot and if they were malignant then he will close me up and I go into radiation treatment with the prostate taking back seat to the lymph node cancer.

That is where I am now. The surgery is scheduled on 10 July 2008 and I hope to wake up without a prostate.

I have spent very little time in the hospital and never liked any of it. I am scared and hope I have made the right decision. I have real problems with knowing the cancer is inside of me. My intentions were to make a decision in a few months on treatment type, but the lymph nodes changed that and do not see any other way than the one I have been forced to choose.

I will have the surgery done here in Little Rock.

Edgar Tullar
Louisiana

 

UPDATED

September 2009

 

 

I was diagonised on 6 February 2008 and had robotic surgery on 27 July of 2008.

Reason for such a quick decision on how to go was that a CT scan showed that the cancer had spread out of the prostate and into the lymph nodes. They were unable to do a biopsy on the lymph nodes because of where they were located. They had to remove the prostate to get to the lymph nodes to do a biopsy on them. The biopsy was negative so I was fine.

There was no repeat no pain what so ever with the robotic surgery. My doctor said that I had one of the top five largest prostates he had ever seen. The Prostate is normally about 45 grams mine was 185 grams, that is about the size of an orange.

After one year I still have a very slight incontinence and total ED. No drugs help the ED, the doc says it still could change, I hope so but am losing faith that it will happen.

If anyone decides that removing the prostate is the way they have to go, then the robotic is by far the best way to do it. One night in the hospital, one week with a catheter, no pain and totally mobility from a hour after the operation.

Edgar's e-mail address is: etullar222@yahoo.